The Portland daily press., 1891-05-12
Uncle SoIon's Logic.

The Boston Herald has letter from a
Maine correspondent that has familiar
twang to its sentences. The letter is dated
'Chase,s Mills" and is from Uncle Scion
Chase himself. The occasion calling for
uncle Scion to grid on again the old Green.
back helmet is the recent speech of General
Stewart L. Woodford in Boston, in favor of
the honest dollar that never varies" Saws
Uncle Solon:
The debtor Is bankrupt, because the "dollar
power since he contracted his debt 30 that he
cannot pay 1t. The hay fields of New Enpiand
hay bss basn Up 10 wo9oS because more and more
tnat never VARIES" One OF my neighbors has i'm
sold two likely yearling heifers for SI2. He has
Wlntered ana summered the heifers ana gets very
little for the hay and nothing for tending and feed
ing. II he had killed the two heifers when three
aays qlo ana cast their carcasses away for crow
meat ne would have saved money enough 10 buy
nity pounds OF sugar. He can now make the loss
on the heifers by going without the sugar. Ten
heifers for twentyfour Of the "honest dollar thai
never varies" The variation of the "honest
Go,aG mat never varies" is one yearling heifer
Dny one yearliDg heifer 10 years ago; now $40
VIII buy Two. That is the "honest dollar that
never varies"
Ii Uncle Solon's illustration of the heifer
is correct, the dollar has just doubled in pur-
chasing power In the last ten years. That
is. fifty cents will purchase now lust what
dollar would ten years ago. Does anyone
believe that this is so? Must 1t not be that
Uncle Scion has selected for the purposes of
MS argument some article In which there has
been an exceptional fall In price? Has not
the competition OF the slaughter houses
brought down the price of cattle in Maine
rather than any increase in the purchasing
power OF the dollar? Do not hay, and eggs
and potatoes, and other vegetables, grain.
apples. etc., bring about as good prices. wear
In and year out, as they did ten years apoP
They undoubtedly do. Uncle Solon has
been misled In his argument because he has
deduced a general rule from single example
that is not representative. A foreigner who
should step off the steamer In Portland, see
a single red-headed man on the wharf and
hence draw the conclusion that all Ameri-
cans are red-headed would manifestly be
TOO nasty in his logic. Yet this is just what
Uncle Scion has done.
suppose Uncle Scion had happened to use
apples instead of heifers for his Illustrations
apples this year are worth from $3.50 to
5000 barrel. Ten years ago they were
worm $l.75 to 50 Goa barrel. inst half as
much. With apples as an illustration Uncle
Gle Scion would have come ont with the CON
clusion that the farmer can get inst twica &C
much dollar fer his produce now az ba Gould
ten years ago. Instead of the lament about
abandoned farms we must necessarily bavo
had pecan of triumph about the improved
condition of the farmers. Had Uncle Scion
taken potatoes instead of heifers for his
illustration, he would have come out still
differently. Potatoes are worth over dol
lar bushel. Ten years ago they would
bring only about 70 cents. This also would
have have turned his argument In favor of
prosperity for the farmer, but not at quite
so rapid rate as the apples argument
does.
Uncle Scion is an memorable logician, and
he follows on to the conclusion with wit
and persiStency. But will he not a rec wi