New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-09
WHAT EARNINGS WILL Buy.

Distinguished Democrats returning from En-
rope bring with them hopeful predictions, and
presumably hopeful feeling. No doubt they
have been much impressed by the revival or
business which has occurred during the last
three months and calculate that the country
must be prospecting SO greatly that Democratic
legislation will get the credit. 1t Is the natural
suppositon for men who have been away. Men
who have been at home know that the working
force. though better employed, is not fully en-
Moved and that the wages though advanced for
several hundred thousand men about half The
decline since Mr. Cleveands Inauguration. are
for the remaining % per cent Of the working
force as low as ever. They also know that the
working voters who are nearly the whole num-
Der are not better satisfied with the Democratic
party or It's legislation than they We're last
November
This is the danger about which the Democratic
party is aborng to cheat itself as usual. BY dint
Of repeating untruths designed TO deceive RepuD-
leans the party pcrsuades itself that everything
is as prosperous and labor rs well remuncrated
in things which wages will buy rs ever. After
time this will be found costly mistake, for
the men who receive the wages know the facis,
and are not deceived in the least. 1t Is within
their personal knowledge that prices OF the things
they have 10 buy have not declined as much as
the wages they received. True. prices OF all prod
ucts. taken as whole. have been lower In this
same month Of September than at any previous
date in the history Of the country. but the decline
has been almost wholly in prices Of farm prod
ucts and Of that decline the workngmen do not
Immediately get the full benefit IN The retail
prices.
Farm products. taken as a whole were never
before so low as In July. 1894. but are now fully
per cent lower than they were then. the relative
Importance OF different articles being considered.
In October, 1892. the same quantities Of products
al New York wholesale prices cost S41.1j' which
now cost S:,3.j76-a decline Of 1914 per cent. All
other products have declined in value about per
cent farm products suffering most as is usual In
every period Of depression, from the reduced
ability OF the people to consume. But customers
do not get bread cheaper. nor most kinds Of
meats. nor are most kinds Of vegetables reduced
to actual consumers much as In the wholesale
markets But while prices Of all kinds OF prod
ucts average IL per cent lower than in October,
1902, the greater proportion OF the working force
has relatively larger reduction in wages. though
not as yet as much reduction In retail prices.
There are many men. Of course. who feel these
consequences though they do not keep such pre-
else records that they can tell exactly where
their difficulty Is. The Democratic managers
NAV be sure that these voters, Of whom there are
millions will vote according to their individual
Impressions There is something left after the
weeks work or thereis not. Either II is as much
as it used TO be Of IL is not. Blanket sheets
filed with figures, whole volumes of statistics.
will not get these voters away from realization
Of the fact that at the end Of the week or month
they are not Us well off they used TO be- even IL
they have worked and worked full time, though
many still have not
Our Democratic friends are making the old
mistake In thinking that the voters OF the coun-
try are incompetent fools who will never know
what hurts them when they are hurt The voters
do not need to study anything more elaborate
than their own pocketbooks at the end of each
week If the Democratic policy pays for them,
giving them better employment and wages in
proportion to the cost OF living than in 1892 they
will remember the fact II 1t does not, they will
remember that fact also.