Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1883-01-18

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llsliaa . . ngasaY CIR ths saiiari.cs
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fsths object aas sntsns;Oa a ON.
form of eovernment ii. Is iss motto
asserta. nthe greatest good ID lie
greatest number" should wkSls
granting patents to 'inyentoFs. rSiisiinf
tafln IN favor of tnanufae tnrefs abd
creating subsidies ior railroads Al
s0mething directly IN aid al 4 class
OF is citizens. which i without doubk
the largest in the courltry. vSz what
= ksown = the poor or labofing class
j hinted 10 former paper how bv
.fsducing the surplus of popnlaticn
The condition Of the poor Ia Ia Snr Iarre
cities might be relieved. but n thss
| refer to the laboring class in eener-
81 and particularly to those IN the
agricultural districts, among whom
especially, &C this time of high prices
OF provisions, priyation and suffering
are very general.
Ever since the effects Of our civil
war began to die out, there has been
q tendency to decrease the wages of
the laborer and as long as what he
had TO buy decreased in price, he
could not complain Of a reasonable
reduction but,where, as has been the
case for the last twelve months. the
articles Of consumption of which he
most stands in need, have advanced
to almost double their usual price
and there has been no tendency to
advance his wages, but rather To de-
crease them still further, he cannot
be blamed for expostuIatinR. For
when we see good farm hands who a
few years ago received 80 cents per
day and food, paid from 40 10 '6O
cents per day and feeding themselves,
II will at once appear that The reduc-
ton Is IN an exaggerated proportion.
When man feeds his laborer. he
may claim a reduction Of twenty-five
per cent. or more on old prices of
wages and not be unfair, for, he fur
nlshes the most needed and at the
same time, the most expensive articles
OF the laborer's subsistence. but when
the laborer fuds himself, the employ
er, is doing no more than Justice to
advance his wages in like proportion.
Skilled labor can, to great extent,
protect itself, from the fact that the
supply is generally short of the de-
mand, but the farm laborer has no
such protection, as his trade is open
TO alE. 9 t7H.r t
We hear every day complaints and
loud ones, from farmers, that they
cannot get hands and who can be
when they know what
prices are paid them? The usual
excuse for low wages, is the low price
which some articles of consumption
have reached-but what matters it
how low the price of an article, if a
man has not the wkerewithal to buy
it? Any retail dealer will tell you
that it is as hard or harder to make
a sale now, with prints and other
domestic goods at from 5 to 8 cents
per yard, than when they brought
from 10 to 10 cents. We may here
inquire, what is the reason 2-indi-
rectly the scarcity Of money, for the
farmer may say and truly, that scar
city of money, affects him as well as
the man he semploys, rendering him
unable to pay higher wages and con-
sequently making these times Of low
prices, the very hardest for the labor
ing man. Now, what is the remedy
for all this? If low wages and scarce
money IS the cause Of the poor man
suffering, it is reasonable to suppose
that good wages aud plenty of money
would relieve them without doing
any harm to the rich-relieving the
poor man, because it places many
things within his reach Of which he
was before deprived and gives him a
chance to lay up a small surplus. do
ing no harm to the rich because they
have already the means to meet the
advance in prices, which would be
the consequence Of an easy money
market and can derive otherwise the
same advantages from a plenty OF
money as the poor man.
Now comes the time for the gov
ernmcnt to show whether or not It's
motto is anything more than q mere
collection Of high-sounding words,
when the employers are unwilling or
as they claim, unable to pay fair wages,
and that to a great extent on account Of
the small amount of money in circu-
culation. Why, let the government
put a larger amount in circulation
and while doing away with that evil,
do great act of public charity and
il will only be doing It's duty, for,
when it is established that want Of
money or anything else is the evil
and it Is in the power Of the govern
ment to remedy ii. the government.
IS wanting in Its duty to its citizens
and in this particular case to a class
Of citizens most ia need of its protec-
ton, and wh4n a government fails in
its duty to any class Of citizens. /.
fails in its usefulness and It's whole
system is open to censure.
NILE.