Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-10-06

ter from personal experience and oheefva
lion III their daily transactions. and in No
yc1nber, 1880, the authors Of that tariff act
were swept from the bpslse Of representa-.
tiscs by majority Of more chan $4,000
Votes Never 10 The history of TIE roun
try has there boon stca d storm Of popular
Indignation against any SINGLE act of Iegis
lation as Chat witch overwhelmed the al
voca.es Of this measure lA $50 and Is a
result We nowhaye thesenltpF from Rhode
Island aud eli tlse other friends Of tho pro
tectivc system who have reeengiy s9oken
upon Tie snbject cpnfesainR hat higA
prices are ret beneficial 10 the people and
that the original aud ayowed purpose Of
/ tsie.ct was wrong; ii other words, they
row contend tiiat the act has heon q snc.
cars solely hecaAsa II fniied 70 accomplish
what IL Was intended 20 accomplish
Aldriehe False cencluaana.
NJ purpose here today Isto show that
the Tariff vet 81 1880 did, III gaet, Interfere
Will this natural tendency toward de
cline 10 Ass:3rices Of commodities and
fiso IL The rates Of wagon; that Il did, ii
fact, make It harder and more expensive
for tho massoa 81 The people of the United
States 70 live.
THE senator here read an extract froni
the speech oi Senator AidFish, who eiaimed
that prices had 20 far declined and wages
20 Ear advanced as 10 make q total gain 10
the peopie 81 1895 900 eco por year a. r.
suit Of the Mckinley bill and conlinuedI:
Mr. Presidasit, admit that GA single
day after the passage Of Tho Aiekinlcy bfli,
aud during the period covered By The To-
vestigation, the retail prices Of the 2l5 ar
ticles eelcctcd by the committee, taking
them altogether and giving 70 each ons
the Hame Importance, Bl-l01ths % J one
per cent. lower tlsan they were At tbr DO
ginning 81 The period, and that oil tile
Damo day, which was kiir last day Included
in the investi gation. the rost 81 ilying IL
the United States. giving 10 each Artiele
its relative importance a. on element ID
expenditures for consumption, had de-
erased sf,i10ths 81 per cent from the
rate prevailing Al the beginning Of the IN.
yestiNetlon- that h. fheeozt Of living, IN
Guiding rent which WAS not investigated
by the committee III ali, had been reilucrd
ss-iOoihs II per cent below what Il was
during The first three months II the III,
ycatigation. nat THAT single day has been
separated BY tire senator from Rheae
Island from all the ether days embraced
HI the twent eight mouths, and taken ia
the basis ~ all the tables presented and
statements made hy him, - II Il wae
fair representative II tho whole peri0a
The investigation began "a Tho Isl day
Of june, lsla, and continued month Is
s u4essth 81 seventy different cities IN TIE
United statss until tho ~ dag IL Septefns
ber, 1871, embracing 4 period ~ twenty
eight lNpntlis. The prices ~ these us ~.
ticleA ior The nrft three m0nihN 1t these
4rvenfg different piacea aud a. quite 4
number u establishments Ia each place
wrrr taken A. Tie basis ~ tha inveatise
ttoa--that IA n asy. tlsc nyefa&e pFifsa
which prevailed during tAe months II
June Jely Hnd August. 1854. on al the
ARTICLES were tnkru as the uHig ~ prize.
cneh unit Gt Index ~ ptict iseiilR fepsn
seated ~ le}9 aud as tbs pf5eeH AyliNe
euentiy ress Of fell tkr fact WA noted. ana
Che percentages ~ rise or fall WIS recorded
III tbr talSeA NeN ! snbmit 10 the senate
and the country thai no JUST IL valuable
conclusion faf ans pufpoee whatsoever can
be drawn from calculations based upoH
prices whirh prevailed pn one single day
anrlnz thNe twenty eight montha, that
dry being a. ] have said che last oHe un
which m investigation was made.
The cest u Lissnx Increased.
fsenator Carlisle here rrsarred h
statement 81 Senator Aiarich thar III tbs
same time siie coet ~ living bad increased
81 England. iie declared that the com.
nittse had maaa % such Inquiry, that no
such reaalia cgnld rs drawn from aug
facts bni0fe tlic committee, and that other
ttnteInenis ii Senator Aldrsch'a apcseh
were not ineyidencc lyefon tho committee.
and coptinuedl
Mr. President. propose % show. o. Al
least ruaeasor 20 allow. that the prices 81
commodiiirsia Che United Stases, whether
considered lis wholesale or by retail. were
enormously incrcasrc ny the passage ii
tho Mckinley ast ard fbe agitation which
preceded H. and that the cot q living III
the United StatsA, giving 10 each ems %
these articles It's proper degree 81 inpofs
lance III expenditures Tor consumption.
WAS increased during the period covered
BY this investigation mnre than &e5.0N
900, and thnt over Sles o0a0o0 81 Tint ins
crease occurred after tAe passage 81 theaet
Of 1870
1 yrutn4e tn make the statement. which
J think Habotly cAn rcfute that a very
large proporsoa of tho Increase Ia PRICES
Of manufactured articles aud ~ the cost ~
living which occurred before tho passage
Of thAt net was ca account ut Tire fact that
Il was pending Ii congress with "a almost
absolute knowledge on tile part u the pro.
dncers 81 protected articles everywhere
thatit would be passed and become Il law.
| propose 10 show. II The second place,
that the rates Of wages Ia fifteen subetan.
italy unprotected industries ia this coun-
try. selected By the committee were IN.
creased dnring Gle period covered by tho
investigation. and that during the same
period the rates Of wages ia fifteen pro.
tected industries Ia the United States, also
selected by the committee, f@li, and that
the fall was greater after the passage Of
S the Mckinley bill than IL was during the
whole period preceding it, passage
Unless the al5 articles thus selected by
the committee are fairly representative Of
the total quantity of articles consumed by
the people, our investigation Is worth but
little, SO far as it attempts 10 ascertain the
cost of living " would 81 course be
valuable to show the coaree Of prices on
those 2i5articles; hnt I repeat unless they
fairly represent an the articles which enter
into consumption. the investigation n 81
but little value 30 lar as II attempts tc
state the effect Of increase IN prices upon
thaoost Of living.
[The senator here presented elaborated
tables showing trick ia the committee'a
method 81 proving decline III prices; Il
took prices at i dAte In 1850, when they had
risen III anticipation Of the Mckinley bill
and lit another ii 1891. when they were al
the lowest. He ndaedI;
10 COMO further back TO nnd the inhu-
ence 81 the Mckinley - upon the retail
prices Of commodities, we and that from
aud including oct /. 1890 nntp june 4
1851, The prices Increased ms follows: On
Oct. i. 1850 the increase was 81 1884, 1893 over
thc prices on Sept II on Nov /. 1890. tho