Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1882-08-30
Artificial Scarcity.
Galveston Nrws


reports show almost daily advances
in prices. Consumers complain,
bot their voice is ir"~nrd III the
chatter and jabber of the exchange.
/ The lahoring multitude sent up a
wall of distress. but it dies on the
boiSterous nh,luracy Oi the gambling
paudemonium. The laws are silent
or impotenr, AMI the gamblers.
made bold by immunity and encour
aged by opportunity, make each
deal more aggressive than the one
preceding, and each corner more
dislrcsstul to the masses than the
former. Their nndacliy has nov
thrown of all concralmcnt, and
their game is played in the open
sunlight. Many Ih0nsand working
men are on "a strike in his country
because, rs they complain, their
wages are inadequate Ia support
their families. They are tainted
with the remonstrance that their
wages are already double the wages
of like classes in other countries,
and the strong arm Of the law is IN.
voked to repress the unprecedented
turbulence of their discomfort.
When these laborrrs aud wagrd
men retorl that the high urice OF
provisions in this country really re-.
duccs their wages below the aver
age rate in Europe, they are met
with the assertion that the price is
controlled by the law OF supply and
dpmand-an enevitahlr law of trade,
aud that they are The victims IF
short crops aud inadequate supplies.
Plenty OF law is found To hold them
down to this monstrous fallacy, but
not a line of law can be put in forrr
To strike nj the real cause ui the dis
trrss. There is law TO make the
poor behave and starve peacefully,
but none To suppress the si stem OF
rohbrry which is daily Itching their
hard earnings. The New York Her
aid pertiucntly remarks.
When Wall street stock specu
latois win or lose, we have no words
either OF congralulaiion for winners
or pity for losers. That is an ac
know lodged gambling form. But,
when kindred methods of Sprc,ila.
/ ton are applied TO the ncccssarics
of human life, the effect of il rise
impeiiis the no ne comfort of mil
lions of innocent families and EN-.
dangers the public peace. The gam
blers in meats aud brcadstutls arr
adding by what it is no means i'm
possible, the last element necdIuI {,
consolidate the discomfort Of work
Ingmen into demonstration cdpa
bic Of confusing all the calculation
, Ut these party managers al Vast.
ingion who are preparing for ih
coming political campaign ia the "l'
fashioned hum drum way.
Suppose the great army of strl
kers should turn their attention 1
these methods of specializing IN tn
necessaries of life and To the SUI
:, preston of the gambling boards
, instead OF Entering away iheif 'ini
and tbeiI small Accommodations IN h
vain effort TO compel the manufa'
turers to raise their wages, wh
b doubts that the situation would a
Y once become excessively interesting
b if not decidedly perilons to the gan
4 blers in staple provisionsf An
, when they discover that the trll
Il way TO keep their wages up TO n liz
Il ing standard is to keep the price {
d living down 10 normal rates, VIII
will blame them for moving again'
the bucket shops and all the inst
tutious. including the prorecti,
tariff system, designed to organic
artificial Scarcity
4. All. what n gan i'm the world.