The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-03-06
Some Pertinent Queries.

why is II that iron, lumber, paper, silk, wool
cotton, rubber and grain have advanced from
ttce"ty to one hundred and .ffty per cent during
the last seven months:
Ans. Speculation.
Why is grain higher in Chicago, where it /,
not needed, than in Liverpool or Ireland, wher,
there is = famine?
Ans. Speculation.
Never, in the history of this country, has ther,
been SO large crop OF cotton, wool and wheat
as during the past year. And yet the prices Of
these commodities, instead of corresponding
with the demand and supply, the universal law
Of trade have been enormously high, caused by
speculation.
Why should the farmer or laborer, >or any one
who is working on salary, be compelled to pay
from % to 200 per cent more for what he needs
TO eat, or wear, or for repairs necessary about
his house, or farm or shop; or the poor widow
be forced to give this increase of price for mcdi,
cines for her dying child, perhaps? Why should
the whole laborng people be obliged to pay this
enormous tribute to those most voracious Of all
human monsters, the speculators? There are a
few more consumers now than in 1878 or 1879.
Then the manufactures were run on half to two
thirds time, and their owners did all they could
to keep the production down. Yet there was a
surplus at the end of the year of 1915 per cent.
In two years the stocks OF the United States have
been inflated $3.50 OO0O OO--,by speculation.
Warehouses in Chicago are bursting with their
contents OF grain-wheat, corn and oats-and
pork houses are packed full of sailed meats. AT
New York the same state Of things exists, and
nm Of aft loo JaJ md
not permitted to SAIL willie the people Of Ireland
are starving Why? Speculation prevents the
grain from moving. We have in this country
40, Co., 600 bushels of grain, yet it is locked up in
warehouses, cribs and on board of ships-by
spectators.
Fiske & BEEN some months ago thought the
next thing these most infamous of Gods crea-
lures, the spectators, would do would be to
cause the poor women, laborers, mechanics,
farmers and every one who wanted clothes to
wear or anything to eat or use to pay a tribute
of nearly one-third of their earnings to these new
Shylocks, the SPECTATORS Fiske IL BEEN then
to Illustrate the spectators IN cloth
ing. They bought large quantities of cloths and
clothing and furnishing goods for gentlemen
not of American manufacture, but of foreign
houses that would sell at old prices. Some lots
Of these goods were to be delivered to us in New
York Feb 10Th (not here, but en- route yeti, and
others that are not to be delivered till August
18th next.
Fiske & BEEN can safely guy that they own
more goods than any clothing house in the state
of Illinois, and that they triR sell at the same pr-
ces as last year ,cithout any advance as long as
their stock holds out.
Fiske & BEEN are always on the side OF right
the friends of every honest working man.
Fiske & BEEN have said to the spectators, you
are wrong, and we fight you in your theving
scheme to rob the working men and women out
Of one third of their hard earned money.
Call and examine our goods and verify what
we have said. FIsKE II BEEN.