The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-01-23
A QUESTION OF FACT.
Sioux City Journal.

Sioux City Journal.
Consumers in the West, who are able
to- remember facts and figures of year
old, can easily ascertain from their own
experience knowledge as to whether
prices have been immensely raised since
the new tariff law went into effect. The
prices referred to are retail prices, the
prices which consumers actually pay,
the prices that affect them. And If upon
the whole there has been no material
increase in the retail prices they can as
sumo that there has been no material
increase in wholesale prices, if consam-
ers care TO assume anything about any
kind of prices which they do not have
to pay. But the cry of the Democratic
press wss and is that the tariff "robs the
consumer" that 1t is the consumer that
pays it ALL in the long run. For months
the Democratic press rang the changes
on this idea, and as they claimed that
the Mckinley bill was a general increase
of rates of duty, they argued that it
would compel a general increase of
prices to the consumer. The Demo
cratic organs flled up columns daily
with pretended figures showing in
creases of duty rates ranging from % to
several hundred per ceat., representing
these as illustrations of the general
character of the new law, and rs the in
crease of prices which IT would effort
from consumers. Of course, the fact
which an actual comparison would show
is that most of the changesmade in the
new tariff are reductions of duty. But
leaving that out of view, let the average
consumer, be he farmer, laborer, or
whoever, compare the acsaal present |
prices of his supplies with those of
wear ago, or of two years ago for that
matter. Outside of fsrm products or
commodities depending directly thereon
there has been, upon the whole, no very
increase N retail prices. +
Some supplies have increased, some |
have decreased and a great many re-
main substantially unchanged. If any
one will compare the actaal retail prices /
now with the lurid and frantic falsi Sea-
tons of the Democratic preas, few
months ago, for partisan purposes in a
political campaign, the contest will be
most significant. And vet, if there had
been DO change IN the tariff, We might
have expected considerable advance
in general prices, in view of the i'm
mense advance IN the prices of agrical-
tural products, all the grains, vegetables
and fruits, III all their forms. Of course +
the Democratic organs do not say that
the rise of the prices of farm products
is due to the tariff, although they are
enough to claim that reduction
of the price of farm products is, due to
the same tariff. Take an example: A
year ago. last Summer the consumer
could only bpv about ten pounds of
granulated sugar for 81, and then corn
was worth about 20 cents a bushel. Now
corn 10 worth about 40 cents bgshel.
and yoa can get at least eie hteen pounds
of gran ulated sugar for 81. 1t is sim
PAo P1ouiOiH IA oiitAhOliC, nIu IL SHOWS
that g bushei of corn will buy Just three
times as much granulated sugar to-day
as IT would eighteen months ago. OIL
course, the prices of all articles of COM
mon use in the grocery. hardware store,
ETC., have not fallen as much as sugar,
but many have fallen considerably, but
not yery MANY have risen greatly. IT is
purely matter of fact that can be test
ed by any consumer of sound memory.
1t is fact against partisan misrepresen-
tation and campaign false prophecy.