Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-07


allucsd Into AsAniss SeutmanA Huufkss
on HuaA I'D siOhsse1npsD h.1ol1nCv1lA
dAshonsssy and osrsupaipn, meaniaga.a
oeun0oaplasea. snphsDnsas haEangnes
On poblie nesnafty-thsss sze noss 20
his taSss. So aug - h eou6nsA hin-
self b esssralitiss - - lass spssch In
Providence--ani - dSi % through most
sf it--hs Wa oompsrseveay saSe from
the attacks Of his poaincal spponanss.
They might Tidirale his pompous ccncsit
and eiarty plAtatuans, bat thry wpod
necessarily find il somewhat difkcult 70
rsfute the tasas wora uEOverb. BE esod
and yssll DC hsfgy.' He did. however,
venture toward 6e6aitansss, and wifh
about the same degree Of SUCCESS wh6uh
atseaded his absurd dictum that tho aaty
on imported goods Measures the tariff
tax" on SIMILAR domestic goode-thss IL
to say. he furnished absolute prosf Of
his untfaess rs al economic teachor.
For instance, 10 says:
Eat any rate, tss consumer hes found
life harder since this reform d. e.. the
Mckinley law than before, and IL there
Is workipgnaa anywhere who has bad
his wages increased by virtue of rs OPP
GRAFTON he has lot yet made himself
known
Did not Mr.. Cleveland know that
prices OF al manufactures have averaged
lower since the new tariff took eject
than they were before u several yAarss
He could not help knowing IT. 1t ID Id
mistsd by every honast free trader in
tbs land. We do not presume TO say in
this connection what has caused this
condition, but CO, Inc ourselves 10 tie
plain skd evident fact that it does &xIt.
The New York daily Ounr.sruiA Bal
letin. Trough bald and uzsequivocal in
its advocacy Of free trade. is, We are
free to confess, usually honest in i6 ut
terances, and is edited with an ability
which challenges the admiration Of foe
as well as friend. Here is what 1t ssys
about prices under the Mckinley law
last November, q year after it went mts
operation:
The effects Of changes in tariffs nac-
eesarily Develop 80 slowly that none but
tyros or chs-Isssns would pretend To
draw any dsfinits conclusions from TIE
FIRST years experience under such
changes. In the next place, tho last
Twelve nonths OF baziaess h2s been sab
ject 10 two eets of ia6reEces wSieh could
have no other effect than to depress
prices. These special influences hnve
combined to produce general aud con-
siderable decline in prices, especially Of
manufactured products. both in this
country and throughout Europe"
Again en- April the same free trade
paper, after considering tho influence on
business Of the conditions rrevailing in
the grain and Gotten growing SECTIONS,
rays:
Besides these factors the iron work
ing sections have bcsn busily employed,
and the earnings of tho mssses hsvs
more than Offset the low prioss roosivsd
by the manufacturers"
The Bulletin says Of the dry goods
trade:
well known fabrics have sold ruadi-
y, and their manufactures are said 70
BE- in most instances heavily under con-
tract. but such as have had to maize thedr
own way have found il difRcult wurk q
I'll times.
1.-TWO causes can Be assigned for tAis:
first, the low prices prevailing throogh-
out; and pext, the fact that even the IN
creased business, in the aggregate. has
been eonscrvstively transacted. When
popular fabrics are low in price they
monopolise sttehtson more than usual,
and arc always in best ocsnpssNtsvs de-
mand when trsds " Conservative"
Now a. b Mr. CScveiAndS asnertSnn
that no workman had been heard Of
Whose wages had been advanced b. The
new tariff. We have before called at-
tenticn TO thousahds OF cases Of incrsassd
wages during the past year. The burssu
sfaabor of Mr.. Cisyelana's own staAe re-
ports 1.eli instances Of advanced vNess
for 1871. and aces casss N which TIE
hours Of labor were sbertened, while IL
records enay ~ cares Of redectcu. A
report from the nhneis Iabsr barssu
shows that wages in the coal mines Of
that state were higher in 1891 than be-
tore in fsur years Here n III table:
WAGES PER DAY.