The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-05-27

Fourteen British manufactured
arucies .............,.,........l3 0.S 103. 2
Dividing the above table into two equa
parts, We observe that the prices Of the frs
Tour (which sre chiefly food products) wer
marvelously sustained and even advanced
while the prices Of the second four lin the pro
uuction OF which labor saving machinery ar,
largely used show marked fall.
The Soetbeer tables evidently do not war
rant the statement SO often made, with then
AS alleged authority, that there has been I
general fali In prices, " by that expression {,
meant that all articles or groups OF articles
have fallen largely and in measure equally.
Prices Not Governed by Volume OF Money
| IL Is accepted as automatic by many that the
volume Of money In country governs prices
there, and. at first glance. this seems rea son.
able, But even little study Of the subject
| shows that such u view In untenable
In lsoO, when we had period OF high prices.
| our volume or money in circulation was $50
ou%u AS our population was then s, 9Os 4S3
prices were much lower, we had money I'm cir.
culation amounting to tl0.59. or more than
twice as much proportionally as In 1900.
In 1850, when We had inflated war prices
!he volume OF money I'm circulation amounted
to sD67 per capita, while in 1894 when aver
age prices We're much lower. the money In cir
culation was VA. y per capita.
The total volume of money in circulation In
France today amounts to s35. q, while that OF
her neighbor' Switzerland is only s9G per
capita. Does any one believe that the prices
In France are four times AS high as in Svit-
zerlandY Taking gold money as thu basis
Oh OH comparison France has 81, 10 per capita,
while 6reece has only % cents per CAPITA
Does any one believe that prices in France "a
hundred times as high as In GreeceY Asa
mater TOoL. OF 1, fact they are almost identical
tory OF Prices, truthfully sums the matter up
There is not, as far as have been able TO
discover, any single commodity in the whole
range OF articles embraced in the most esten
siye list OF prices, the variations OF which do
not admit Of being distinctly accounted for by
circumstances peculiar to IL. . Circum.
stances do frequently operate with such force
as TO reduce prices In the face OF an expand.
Ing currency and TO advance prices when the
currency ~ diminishing. In point of fact the
expansion Is frequently rather an effect than
cause Of enhanced prices" '""''
Prices Thst do Not Need "Restorinr.-
The United States Statistical Abstract ds.
s sssnvety ranks INK. high as an authority Opening
export price OF mess beef quoted AT cents in
lS72. at SO cents In 1882 and 81 cents in 100
isS cent IN , and g1 s at l9 cents in 1882
Ior tne same dates are 20.8 cents In 1872 900
cents IN isS2, and S.2 cents In 1892. Other great
srwpn ss, hxe corn. pork and lard. show equal
seem 70 need any "restoring - W."
But perhaps the free silver men would lks
Sns sRpy snei. ,restorerm TO the price Of re.
loIS and only 40 cents in 1892 or per6ans tbey
would like TO relieve the poor. SUFFERING III,
cents gallon IN IT., Rr9d nns S %ss
cents IN 1917. IL may be that their tender sym.
R an.. 90 out to the manufacturers OF bar
IN is7s snS o, proaac ~ commanded s@63a ton
nernaps tney don't want poor men To be
ga their substance IN building homes
nails whose has ePS w9Sld restore the price Of
keg IN ls7s TO 81 in isea and OF WI winSow
e Va wh isd, feli from $40 box in 1873 to
sou y N sSSi; And possibly their phiosophie
carpet on his floor. 30 they would rsmpya
cenfp ysra "rsstorinE the price from Is
Then. II the poor fellow in whose interast ,S
are working H. not completely hapny thsyy
might restore the price or his wifeS cai,co
n s rom e cents yard In 1892 to IL cents as
And while they are in the restoring bus,,ss.
sney milht come TO the rescue OF the moor
9an so i H o. steel rails, whose product DO.
n icV. q which time Il COMMANDED LEA ,I
ont n isot had fallen TO ga ton. TINS So soh
sincasion ns sas companies TO find some JUS
sx Oh one cent per ton per mile in 1901 tim
lowest . rate In the world cents per ton por
s Nor wcnd t 9d rasss that prevailed in
ooS The steamboat men, who, though thew no,,
H aaun wnese ~ lake and canal from ChicsgnV ~
were t 40 ~ pront for 40 cents per busbei
ousbei IN isya IAo'' Oh receiving 24.H cents per
!, Here Is revealed. Mr.. Chairman ,ho An.
Il f.i In !. or Ss@r%,n founded
ac1 thaf go to make up the average
The Increase In wages.
Ihere IL another serious omission q,
naSue aIiegations Of fact. There IA ona voi
,A wnlch stands out by itself AZ ,rs .o,' |
,a, 'hat even his disdain Oh details sbpnid III,
,~.o ignored II, u commodity which a. ups
.usst and best measure Of value evar a ~ me
a a1o; surpassng In this respect wheat or coy,
.,vsu or copper, silver or gold, and that -
sven unit OF human labor. And -, - ~ -
J - uo ~ somehow blind 10 the fact tiy wi
Ss. easio,ted In one Of the tables Ia ~bi"hEn
- ss, that the wages Of labor have h..,, ne
tosnge largely increased In the Last sh, "a
set.,, V,ensury. the increase from the Ola .'h,
4 rsr &C. wages OF 1890 70 those OF lw0 i, n,
Sks, ~ osnt N money and ~ per cent In % nmr
~, IN la2 days work Of skilled ,,ho, ,,,
~ ~ .'o-e OF any staple commodity ~ hr.a
,oxhs, more and better food more and h.s.1h
"a III more and better transportati"a v s
No better tools and machinery ,nor, more
:, nsas and light. more comforts and i anu n.t
! ...ry klnd; moro silver and more ,aIS sls
,o,,dy "me before 1873 In the historx 80 ,. nm q
an, Any honest and intelligent man who
IL, W STUDY IN detail any reliahin ms nv IN.
ees covering the last 80 wears viii e .apis oi 4
~ prices OF those things IN The ,r.u, nnd that
,ust ~ any thing Ike the same amount ot ,a o.