Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-09-24
supply and Demand.

Mr. s. NJ. SIN ~ is Sc ear. Of the State
g~ange of ia me-s ia uiic" !, AZ lis We rs
rave been rpgssjei as a tp'e.soly fair re,, ?
seota:ioa 0 tb9 op;nir9, he b. tbos5 gag
speech Mr.. Smith case the fol owing as bis
remedJ for cheap p-'"es fer coSa:
Wnas governs the p:!ce of labor? One
man says, - Wat f3o's these farmers are
they are going to legslate about prices
they are gong to tx the price the railroads
snail charge the n for carrying theie pelduc,s
TO market 3. " hat fixes values?' says
one smart man. W Oy, they all regulate
themselves, as water seeks lis level. Do
they? That is one Of III. smart sayings
with which they meet us Old foolish ftrmers.
[ ask you, 10 heaven name, what conStl-
tutes value, wnat constitutes the value OF
your pound OF pork or bushel of corn
WHAT constituted the value OF those pieces
.. bl oadcloth which | used to manufacture
in the woolen-mIll lOr twenty eight years OF
my lie? | reck med the cost OF the mate
rial and added to that the cost of the labor
by which | turped that material into the
piece OF finished br01dcloth. cneo l. cost
me so much. what then? Wing. an ebti-
tied to a fair, reasonable perce1iag, OF
profit over that, ia order to live ard keep my
machinery whole. Jus5 so with you. That
constitutes the value % yodr bushel Of corn
or pound of pork, o; whatever mag be the
product of YOUR tacm. T1en fad out ac-
cording!v what it c)sts you to p1Jid;e a
| oushel of corn, aud f ( ID pr.ce upon IL, and
get it.
| But here comes the ficd'ty. which some
folks think is insur 90 nta6le. ard the !
laugh at the idea that d sce going to fix d
price upon your labor. aau say that some
body else must do It. Tank moment.
When yol ladies wanaa cai.c, dress, you e,
to dry goods merchsns, an 4, II you ind an
article that sots yoa, YOU ask what is the
price. Suppose yea weI5 to SAY 10 b IN yo1
would give "jm cents yard for 1t when il
| cost bun 10 do you imas ne you could bay
tnat prot at that rate? Do you not KNOW
you coal Id NOT have it7 D, yea not know
| you would Ire hooted cat % the store? And
yet does he not a;t 50 - ypd when you
say, 81 want yod e. L. sc so'ue vi ing outer
product OF NY diisy IL exchange icr thI'
prlnt?' He says III reoly, D." ~,ll give yor
SO much for tue bua:er.' DID you evel
thinx ot the positive co!ousness, to SAY
|
place ourselves? We have t. ges wat WI
ueed Of our grocery y: hardware mecchaD
aud pay him bis priCe. AMI then he gets you
products at bis price also. Did you eve
stop to think u. the post 10 wrlch tna
places you? Allow IL use an expression
| have 0itea employed Ia speatlog OF Thu
matte- [ have sand that woen | have acte(
in this way have felt So email, my man
hood had sunk SO low, that [ wanted C.
creep inso small hole and pull tue hole II
after ME.
MIR. Smith pro baoly has not conside-e'
his problem. The area uu1u which corr
grows is very wide. aud the cfvo may b
abundant 10 Il.:ros AMI not abu rdars else
where. In that case the farmers of tina
state would dodbtiess gee twice as much TO
their CROP as they cou 4 In year when tn
crop was abundant everywhere, although
the value of IL, (lhat IS. the coss % projuc
ton according TO M. Su.th,) would he Il
more to the Illinois farmer oae year Inal
the other. Ii year should come III VIII cI
the corn crop was failure everywhere out
side of Illinois, would Mr.. SmIth advise h,
brethren to fix their price according TO th'
COS. of production III that state, or would h.
have enough OF sense 81 the reiasi ms o
. supply aud demand to RAISE tne plics as hiEt