Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-01

would buy. in 1873, 3i5 gallons Of on,
tiS2 pounds of refined sugar. 1854 pounds
OF nails, COZ yards II shreting, 1jS yanlss
Of drilling 415 yards of shiriinR ZIG
ynrls OF standard prints, Of. lVpi yards
Of print cloth; while in 1891 u wouid
buy 1885 gallons of oil. 1851 pounds Of
refined sugar. 1855 pounds of nails. I'LL
yards OF shooting, 1lS5 yards Of drilling.
ia yards of shifting. 1896 yards of
standard prints, or 25i0 yards of print
cloth.
one thousand pounds Of butter would
buy, in 1873, 40 gallons Of oil, 1859
pounds Of refined sugar, 1858 pounds Of
nails, 1859 yards of sheeting, 12Sl yards
Of drilling, 03S yards of shirting, 1916
yards of standard prints, or 24Gl yards
of print cloth; while In 1891 II would
buy 2071 gallons OF oil. 25i3 pounds Of
refined sugar. TI9o pounds Of nails, 2l23
yards of aieeting. 2262 yards Of drilling,
1872 yards of shifting. 241B yards of
standard prints, or 4015 yards of print
cloth
One thousand pounds of tobacco in
1873 would buy 5l3 gallons of oil, S33
pounds of sugar. 1886 pounds of nails,
III yards of sheeting, $50 yards Of drill
ing, 400 yards OF shirting, SOS yards of
standard prints. or 1901 yards of print
cloth; while in 1891 1t would buy LIB
gallons Of oil, 1526 pounds OF refined
sugar. 9Oti pounus VI mans i-.o JAWS
of slieeting. 1857 yards Of drilling, SIT
yards of shirting. 1850 yards of standard
prints, or 2pI0 yards OF print cloth.
One hundred bushels of corn in 1878
would buy 20 gallons of oil, DOL pounds
of refined sugar, 1918 pounds of nails,
4S7 yarls of sleeting. 45S yards Of drill
ing. 336 yards of shifting, go yards
of standard prints. or ISL yards Of print
cloth; while In 1891 II would buy $40
gallons OF oil, 1907 pounds OF refined
sugar, 3OSO pounds of nails, $40 yards
of sheeting. S96 yards of drilling, a;io
yards of shirtng. $50 yards Of standard
prints. or 1854 yards Of print cloth.
One hundred bushels of wheat in 1873
would buy 500 gallons of OIL 1l7G pounds
of refined sugar, 2509 pounds OF nails,
1890 yards of sheetinR. 06i yards of drill
ing, GIL yards of shifting. 1225 yards
Of standard prints. or 1910 yards of
print cloth: while in 1891 1t would buy
1928 gallons Of oil, 1881 pounds Of re-
fined sugar, 5000 pounds Of nails, l342
yards of shooting. 1853 yards of drilling,
SJ3 yards of shifting, 1850 yards of
standard prints, or 2IS4 yards of print
cloth.
From these figures, and may be extend
ed to other articles. ii is clear and col-
elusive that the decline has given all
farm products n greater purchasing power.
And yet 1t is urged that opening our
niints to the unlimited coinage of silver
will restop its price of 1873; and as all
products have fallen through pure sym
plthy with Il they viii still sympathize
with it and rise to the prices Of 1913.
II they did. the farmers would be ruined.
If he is oppressed now. he would be CON
fronted with bankruptcy If one-halt or
one-third Of the purchasing power of MS
products should he taken away, and that
would be the effect of a restoration all
around of the condition of 1878, In that
year the freight rate per ton per mile
was . cents: In 1891 the freight rate per
ton per mile was 800 of ! cent, and
Sl210. lJ1.523 tons were moved one mile
by all our railroads. for which At the rate
of 800 of / cent, they received as freight
charges $T5i, 1880.
If the opening of the minis to free coin
age is to restore the price of silver and all
other articles 10 the rate Of lSIS, then
that freight would cost $1,O2l,2O3,O9O.
And that is much more than twice the
sum that was paid in 1891, Did SILVER
bring these freight rates down. Then TO
restore silver "a to carry back the freight
rates to 1873. 1t is said that gold has
gone up and left all these articles and
the decline in all prices is taken as the
measure of the appreciation of golg, Gold
has risen In value because of its relative
decline in production and the menaced
demand for its consumption in the arts.
But the commodities have declined very
much more than gold has risen, because
the forces operating on their production
and consumption are much more potent
than those operating on the production
and consumption of gold What are these
forces? Reduction of the cost Of pro-
ductlOn, she Increased power of pro-
duction. invention of machinery, steam
machinery. Any man who will go through
our factories in New England or else
where will see machinery doing almost
everything thnt man can do, except talk.
You see In mnny things one man doing
ten times the amount of work today with
a machine that was done by one man
twenty-five years ago.
What has brought down the price of
nailsl II is the nail machine. What hns
brought down the price of pins aud
needles but machlncryy What has brought
down the price of steel rails, which were
worth 500 ton?
Mr.! Mitchell OF OregOn-The protective
tariff.
Mr.. Mills-'rhe senator Is saying that
too soon. He will be saying that few
weeks from now when we get the tariff
bill here.
Mr.. President, did protective tariff
of $45 ton on steel rails, which We're
worth about $40 ton, bring down the
price to S25? Does adding to the cost Of
n thing reduce the price of the thing?
am not now going 20 discuss the question
with my friend from Oregon. shall
have a day in court when the tariff
bill arrives
Why is that the prices OF manufactured
products have gone down faster than the
price, . : agricultural productsf Because
machinery Is more used in manufactures
than In agriculture.
Mir Gray-wil my friend allow me just
there?
Mr.. Certainly.
MIR. Gray-ln reply 10 the suggestion
that came from the other side about a
tariff, and which will come constantly, l
wish to say that IL the tariff is the origin
of all this benefcent reduction in the
prices of the necessaries of life. the re-
auctions the senator is speaking OF in
their general trend and condition are
worldwide and not confined TO the United
States.
Mr. AIills--Wlen we get TO the tariff
we shall talk about all these things.
Mr. Mitchell of Oregon-Allow Ine at
that point to say word.
MIR Mills-The senator can not get me
into discussion of the tariff ut this
time.
MIR. AltCAcll of Oregon-The protective
tariff on steel rails resulted In reducing
the price by the building up of and the
stimulating Of that industry in this
country.
Mr.. Mins-That Is your old argument.
u 4 \ ..atNI Il =.