The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-08-01

3
the Novem Der elections of that year?
Mr.. MoCleary of Minnesota. My friend
forgets the aphorism of the poet:
In order to appreciate Heaven we'll,
One must have had about fifteen minutes
well, the other place. applause }
l nave tried in this discussion, Mr..
Chairman, to preserve my judicial mind
edness. 1 have studiously refrained
from all appeals to prejudice OF passion
l have not allowed myself to use the &C.
caslon for partisan advantage. But
slnce my friend from Texas has insisted
that shall for moment speak IA a
pal uss.n, let me remind him that the
real iiood-tide of defeat for the Republi-
can party was In 1890, when there was
only corporal's guard left on this side
of the House. In 1899 the number of
Republicans on this floor was more than
doubled. In 1894 the people of the coun-
try did all that they could do to return
power to the Republican party by giving
il the magnificent majority in this
House which now greets the eye of my
Democratic friend. And if my friend
will abide iii patience
THE NEXT ELECTION
he will have the opportunity to see what,
viewed in the light of comparative ex-
perience, tho people think of the princi-
pies ana the practices, the men and the
measures If 5na Republican party.
(Applause.) And he will nave the oom-
forting assurance that not In q genera
ton, not until new crop of voters grow
up who cannot remem Der, will the Dem
ocratlc party be again called upon to as
sumo any responsibility in the admins
tration ofstEe affairs of this government.
cloud applause
AS was proceeding to say, MIR. Chair
man, when my friend diverted my atten-
tion, any honest and intelligens man
who has the time to study in detail any
reliable table of prices covering the last
40 years win find that the
prices of those things in
The production of which anything like
the same amount of labor must be ex-
pended have held their own or have in
creased; while things, and these are very
numerous, in the making of which Ia
bor-saving inventions and machinery
have been introduced have greatly fallen
in price. This accounts for the fall in
average prices' about which SO much
has been said.
Mr.. Hopkins. Your argument, then, is
that the things which ought to have been
reduced in price since 1873 have been re-
duoed while the things that ought tc
have increased in price have increased.
! Mr.. McCleary of Minnesota. My friend
from Illinois has with his usual clearness
stated tho oHse terssly and well.
Fifty years ago the average New Eng
land mill hand, with the machinery then
in use, and working fourteen hours a
day, produced 6, 607 yards of cotton cloth.
III 1892, with improved machinery and
working only ten hours day, the aver
| 4 A.
50 Working five-sevenths the time, and
under vastly improved sanitary con.
ditions, the wages are more than
doubled. while the product has beer
greatly cheapened. "
And while we are on this subject, here
is something new and fresh in the same
line. An article in "a recent number Of
the Iron Age gives the statistics of one Of
the copper miLes, the Quincy mine, in
the Lake Superior district. These show
that the production commencing with
2, 49s STA pounds in 1864, had increased to
Is, 4S4, OLA in 1S94-the yield per fathom
and the average richness being about the
same. But the cost of production had
decreased from 1857 cents pei pound in
1854 to 5.68 cents in 1894. So that the
production in thirty years had increased
duction is but one-ffth of what it was
i'll 1864. Meanwhile the
MONTHLY WAGES OF THE MINERS
have increased from 1857 in 1864 to
$50. 10 i'll 1894. "The lowering of cost, -
says the Iron Age, sis of course due to
the multiplicity Of improvements in eve
ry department.. 1t mentions some of
them. High explosives, machine drill
ling, modern stamps for crushing the
rock more economical engines for hoist
ing and pumping, improved means OF
transportation. cheaper supplies, and
more economical processes generally.
These are two illustrations of what has
been going on In every department of in
dustry and fell of production. The
lower prices result from the reduced cost
of production. There is not the slightest
evidence that the so-oalled "demonetiza-
ton" of silver bad anything to do with
it. And the sure proof ID that in this,
as in nearly all other cases, the reduc-
tlon of cost of production has been &C.
companied by an increase in the wages
of the producer.
THE CAUSE AND RESULT OF LOW
Err PRICES.
The great staples of the world are
cheaper because it takes less human labor
to produce them. EVERY new railroad
and steamboat, every labor-saving ma
chine and improved process of manu-
facture, increases the grasp which labor
holds on the desirable things of the
world"
And thus we see, Mr.. Chairman, that
the great fall in prices of manufactured
articles during the last third of a century
has been in the main perfectly legiJi-
mate, and that its ultimate result will
lie most benefcent. Taken in connec-
ton with the rise in wages, it measures
mans vastly increased command over
the forces of nature. Through it tbs
world is helped in its grand march on
ward and upward, being blessed with
Increased abundance of the good things
that minister to human comfort. The
workingman of 1892 enjoyed comforts
and luxuries which only nabobs could
afford forty years ago. A larger proper
ton of our people in 1892 had u carpet on
the floor and musical instrument in
the parlor, silver and fine linen on the
table and springs on their beds, good
CLOTHES to wear and good food to eat, a
carriage to ride in, and papers, maya
zines, and books to read than ever before
in any age or country in the world.