The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-12-09

The respsiGbility ibr high pri6 tJwissa
round the entire circle Of ali vhU have 70
do with them. dealer in milliussy for is-
stance, or issny commodity subject 20 The
caprices Of fashion, adopts . scalaNf prices
which eveIY one pfononnces "exho.bitans, "
g ruinous,H &c. !; sAnd yea everybody 20
throngs that shop thst reduction Of terms
is the last thing to be thos1ht Of Here il
cannot be said that the seller impoen upon
the customer any mora thas that the custom
er directly encourages the dealer to keep up,
and even to raise his or her prices. They
must share the responsibility between them.
And 20 it ID through the whole round of busi-
ness--nearly every man is 1t once psoducse
and Consumes. purchaser and seller and II
be haa power to keep up prices BY Hs dts
msnds, he Yields like power by = toofeady
compliance with the demands of oskSss. Bss
lthervjs . nxrked difference in this respect,
viz that when, owing to circumstances,
prices naturally iynd upward, sFsEy man
eagesIy avalla himself Of the tide, and ths
genefai enhabcement is TINS accomplished
easily, and, a. it were, astomatic6liy; but
goes against the serain, 10 that nothing
but selut. manifest and tangible, b ge eoeraly
efecAaal to bring prices down.
For this reason, since we sAw that the close
Of the war and the shaking of gold hAd so
little effect upon prices, We have ha1 bat
slight faith IN any remedy short of s0eh aa
accumulation Of general supply Of labor
and commodities in the country IS should in
evitably force down the staple articles 1hss
time is surely coming, and perhaps has Al
ready beguwt4 msA,iest its 3preseaes. An
our living soldiers are back again nths sanks
Of productive industry; the capital Of the
country is enploye IN the same line, instead
Of being largely diverted toward carrying on
gigantic war and the expenses Of the
Government except in the matt Of the
payment OF the national debt, are rapidly re-
turning to the peace standard. ln sddition,
We have been favored with crops quite Up "a
the average during tho last two yeafS 1t
cannot but be, then, particularly when We
take into account the great progress of labor-
saving inventions, tifat supply is SO gainiug
ups~- -1s@snA thas the essestisi reduction Of
ppces is certain. and perhaps not very &s-
tant The fall of woolens may be taken a.
an IN dicssion Of the general pfocess, and il
win hasten it, 5ecanse no facfi is better estab.
lshed in political economy than thss cheep-
ness in one branch OF trade exerts an iuflu-
ence 10 that end upon sil.
OF course, as we have shown above, this
return TO more reasonable prices will be re-
sisted with all the power which capital and
ingenuity can command. II is reported, We
know not With how much truth, that eorubi-
nations are now being made on great scale
to keep up the price of breadstuffs BY drib-
bliag then inte market. issuing wrong sepss-
sestafiom of she amount Of supply, conceai>
ing the true state Of the forwarding nove-
ment, &c, &c. This, if true, is particularly
Objectionable, on account Of the haxdship
aud sukefnt il entails upon the poor. II 4
the duty Of the Government to see that this
elasa of speeslators - shes nisef1 OF th6peo
pie are allowed no undue facilities through
the use Of shsanl1busi baaksp - AasH been
alleged. and their operations ought to b.
encountered ih1every other legitimate way.
But the fnai remedy is IN Tho Inevitable nd
justment Of supply and demsnd Those Who
resist its warnings, already sounded 70 every
sagacious business man, viii be punished
with severity proportioned 70 their reck.
lessness, and viii 90 down amid the indider-
escs and scorn of . long-sufering commani>
ty.-Boton Journal.