Evening star., 1866-10-24
THE EVENING STAR.
Abou, High Price, and the R,m,ax


About High Prices and the Remedy
spicy letter, published IN 4 Massae au. cts
papsr-tbe Northampton Gazstte--reeItes the
eEsses OF the present hugh prices, and contains
some snegrstIons for remedy. The writer
thinks the purchasing Community Is too pa
uent; 10 submits without a grumble TO outra-
gecbs exactions and extortions; It consents to
De heeeed on groundIess and shallow pre-
tenees during the war, he adds, our peOpe
became haoituated 10 a very iuffated kind of
arithmetic, and lost their .ensitiveness TO nigh
prices Rates are kept up after AL good rea-
sous have ceased; every thing goes up with
geld, and nothing comes down with it and
''he nine disits have ceased to have sixnif-
eabce unless raised to the third power. or fol-
lowed by half a dozen eiphers."
Speculation Is one cause Of high prices. The
wires, says the writer, "are fairly eorroded
with blistering lies about cotton, coal, wheat,
honr, butter, fruits, and nearly everv article
essential to human life or Tor Its endurance
The pr,ce ot Hour has been enhanced ali sum-
mer by Muncbausen reports of too much heat,
and too much cOld-an excess of rain here and
aIaek of rain there-a storm in one plscs and
tornado in another. Every little fact of local
application has been nursed into a gigantic
fiction Of universal application. Each, in It's
tarn, has fieeeed the community and fatceued
The specplatorn -.
As with these articles. 30 with cotton. coal.
meats and teas. -" -
Now, what can consumers do by way OF
self protection Adopt the following sugges-
tions.
IL. Practice temporary self-denial. For in.
stance, II tea is made the subject matter OF ex-
tortIon, let tea alone. Our grandmothers in 10
let II alone Sc yerely, TO avoid 4 duty of three
cents pound; can't we be as heroic to avoid
an e1toruon OF hfty-eigh cents pound! So
of any article held for q rise.' Let 1t be held
TILL the interest on Its cost, or its own perisha-
bic nature, has atoned for the intended out.
rage. Let grain heat, let fruit rot, let butter
turn rancid, let moth and rust corrupt till
financial guerillas have learned that an indig-
nant public Is not going to be led like a lamb
10 the slaughter (Of course no reference is
here made to legitimate in vestments for a rise
or legitimate trade, or reasonable profits. T af-
Nc is honorable when honorably conducted
The reference is only to those cases where the
rise in price is expected to come purely from
a combined holding, and not from natural
causes Nor Is any imputation intended TO be
cast upon country merchants as class. The
mischief generally originates back of them and
farther off. But If they should have TO suffer
through the proposed remedy for the sins of
rest of the community
awe are apt 10 lhnk that this article or tn at
article Is indispensable. Nothing is Indispen.
sable but air and water: these, thank God can.
not be sheld for rise.' Some food is indispen.
sable, but no one kind is so. For eyery seem
ing essential there is a substitute. Good bread
and the amount of the former soon TO be forth
coming is inexbausuble, and beyond the grasp
of monopoly. II meats are high, turn yegeta-
ran; or make every day in the week a Cath
Ole Friday. III the price of a substitute is en- =
HANGED by the increased demand no matter
The community will be no worse off than be-
&OIc, anu persistence IN the use OF the substi.
tnte will soon make the original article avail
able at reasonable price. Then the price of
the substitute Will come down Of ITSELF To he
sure, the great mass of consumers through the
country must concur in the proposed remedy
or II will be Intellectual. But the people at
large are intelligent enough and re adv enough
10 remedy political evil, when once their at
tenuon TO II Is aroused. They were swift
enough to put down the rebellion at whatever
sacrifice; will they be any less swift to cheap
en- their own bread and butter, when they
have once learned howl
''2- If the subject natter of extortion is deemed
indispensable, and no substitute is ayailable
let the quantum used be small as possible A
reduction Of one-third or one half in the de-
maAd for any article would cause the coiapse
OF many speculative ubble.
''3 So far as is possible, let consumer and
producer deal with each other. Both will he
tne gamers. In respect Tn most commodities
as tsings are now, there are too MANY ro
betweens, each OF whom must have his profit
not only on what the producer recei we'd, but on
all Intervening profits. Even supposinp each
proht TO be reasonable, the aggregate at last
becomes enormous TO the con sumer The hesf
producer IN Illinois receives seven cents ner
pound; the beef eater in New York has 10 nav
four times seven. When producers and con-
sumers cannot come together, the latter can
IN many cases, combine together, and emplov
an agent to make purchases ST first cost"