Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-07-03
Prices this Nenr md Lnst.

n'lt II lO utllNlllE lnaJ Ine 'MChlnlcy
prices liar is hard hit by the publication
Of the results of the bidding for the
S2,5OO,000 worth of Indian supplies Just
bought for the government. A correspond
ent of the Tribune has made detailed in
vestigation of the matter, comparing the
prices of all the awards with the prices
paid last year, and the report which he
makes is important and instructive At
the outset it must be frankly acknowledged
that the prices of a considerable number of
goods show a marked increase this wear
over the year preceding. But the free
traders will hardly find any qualification in
this circumstance, for the goods the prices
of which are enhanced are agricultural
proiucts-pork, beef, -four. oats and corn.
Agricultural products are higher, but man
ufactured Notwithstanding tools, agri-
cultural machinery, domestic implements
almost without exception are as low or
lower than a year ago. Sugar the chief
grocery item i'm the Indian purchases,
cost last year S6.4j a hundred pounds
This year it costs 81. "a. The quality of
manufactured goods bought for the Indians
is constantly improving 1t is probably
fully equal to the quality of goods bought
by the great body of the white people in
the agricultural West. Though the quality
of the Indian purchases this year is much
better than year agO-in some cases 80 per
cent an in many cases - per cent better
yet the prices are so much lower that, taking
all the purchases together, the Indians will
receive a good deal more for the same mon
ey this year than last
Here are few suggestive comparisons:
All-wool blankets which ten years ago cost
SOP pair were sold last year for -. 3G
This year their Mckinley price is S3.3l.
And in these ten years there has been a
steady advance in quality. Red flannel
which in 1881 cost 33. 20 cents a yard was
bought last year for 2G.S2 cents. This year
flannel of better quality was bought for
2G.jO cents. Mems wool socks have de-
clined from SIPS per dozen pairs last year
to S2.23 -. and wOolen mittens from S2.OG
80 -. Blue kerseyS cost Sl.74 yard in
1890 and SlG5 a yard in 1891. Cotton
duck declined from 1911 cents yard to
H.23. The Mckinley price" of mems
overCoatS was 10 cents a coat higher than
a year ago, hut the quality is superior.
The price of boots and shoes. taking all
spool cotton, linen shoe thread. needles,
shears and scissors were all lower. Pint
and quart bowls, irOnstone ware. pitchers
and plates were lower. too and knives and
forks advanced from : to cents a pair.
Hand saws advanced from Sl2.2j to S13.1O
a dozen and axes declined from So. ~ a
dozen to S5.35. Grass scythes fell. Hay
forks and hoes were higher. while iron
bolts, pillow steel, cast steel and wire nails
all declined. Quart tin cups-thanks to
the Welsh trust-advanced five-twefths of
a cent apiece. Cooking stoves with tin
ware were to per cent higher Other
stoves were about the same Scales were
a good deal lower, and so were long and
short handled shovels and most kinds of
plowS. Moving and reaping machines
were the same as IA year ago.
These are few Of the articles rnumer-
ated. The entire list comprised almost
everything that copper colored or pale
face farmer would use or wear. The fig
urcs are those of the lowest and successful
bidders in the two years. They are drawn
from government records. and OF course
are perfectly reliable and authoritative.
Testimony of this kind, from official sta
tisticS, is simply irrefutablc. Ii is a strik-
ing exposure of the shameless falSehoods of
the Bourbon press and politicians in the
canvass of last autumn.
We have no question. adds the Boston
journal. which makes this summary, that,
important as this comparison of prices is,
however, il will be found far less compre-
hensive and convincing than the great re-
port on prices now in process of prepara-
tion by the senatorial commission--a report
in which the free trade press has suddenly
and singularly lost an interest. 1t is safe
to predict that the Mckinley prices liar
who ran the Democratic campaign in the
last election, will be in innocuous desuetude
during the campaign of 1892.