New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-07

amounting to many millions of gallons In the
United States bonded warehouses. has passed
into consumption. which will require PERIOD
Of many months. Under such circumstances
what have the American dstillers Cecdcd u
do? To obtain relief from some radical change.
in the coinage and use of silver? The ldea
does not seem to have lecn even so much as
thought Of: but all are Of one mind, that 1t was
expedient to entirely suspend distilling Tor
LEI gthened period-at least eighteen months
and 1t was claimed that unless this was zone
the present low market price or exlStnB stoch"
would continue to depreciate And in accordance
with this view of the situation nearly all the
large distillers in the United states nave suS-
pended operations.
In like manner the 'otton manufacturers oil
the United States. recognizing that an accuhu-
laton of many millions Of unsoId yards Oh M, ,
fabrics depressing the market price vi .,ie
same below the cost of production. nave, With-
in recent period. largely suspended ther pro-
! duction. 100 ,,, Tho
price that was charged for them year ago
Can anybody doubt that such result mas peeh
due to q glutted market? Does anybody thihh
that former prices can be restoreu ny i'''
ing currency? :, A..
ASK an Indian or Chinese merchant If the
great decline which has taken place In receh,
years in the price of opium mas pesn 90 ~ 10
by any change in the money with when IL Is
bought and sold and If his natural pontehess
did not prevent he would laugh in your race anu
tell YOU that it was due 10 the . en- n,,stnass
and were producing nearly all the opium they
required for themselves u
The American wheat-grower may es 80
recognize first as last that the prices OF Wneat
will not advance anywhere In the woriu uh.sS
there is substantially a complete faiiute III ,ne
crop of one more of the great Whea, ~ u,i
countries To represent to him that ne is likely
tn obtain an increased price for his wheat ny
any change in the currency OF MS counis 10
simply speculative nonsense senator o'e ~
hit il exactly when he told the American laIi'-
nrs &, 1874 "vour wheat will be measured by
the same standard-gold-in limos as /" - al, ~,
Liverpool. and any man can Hsuie 1t. ~ 80
to talk about compromising on an! olhei ny &c
NO Of value. the world viii not accept IL. IL
no PRODUCES as he does an amount III eN'V"o go,
domestic consumption. the surplus must DE Hy ,
ebroa1 ar not sold at all. If not sofa out oi .he
uotry and allowed to remain at home, the
nroducer If wheat will be smoihered. as IL "eIe'
In bis own grease. The use OF depaseu cui
rencv as q medium Of domestic eNchahse ii.a p
!nt The nominal price # wheat in the
T-nited States but not the price ior Wnlon Us 10
nroducer sells his surplus abroad WIlcn H. S
,ha nrice for the whole crop III ne lnasIhes lV
'o ,,ort mat ne il going to be richer for mus
rnorkine IN its domestic price. he VIII be III ti,e
sa ,,ro hox as the Scotch storekeeper VINO mace
hir1self wealthy by AIDING up 'Ne Se'' u O"'
Id in his estimates of annual profit
SOMETHING THAT THE WORLD HAS Nol
VET FULLY REALIZED.
The fact of It is that the world Is confronted
NTH tho most remarkable phenomenon t"a' HAS
over characterized its civilization. ana mas no'
,et fu,v recognized its importance the least So
annarently in the United States phenomenon
seouential and in harmony with the asse''ioh ie
Gently made by the eminent French chemist anu
ooono,,ist NJ Berthelot in address before
an association of European scientists that pra'-
ucauv more has been done for the development
of man during the last three-quarters OF cell
turv than during the preceding G.oOO years Pres
mix
free coinage in the light Of panacea Tor all
Tic has caught glimps~s Of the situation Wneh
ne expresses the opinion that tine money ques
ton at the present time Is the creates, ques.'o,
nf civilization" But he hal not sense enough
IN distinguish an effect from a cause, ana so
takes rank with an urtutored Indian VINO con
meets the death Of his chief with an eclipse oil tnc
moon Mr. Mckinley. in his letter OF acceptance
ounrnxinates to a clearer view when he sayF
There is nothing connected with our money 10
account for this sudden aggravated INDUSTRIAL
change ,,
There is however no mystery involved in TINS
strange state of things It's cause can be definite
" traced. but the full sphere of its ultimate IN
fiuence although our recent experience ~ larse
and impressive cannot as yet be predicted ii
the ultimate result as seems likely. is To be that
mankind in general Is To obtain larger snare
of the essentials of a good livelihood with much
less Of physical effort. it cannot he other than
immensely beneficial. But the transition period.
still in progress will surely be- as 1t already has
been disastrous to many. interests. If the labor
of one man Will produce as mucn Oh Il colllnOulty
in a given time as formerly required the labor
of two or more men. then ii Is clear That the
sphere Of opportunity to labor has been greatly
contracted And that is exactly what has taken
place The bad results of this have to a certain
extent been obviated by the increased demand
for many now articles-especially of the artistic
order; many new industrial appliances. higher
grades of fabrics larger consumption Of certain
commOdities-as fruit-consequent on cheap and
rapid transportation and the like. But there is
no certainty how long these remedial influences
will continue. Any man earning fair wages in
any industrial employment will. therefore, If
he understands his own interests, hesitate about
demanding higher wages. or vacating his situa-
ton at the demand Of some walking delegate
when other men waiting and anxious TO take
every place vacated. In conformity with this
view. we have the established fact that the per
centage OF strikes won during the last ten years
1sSJ-9J-has steadily decreased
THE CRUCIFIXION or LABOR?
If labor has been crucincd in recent years. it
is labor that has done it. II crown of thorns
has been placed uDon it's brow, it is the hand
Of labor that has and placed it there.
The metaphorical figure of gold cross. al
though fancifu and stimulativc to the imagi-
nation is not warranted by any analogy sem
blance Of a reality. 1t finds its closest ante
type In a Chinese idea that there is something
supernatural behind every evil in the nature If
a dragon. that can only he scared away by
loud haloaing AMI the beating of tom-toms.
Its popular acceptance as n symbolism OF real
ity fortifes the remark Of that prir ce of show
inen. the late =. r. Barpum thai the Ameri-
can people like nothing better than to he
adroitly humbugged." If labor. typifed by all
the material forces Of nature las it should be-.
is giant, and has been crucihed. the cross
upon which it has been extended must be also
gigantic. Consider the materials that have en-
tered into its construction For the foundation
take first the Besscmer steel rail, which, re-
duced in price from SlJS per ton in 1865 TO SIS
in 1880. has mainly enabled the PENNSYLVANIA
railroad 10 reduce its cost of transporting
freight from 3.I6 cents per ton per mile. to
about half cent per mile; thereby greatly
helpirg to increase and cheaper the area Of
land available for agricultural production and