The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-02-07
Cursing and Blessing.
Detroit Free Press


The ancient curse of The people nro-
nounced by Solomon upon ''him that
witbholdeth corn" survives to this dsy
There is an instructive hostility TO those
spectators in breadstulTs and other staples
who make their money by "correring"
these articles, by reducing production. or bv
any means OF creating I'm artificial scarcity
When manufacturers like the Bessemer
steel producers combine 70 stop the mills in
order to keep up the price of steel. all users
OF steel AZ once combine TO hate and curse
these monopolists. A combination Of Penn
sylyania oil dealers has been formed Tor the
purpose Of making petroleum scarce and
putting up the price. This will be fell by
nearly every household in the United States,
and the people will denounce the men who
ere scheming to make money by creating a
scarcity. Every body recognizes them Is his
enemies and feels that they are making
haste to get rich By interfering with the Ma,
tlonal laws of production and trade To
reasonable profits consistent With fair and
equal competition nobody objecs. but
profits which greed exacts and which aFs
got ct the cost of actual comfort u TIE con
sumner always arouse the hate of these WIN
nave to pay for these caprices of avatice
This feeling is especially excited ~ inter
terance with the necessities Of life.
scarcity of bread, OF wheat, or corn. OF pork,
caused by the freaks Of nature, by too r1uch
heat or too mach rain, too much cold or too
much dryDess, is born with. because nature
is in this regard beyond control. But when
men for gain make = scarcity IN these things
they are duly execTated for their greed and
cruelty.
Yet such is the liability of men to be de-
ceived that if The process OF making a scare
ity is little complicated, and two or three
additional turns and twists are given To it,
so that people can rot see the end from the
beginning and q Understanding name is at
tached To il, that which when it's purpose is
= little clearer Is called curse is then called
blessing.
The whole protective" system is q sys-
tenn for creating an artificial scarcity. In
oder to do this, the number OF producers
and the amount of production are limited
| limited TO this country. l, is just exactly
| the same as if under free trade the Ameri-
can manufacturer and the English manu-
| iacturer should enter into al agreement not
| TO compete with one another "Give me
| he American market" says the American
manufacturer, land j will give you the En-
giish market and all the foreign markets.
| shall charge as much as | can get, and you
must not come in here and reduce my
Drices." Instead OF com peti tion there would
be combination. Instead Of free, open,
equal market, there would be an exclusive
market, an artificial scarcity and artificial
prices.
Now this is exactly what the tsyiff has
brought about There IS in this Country d
| limited supply of blankets because other
| manufacturers are not allowed 20 bring
| their blankets here and cell them Tor les
| money than the American manufacturer is
willing 10 sell them for. In the sane way
there is an artificial scarcity in tools and I'M
plements, in clothing, in machines, even il
raw materials. Scarcity is upheld as
| blessing, plenty as a curse. TO pay twice as
much for an article as II could be bought !Or
in free country is pronounced benefit 0
the community. 1t 10 quite generally sgrt,d
that If the farmer should withheld corn,
wheat, potatoes, wool 0nd csttie for the sake
OF making people pay twice as much as
they are worth, he ought 20 be cursed. But
when the manufacturer so constructs tariff
as TO withhold or create scarcity in iron
and wooden goods, or sny ether ar,icle of
prime necessity. he is, by q juggling OF
words aad phrases, made 20 appear as q
benefactor. Wha. is more strange large
numbers Of people arc fooled into thinking
him one. Ii the protectionists were 10 make
themselves, instead of their products scarce
they would better deserve the name.