The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-08-14

persons from the villages and cities to the
farms and raise the price of labor by remov-
ing competition and advance the margins of
manufacturing with more purchasing capac-
ity of consumers, and wages will rise. The
advance in price of farm products of 100
per cent does not mean an advance of 100
per cent to the consumer as enormously
stated by careless speakers. Wool. now at
10 cents per pound, If doubled in price,
would be twenty cents per pound.
There are about five pounds of
wool in suit of clothes. Now the wool
costs so cents, then S1.OO. Commission,
insurance, transportation, the labor of the
salesman, is not increased. Labor would
be increased somewhat, say 50. 90, so that
suit of clothes now costing $1,000 would
cost only $l250 and the price of labor being
increased, the purchasing power or ability
to consume is increased. Thus all the way
through prices are raised on the raw mater-
al and labor, but on other factors, remain
the same. So telling the laborer that he
will get no increase in wages and have the
price of the goods he buys increased in
price 100 per cent is not true.
| That free coinage would increase farm
| prices no one doubts. Our friend Whpple
of the Savings Bank says so per cent while
| Others are certain that doubling the stand
| ard will double the price of raw material.
An increase of 100 per cent in prices of
farm products would mean an addition of
| s.. 90 per annum to every acre of tillable
ground in Shiawassee county and this would
mean that much more money to pay labor
and buy goods. 1t would ''like mercy bless
him who giveth and him who receiveth." l
| have been in position to know our county
and 1t makes ones heart ache to reflect that
the herds and flocks of thoroughbred stock
that were formerly the pride of the county
have been sacrificed and dispersed; that
farms are running down and farming SO un-
profitable that labor cannot be probably
employed upon the farms. 1t is sad fact
that there is not now student supported
from the farms of this county at any of our
state or church colleges and q general
despair exists in agricultural circles.
think my study of the tariff question at the
time the American Protective Tariff League
awarded me second prize for essays by col
lege students in 1887 enables me to speak
with some knowledge on the question of the
tariff.
The fact is that prices have gone so low
that the tariff is insufficient to raise them.
| am often told that give us the Mckinley
bill and all will be prosperous again. The
facts are that there was an average of III
million dollars collected per annum on an
average under the Mckinley bill from GUS
toms duties and 161 millions under the Will
son bill, and that the average rate of duty
under the Mckinley bill was 40 per cent,
while under the Wilson bill it was 43 per
cent. Now a difference of 10 million
per year or per cent, on the sched-
ules, is not sufficient amount to
bring prosperity. And as to the advance
in prices claimed under the Mckinley bill in
1912. just turn to Pres. Harrison's annual
message where, after quoting the advance
of prices of farm products, he says, at is
curiGns to note that the advance of prices in
articles wholly unaffected by the tariff act,
was by many hastily ascribed to that act n n
n *The enlargement of our currency by
the silver bill gave an upward tendency to
trade and had marked effect ON prices; but
this natural and desired effect of the silver
legislation was by many enormously attrib
uted to the tariff act" The greenback
standard raised prices and the tariff main
tanned them. AS the Philadelphia manu-
facturers have agreed, we must have the
leverage of silver to raise before we can put
In the tariff block to maintain prices. The
use of silver as a standard raises the price at
the foundation, on the products of the soil,
the raw materials, and this higher level con-
tinues to their consumption. Its effects are
general while the tariff, when the founda-
ton is low, must begin on the base; it does
not raise the base. The silver tidal wave is
a movement to raise the base, while those
who contend that more tariff Is the remedy
are as architects who reckon upon the SUI
perstructure simply. Emerson says there
is strange consciousness that presents
issues, so in the present campaign, the
attempt to ignore the silver question has
been failure.
If you knew the misery and despair, the
almost hopelessness that pervades the farm
ing sections, you would enter into this ques.
ton with all the zeal Of your nature. Each
generation is called upon to decide some
momentous question of right. The genera.
ton that preceded us settled the question Of
slavery which involved property and long
established customs of society. AS to the
righteousness Of the cause, whole volumes
Of technical discussions and legal procedure
were condensed by Abraham Lincoln on
the occasion Of his second inaugural saying,
II do not see how the assistance of just
God can be asked in wringing their bread
from the sweat of other mems faces" So
noV where one measure vvaa loaned two