Telegram-herald., 1890-10-11

circUaar . - I'd means ths onis geage
game plzyed, ex atsenF6e1 = oe piAyed
cn eastsasrs - tas apostles q gFssa.
Al over TIE eo1Dtxy merchants hzys
tzken advantage ef the nes t4rH a.
as 4 dishonest excuse y raise prless
ana. ~ deilbsxass or ignoEant psFyer-
sloas q tas las. they have soagas -
enrich themselves az the expsass q
their customers M&ny stoeks q goods
have eesn marked up IN price, where
No changes n4vs been made y the tarld.
aad maay whsFe even = reduction has
been nzas. euch dealers sho4la De
closely watched By their customers ia
a. future tr2ns4cloEs. Dishonesty "a
ons thing warrants suspicion Of dis
honesty In Others. On nearly every
thing mentioned in Foster. stevens 4
Co.'S circular no Increase OF t2r.n
whatever vas made.
The Mckinley bail has only just be
come lsw. II has not as yet had an
opportunity 10 prove Itself, either FOR
good or i'll Thousands Of dollars
worth OF imports were rushed into this
country a. the last moment. importers
paid cut thousands OF dollars in tariff
duties, the markets were dissrTanged
and business" shylocks took adyant-
age OF the general lack of information
as 10 the real provisions OF the new law
70 make 4 big grab. The PIttsbuTg
Dispatch reviews the condition OF
affairs as fairly as any paper we have
noticed. It says:
"An attempt is made TO prejudice the
public IN advance against the Mckinley
tsrlt bill BY the assertion that IL VIII
raise the price Of necessities IS well 50
OF lUxuries- TINS impression Is brought
about by the rapaclty OF come mer-
chants and importers n seizlng upon
the bill, before the public are fully
acquainted with Is provisions, as "A
pretext OF extOrting higher prices from
buyers.
"That sort OF sharp practice is by no
means uncommon. The facts are that
We will have TO wait few weeks, per-
| haps few months, before the markets
can rightly adjust themselves 10 the
conditions imposed by the new law.
| But II IS we'll 10 note that there has
been absolutely no pressure or neces-
slty brought TO bear oa importers thus
Tar for increasing prices at ali. There
has not been enough time for any for
I elgn goods worth mentioning 10 get into
/ the country since Monday, when the
new schedule or customs became oper-
ative. The goods upon which prices
are now being advanced are, for the
most part, goods which came In under
the old tariff, and which could be sold
| at the old prices If the importers and
merchants did not wish to take advan-
/ tage of the extra dollar which is TO be
made by talking up the increased tariff.
| Eggs in Pittsburg and Allegheny mark
cts were advanced several cents per
dozen the morning the tariff law went
| into effect. OF course they were not
Canadian eggs either; nor did they pay
duty.
This is just mentioned to indicate
! that there is room for a good deal of
| clap-trap about the threatened increase
! of prices. Thatprices Will be changed on
a number of commodities isqulte likely,
| but the forces of competition must be
got in play before the general
results can be estimated. The very
purpose of the tariff is TO stimulate
| home industries. Whether it be in
eggs, or carpets, or dry goods, if sharp
and big profits are shown to arise from
| the new state of things, il will not be
/ long before more people and more cap
/ Ital engage IN the business which is pro-
ducing these large profits. Nothing
/ indeed, but the formation of new trusts
/ IN a wholesale way, can prevent this
wholesale competition which is the
| check to extortion. AS the Dispatch
has said frequently in the consideration
! of the Mckinley bill, some months will
! be required to estimate its effects. But
/ IN the meantime il is not IN the least
strange that the temporary unsettle-
ment caused by the increased duties
/ on foreign goods Is taken advantage of
by parties with large stocks of low tariff
goods on hand to sell them for as much
as possible, on high tariff basis. Nor
is II surprising that Democratic papers
and politicians make great ado At the
start over the new market quotations.
THE public will not expect wonders
IN a week, nor will they be alarmed by
! advances that are 80 manifestly fic-
titlous as some that have been an
/ nounced IN the past few days. The
only sort of judgment that can be
worth anything about the operation of
the tariff must wait until the market
steadies and the force of competition
at home, inspired by the increased
profits and inducements for home pro-
/ ductOn, come into play"