National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-08-18
CHEAP TRANsIT-RELATIO OF PRO-
Dt GER TO CONSUMER.

Dt CER TO CONSUMER.
The wealth Of q community Is the result Of
Its productive labor. Money-coins and their
| representatives. the medium by which the
result Of labor Of any kind Is converted OF
exchanged into the necessarles, comforts and
luxuries Of life. Whenever these produc-
tons OF labor arc greatly In excess Of the de.
mand for the same in that immediate vicinity
they seek consumers elsewhere. This move
ment Of commodities in search of markets is
just as natural as It is for water to seek its
common level. The transpor tation aud ex.
change Of the products of labor between the
producer and the consumer are dcnominated
by political economists Commerce" and the
active agents who engage in this business are
called merchants. The people," In framing
the Constitution Of the United States, in-
vested Congress with the power to ''rcgu-
late" this commerce, and to improve and con-
troll Its channels, at the same time carefully
prohibiting the several States, In their SOW
ereign capacity, from interfering with or
taxing the commerce Of any State.
II was supposed that these provisions,
aided by that natural rivalry which enlivens
trade and stimulates inventions, would serve
to guard against tho oppression of labor by
monopolists on the one hand, while II would
afford such reasonable remuneration for
transportation and exchange as would build
up permanent and useful commerce on the
other. That commerce was designed to be
the handmalden of agriculture, manufactures
and the mechanic arts no one can deny. Sup
pose the manufacturer of the East and the
farmer of the West were to undertake to
meet each other half way to exchange loads
OF their respective productions. It Is plain
that many times the value of both loads
would be consumed in transportation before
the two loads would come In contact. This
Is where the wise men who formed the Con-
stitutlon stepped in and clothed the Federal
Government with the sole power to coin
money for medium Of exchange, and TO
regulate the commerce arising out Of such
exchange, that 1t might establish and main
tain an equilibrium in the cost OF transporta-
ton.
Wages arc high or low according b the
amount of food they will buy. Food Is high
or low according to Its distance from the
point OF consumption; distance here being
measured by the cost of transporting II.
Bread Ia, therefore, the real standard Of
values the world over. The bulky nature Of
the stan Of life alone prev tents 1t from becom-
Ing everywhere the circulating medium. Be-
cause It is Of universal necessity, II Is In uni
yersal demand, and Is also Of universal pro-
duction. No soil has yet been found, capable
Of producing any vegetable grains, where
either wheat, rye, corn, oats, rice, or barley
cannot be cultivated successfully. Given tho
cost Of production, that Of transportation per
mile per ton TO market, and the average mar
ket price, and man can tell just how far
distant he can probably locate himself In
order to realize the most from the fruits OF
his labor.
There Ii Just now q great outcry against
exorbitant charges OF transportation on grain
and the product thereof by railway monopo-
lies. Producers In the far-dIstant Northwest
complain that they cannot get Us much for
their grain for purposes of subsistence as Ii
Is worth to them for fuel. They are, there
fore, uniting themselves into cooperative
associations or oranges" for the purpose Of
cheapening some Of the present charges for
transportation and exchange. While the oh
ject Is a laudable one is 1t not just possible
that there Is mistake In the origin of the
difiiculty2 Are not the railways, in their en-
deavors to grasp the traffic from water trans
porters, doing the work for absolute cost
What Western railway has become rich upon
its grain or flour tariff?
When labor became scarce aud high tie
inventive genius of the country was stimu-
lated to produce labor-sayng machinery, and
We see sewers, reapers, mowers, threshcrs
and an infinite number of devices by which
labor is multiplied, and with these aids upon
the prairles of the West hushel OF wheat or
corn can be produced for about one-tcnth OF
what II would cost TO produce ii In the rocky