Nevada County picayune., 1891-10-15
WHERE CHEAP IS NASTY" :"

that CALICO WnlCn SOlu III rec trade" times in 1875 for IA cents a yard sells under the Mckinley bill for 6 cents, And it may be added that in 1857 pocket-knives sold as high as S2 while now they sell as low 20 cents. In 1857 S1O was often paid for pair of boots; now boots are often bought for s2 a pair. Thir- ty years ago, or two years ago, tin pails were bought for 75 cents; now tin pails can be bought for 10 cents. Last year carpets sold for S2 yard. Under the Mckinley bill carpets are bought for 25 cents yard.
 All this is perfectly true, and there is so much more like it true that we could easily make up a table of it twice as long as the one Protected corporations have made up for circu- lation in Iowa.
 All this proves nothing whatever, for last week raZors were sold out of the same cases for s and for Sl :; carpets, tin pails, calicoes, and goods of all imaginable varieties were sold in the same stores at prices showing the widest difference, determined by their quality and the demand for them acting on the obtainable sup ply.
 But, while this is the plain truth against thimble-rigging with facts, it would be less than the whole truth to stop here. It is true, over and above all this, that in the last thirty years there has been steady de- cline Tn the prices of machine made goods, and that is why the RepubIi- can party, controlled by machine owners, has insisted on steadily in- creasing tariff against competing ma chinery. In every line of produc- tion in the last thirty years there has been manifold inventions for the ap- plication of steam and electric DOW CT instead of muscle power. Every where single machines are doing now work which thirty years ago rcqur- ed hundreds of hands. With the increased productive capacity result ing from these wonderful inventions made by scholars and thinkers there are such possibilities for plenty that alarmed monopoly has demanded q higher and higher tariff against the competition of outside machines with the machines owned by the closely combined and consolidated corpora tions of this country
 But with all their audacity and cunning with all the immense wealth they have on their side; with the political power they have usurped used ruthlessly in their favor, these money holders and machine holders are fighting losing fight. All the forces of modern civilization, with it's wonderful new methods of pro- duction and distribution. are array ed against them, forcing down prices in spite of them. The laws of ciyIli- zation and progress are higher than their laws of monopoly, and they are bound to lose. Prices of ma chine made goods must continue to fall with every improvement in ma chinery. All that they can do is to grab for few years the profits on the labor saved. The people will get the benefit finally if for no other reason than it will become impossible to keep machines idle to limit thelr output.
 But the present result, under the tariff laws. IS that with the pro- duct of the protected machine, cheap does really mean nasty" as MT, Mckinley and MT. Harrison in- sist that it does. The cheap pro- tected tin pail will not hold water The edge of the protected pocket knife turns at the first use. The protected clothing sold for woolen is cotton and shoddy. The Mckinley calico at 6 cents yard fades out, and childs dress made of it looks after the first washing like kitchen clout. There is no theory about thls. It is n condition that confronts every one who has had to buy supplies for a family. He finds in q very little while that whether it is calico, car pets, cutlery, tin pais, or what not, "cheap means nasty" where Mckln- lev goods are concerned. To get goods that stand the test of use he must pay double and treble prices as a result of the opposition of the Don,bl;rop ,,lt,torrory to tbp infant |