The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-12-18
rH1RsrING roR KNowLEpGE.

We must again call upon the friends of
the Mckinley tariff for exact informa-
ton as to its effect upon wages up to
date Have wages begun to go up at all
vet. and if so, how much and in what To-
cality? There is a great flood of authen-
tic evidence of the fact that the law has
raised prices, and the friends of the bill
assure us that within two years the peo-
pie will be reconciled to this, because
they will have discovered within that
time that wages have also gone up.
What we are anxious to get on the track
of is this rise in wages. twill be most
interesting study to trace the rise from
its humble beginning to the point at
which it shall meet and pass the rise in
prices, for at that point, as we under
stand it, the general prosperity which
is to convince the country of the beneii-
cent character of the Mckinley law, is to
begin. Unless the rise in wages makes
its start soon we are very much afraid
that it will not be able to catch up with
the rise in prices within the two-year
limit, for the latter has the benefit OF
long and vigorous start.-Ecening Post.
Well, granny, your request shall be
complied with Just as respectfully as if
YOU really wanted the truth. When you
saw there is "a great flood of authentic
evidence that the law has raised prices,
you are making another ridiculous exhi-
bition of your incapacity to discuss or
even to understand practical affairs.
Undoubtedly prices have been rising;
butin the making up of the great flood
of authentic evidence" as to why they
have risen, the general prosperity has
figured as big river, the Silver bill as
another river, and the Mckinley bill as a
small creek, which a storm of Democrat
ic lies has raised far above its legitimate
volume of influence. Else why have ar
ticles on which the duty was increased
advanced so much more in price than
the duty? Why have articles on which
the duty was not increased advanced
too? Why have articles on which there
was no duty, or which we export, rather
than import, advanced also?
But we digress, and you are yearning
to learn of wages. But you don't un-
Iderstand-what regulates wages. The
standard of living regulates wages, after
supply and demand have adjusted sthem-
selves. The Mckinley bill caused some
new factories te be projected, and some
old factories to be enlarged and to en-
ploy more help, but your Democratic
victory rather tended to check that sort
of thing before it made any impression
on the / 200, 600 unemployed whom you
lrissez fdire theorists would have told to
tramp around the country and find work
somewhere else.n To the man out of
work you free trade theorists are like the
policeman who told poor Jo to move
on"
You again show your ignorance of and
/ incompetency to deal with practical al
fairs when you assume that prices that
went up will never come down; that the
{ whole United States is big city with
, every foot of ground already occupied
and utilized to its utmost capacity, and
: no room anywhere in it for more crops
/ or more mines or more mills, ana nc
! possibility of increased production OF
! anything. Any trade journals market
. reports, studied carefully, can show you
( your fallacy. When the price OF any
given article goes up, production in
ereases till the price comes down. Sc
the rise in wages will not have to ''meel
and pass the rise in prices" for prices
will stop rising and come down, making
: real wages-the quantity or value o'
Il goods YOU get for your mOney-rise be
: fore nominal wages, or the money value
u of DAYS work, show any general i'm
provement. Then the standard OF living
: will rise, for the wageworker will gel
7 more commodities for his money; anC
u after the enjoyment of the increased
: number and variety of commodities ha'
+ become a general habit, more nomina
e wages, or wages in money, Will be ex
l. acted to buy them with.
But to obtain this beneficent result
0 the Mckinley bill must be let alone ant
. allowed to employ our l,OOO,OOO unem
S ployed in making the S200,000,000 o
c goods annually which we have Heretofore
y lfmported, although naturally able t
n make them, or in supplying the want
5 of those who will make them for agri
q cultural. commercial or professional ser
u yices.-N. Y. Press.