The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-12-06
Who is Benefited by Low Prices ?

grand or primary divisions. These two
grand divisions contain many subdivis.
ions, but for our present purpose these
subdivisions are unimportant. The two
grand divisions are known as Producers
and Non-producers. The Producers com,
prise that class, including all its minor
divisions, which is employed in the pro
duction of things that constitute the food
clothing, shelter and whatever is appro
priated to personal use. This class emf
braces the agriculturists or food produc
ers, manufacturers, mechanics Those who
make things for use) and miners. The
Non-producers are composed Of that large
class of persons, including their attend
ants or employees, who are employed a:
common carriers-railroad officers an6
their employees, aggregating nearly s
million persons, to whom must be added
their families; Preaching upwards, per
haps, to three million) telegraphers, mer
chants or middle men, including theil
clerks and other employees, together with
their families, the bankers, brokers
lawyers, doctors, teachers. and many
other minor divisions, which may be
readily catalogued by mental inventory
These Non-producers are mostly usefu
persons in the social and business econ
oiny, filling important offices and perform
ing necessary duties, but they are moi
directly engaged in the production o.
anything. They purchase everything
they consume from the producers or theil
agents. Their time and service are given
in exchange for money direct. Nothing
|intervenes between their service and
money. These make up the class whose
interest in prices is common. The lower
prices can be forced the better it is, OF
seems to be, for this class Their money
comes to them direct and they are chiefly
interested in getting in exchange for the
money as much of the necessaries of life
as they possibly can, and are naturally in
favor of low prices. The slump in prices
may and doubtless does affect their inter
est indirectly, but comparatively few OF
them are able to see this, they are only
concerned with the direct result of getting
as much as possible for the cash in their
immediate possession.
Prices affect the Producers very differ
emily. They must sell or exchange their
products for cash before becoming money
users. They are removed one stage fur
ther away from the purchasing condition
which is direct and immediate in the case
of the Non-producer. The Producer ex-
ponds his labor in preparing the products
with which he goes into the market to
buy money. The more of these products
of his toll and time he has to give in
exchange for money the dearer that
money is to him. Hence he is most SEN
sitive to low prices. If the producing
ing class dealt only with each other, and
the products of one was exchanged for a
like amount of the produce of another OF
his class, the rise or fall in the level oil
prices would exert no material influence
among them.
Money is the common medium through
which both Producer and Non-producer
must operate. 1t is the common high
way for the use of all. Among the Non
producers are the men who loan money
for the purpose of collecting interest,
mortgage owners, receivers of rents, sal
aries, annuities, dividends, fees, ETC., etc
All these items are i'll the nature of debts
that never fall in price. The number OF
dollars is always expressed which they
stand for. Salaries, taxes, rents, interest,
fees are subject to little change compared
with the mighty fluctuations that have
taken place in the price of products,
which have run down fifty per cent i'll the
last quarter of century. The competi-
ton fwage earners has reduced the pay
of the employees of the Non-producers as
of those of the Producers. but the money
comes to them direct and they are on the
side of their employers in favoring low
prices for common reason.
We have seen that if all were producers
| of things for use, which had to be ex-
changed for other things, other condi-
ton being equal that fall in prices for
products would not seriously affect those
of the same class. no matter what branch
| of productive industry they were employ
ed in, but when the Non-producers enter
the market to buy the Producers things
with their interest, rents, dividends,
annuities, salaries, fees, etc, which have
fluctuated but little from their original
figures and have not felt the fall in prices
as the Producers goods have, conditions
become serious to the latter. Half the
population whose incomes have decreased
but comparatively little, are enabled to
get hudred per cent more of the things
the Producers have expended their time
in preparing for use, than they used to
get for like sum. 1t is plain that the
Producers are giving double the amount
of labor to the producing half of the
community by the fall in prices, and that
the Non-producers are the beneficiaries OF
low prices and the Producers are their
victims.
You will find this class, the Non-pro-
ducers, are nearly all gold, Burgers. They
want money scarce and prices low so they
can purchase more of the products of the