The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-20
The Prices Of Things.
From the Times. s...

from the Times
The hopes OF those who thought that when
the war was over the cost of living would
approximate to an ante-war standard we're dis.
appointed in large degree. There have been
reductions in many articles, but the majority of
necsssaries are very high in pnce, and not only
without any occasion therefor, but what is a
much worse feature, the people appear totally
needless Of the evils which such a state of things
involves, and buy as extravagantly as if money
was. exhaustless, and the fair days of prosperity
never to end. This should be looked TO. 1t is
an unhealthy sign for squandering TO become
the habit, whether of individuals or society.
There is no use in blaming those who sell us
goods-the error is with those who buy. Dur
ing he last three years there was desire on all
sides to grow suddenly rich. .
The accumulation OF wealth was discovered TO
be an absurdly slow process; and while large
combinations OF men or money absorbed and
speCulated with all that was essential to the
comfort or even support OF life, and so made
their fortunes, The dealers followed this bright
example in smaller way, by the simple expe-
dent of doubling their rates of profit. In those
DAYS there was much suffering and loud outcry,
but it was all borue with, because the thought
was in the mind of every middle-clas5 and poor
consumer that when the war was over prices
would tall. But it seems that nearly everybody
is so rich that any serious discussion as to what
a family should eat and wear is not to be tole-
rated. There is plenty of money, says every
body; and as we can well afford to pay
for whatever we fancy, whose business Is 1t
but our own?
We say nearly everybody. but that does not
mean the great mass of the striving, toiling
humanity, to whom every dollar is an important
matter. And it Is tue case OF these latter which
needs advocacy. They do not mean altogether
what are understood as the very poor, ut they
include untold thousands of educated, good, and
honorable, but very anxious men-men whose
appearance is their working capital no less than
their skill or knowledge, and to whom a shabby
coat is absolute ruin.
When this latter, when ali the poor felt
severely the reign OF high prices, tradesmen and
spectators found their customers among the
richer buyers, and bated no iot 10 their poorer.
The present state of things is Tar worse now, for
the carelesSness of those who have money, which
it was hoped would be but temporary, has be-
come, so to speak, permanent. The rule of eX-
travagance has become fixed, and all its evils
stare us iU the face. And is there no remedy |?
There is, in the inevitable disaster which is
always the punishment of a needless, giddy
people. Those who, by their lavish OUTLAWS,
keep up the cost of everything which they con-
sumo, by their folly are doing something else
they are perpetuating the season OF artificial
values and during which reyerses are always
imminent. They keep alive the hopes and the
rapacity of spectators, and prevent that general
social reliet which peace and productveness
might bring, by making that rapacty able to
perpetuate itself.
How often we have predicted that general
acqulescence in the demands of extortloners
would result in permanent and great advance
in the rates of living, our readers welt know. To
proper advance, one justified by the various
circumstances OF the hour, none can obect but
it is intoerabe that any article of food or cloth
ing should stand at the price asked when we
were in the darkest hours OF the war, and gold
was at 270. The remedy is within reach, as we
truly believe. Those who have TO make pur.
chases can, if they will, it with full effect.
1t simply consists in refusing to pay more than
tair prices for what they want and doing with
out If they cannot obtain them thereat
1t is a common thing to say that inasmuch as
we have a debt of British proportions we must
be content to pay as high for food and clothes
as Britishers pay-in short, that:the day Of cheap
living is past with us. Well, the British debt is
larger than ours, and our natural resources are
inexhaustible, which hers are not; but no matter.
We do not pay British prices-would that we
did. The coat we pay $50 Tor here is twoguinea
affair in London, or any other English town,
and as the two guineas are paid in gold, the
price OF gold does not affect the matter. Butter
IN England would be very dear at an American
silver quarter a pound, and the American loaf
is g good deal smaller thau that at the same
specie price there. And so with hosts OF other
things-One item, houserent alone, will suffice
for all the Iest-ag good house. that costs $4,000
year or more in New York, brings less than a
third that sum in London, and less than twentJ
per cent in other localities, and it the comparison
excluded New York because of its alleged over
crowding, it would not show much better fol
our side OF the case. In short, in our desire to
be magnificent, we are laying ourselves open tC
the charge OF being absurd.