Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1892-05-04

a good horse was worth about $50
to $50; it took a good horse to
bring 500. a good. well-broke,
largo yoke of oxen, $40 to $50; a
good COW and calf were worth from
IS to NO; sheep about 80 cents
per head; pork about 50 % to $3.50
per hundred, net, and everything
about in proportion to the articles
mentioned. AS for things we had
to buy, they were high. Salt was
$50 per bushel; iron, 10 cents
per pound; nails, ~ to Is cents;
an AK or mattock, about 50 or 81. %;
coffee, about the same or cheaper
than it Is now; shoes, about the
same as now; calico, 12l to Is cts.
per yard; domestic about the same
as calico; sugar. about 124 cents;
trace charms, about $3.50 to 80 per
pair, and go on about in proportion
to what | have mentioned.
Son: Well, father, can't see
how you managed to get along and
raise all us children under these
circumstances.
Father: You were not all raised
under this state of affairs, though
some of you were almost grown
when things changed. But we got
along better than you would mag
inc: we worked hard and bought
but little; your ma and | would
work in the cornfeld of day
and sit up late of nights; she
would spin flax or wool and i
would make or mend shoes or mind
YOU kids; we raised flax and sheep
and she spun, wove and made our
clothing; | made our shoes; we
used tea and milk and bought but
| little coffee. There were no
lamps or oil in those days, and
sewing machine was unheard of.
Your mother once in two or three
years would sell butter and eggs
enough TO get her calico dress for
Sunday, besides buying cotton,
yarn and dye stuff to make and
color her jeans and flannel. Eggs
were worth from 3 to 5 cents per
dozen and butter from 5 TO s cents
per pound, when they would sell at
all. | managed to sell enough
pork or stock TO get money 10 pay
my tax and other expenses, and
thus you see we managed to get
along.
Son: Well, what brought about
the change in prices, and the pros
perity that the country has enjoyed
aud is now enjoying?
Father: After the war the Re-
publican party came into power.
This party was largely made up of
the old Wing party, which always
favored high tariff on imported
goods such as could be produced
and manufactured in our own
country, whilst the Democratic
party that had been in power here
tofore were in favor of what was
called free trade with other ma
tions. So the Republicans, partly
from necessity and partly from
choice, inaugurated protective
tariff on most foreign goods. This
encouraged and enabled our people
TO build factories and manufacture
goods in this country prohtably,
gave employment to thousands of
our people ut good wages, opened n
fine home market for everything n
farmer could raise, brought unpar-
alieled prosperity TO the country
and filed the United States treas
ury to OVERLOOKING, opened market
for our iron ore and coal and a
great many things that otherwise
would be entirely worthless.
Son: Why is it, then, that the
Democrats want to go back to free
trade, and complain of this pro-
tective tariff and call il "robher
tariff" and say SO many hard
things against it?
Father: This is n question
cannot answer, my son. 1t is a
''robber" tariff. 1t has robbed your
mother and many other women of
the pleasure of hoeihg corn, taken
from them their looms, spinning
wheels. and their wool cards, and
has taken from them the necessity
of working till midnight to clothe
their families. Ii has also robbed
your father of his shoe-making
tools, his dear old hax-break, and
many time honored pieces of such
furniture. So it may properly be
called robber tariff. But with
all its faults | must confess / love
it still. But yet in my magma
ton ! sometimes fancy myself, az
in the days gone by. dressed in my
tow linen suit. standing nv the old
hax-break breaking fax; can al
most hear It's creaking, as II rears
and comes down on the flax: can
almost realize the dust and tow are
IN my eyes and nose, and, i'm my
Imagination, see your mother i'm
hor younger days standing n fow
feet of 90 one side. by board
driven in the ground, with a
scutching knife scutching flax
But these arc memories on which