The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-05-22
The Currency Question.
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The Currency Question.
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that you are mopkeying with an explosive
lis largely at the bottom of our prese ut so
called "pinching times" With all the suf-
tering ostensibly going on around and
among us, labor is the highest thing in the
market. An ordinary laborer wants dol
lar day IL he boards himself, and rs cents
Is low down figures for ten hours work,
when there are men still living In this coun-
ty--old pioneers-who cleared up their land
and all the money they received they got by
working out by the day from sun to sun for
IS cents, and quarter wouldn't buy half as
much then asnow of any of the necessities
of life. But the log houses In those days
and the ladies and classics who occupied
them looked different from the homes of
our lowly. Girls wore calicO,fo nice and
homespun for every day, and instead of
pushing their feet under the old mans table
they worked out IL they got chance, for
from IS cents to $l.50 week. Now look
at 'em! II you induce one of these glitter
ing goddesses to excuse herself from the
street she wants So to So per week and care
full usage, with Sundays besdes-and these
are ''pinching times" I'll make some ex-
ceptions as to street parade.
In those old days there was no comp laint
of "hard times" because no one knew of
any better. We never had experienced the
flush times" when everyone was loaded
down with money, but 1t was deprecated
currency that must and did have an end.
Right here is where originated the labor
troubles. Producers got big prices and
could afford to pay big wages. When wheat
% pay So per day for harvesters, but when
t shrunk to rs cents, men refused to follow
With the price Of labor, and now iu the COM
ng harvest-if We have one-men will re-
luire the price of two or thres bushels for
lays work and short days work at that.
The price of labor can 60 up with ease but
comes down with extreme reluctancy, for
having once tasted the sweets OF high wages
t grinds the hand OF toll to turn for less
,rice than in the days of initiation, tho dol
lar is absolutely worth in purchasing power
double what it was then.
Next comes another great factor in this
light times tilt, viz: the debtor and creditor.
Men who started out in life with the resolve
% buy nothing, however cheap, unless it
ya fn
lot buy-these men are not pinched now.
They don't handle so much money or ma
erlal, but they are in no distress and would
lot be for an indefinite time. 1t Is the men
who are in debt who have bought goods on
lex and sold them to their customers on
lime, who are pinched, aud still the game
,oes on. Millions of dollars are being
pent in our land weekly for bicycles by
people who cannot afford the luxury.
oinching times don't prevent their pulling
ogether in some way dollars enough to buy
he best their money will procure, and that
money is locked up forever. 1t is sunk,
md we talk about hard times! Can you
expect them to improve under the circum-
stances?
Every dollar We get comes out of the
,arth in some shape, and with over-produc-
ion aud the prospect of low prices for the |
coming crop the .pinching times will pinch |
he life out of people who are reckoning |
ahead and buying on tick. The absolute
lost of living is exceedingly smail-barring |
sickness or misfortune. 1t is the utterly |
needless articles small in the item but im-
nense In the aggregate, that browns the |
loater.
In short, hard times do not exist Money
S plenty and so is work for those who are
willing to work for what employers can af-
lord to pay, but people must get down Off
from the stills. Set their Idle boys and
girls at work, il for nothing but their board.
It will be tough for while, because the
bonds of idleness begin in cobwebs but they
end in chains that will be hard to break.
Don't expect much from the future and you
will not be disappointed. Pay down or
don't buy, and you will soon find the whole
family floating along on the high tide of
Politically speaking, free silver is
fraud and delusion. Our currency is
good. Let 1t alone. WARD.
Even catarrn, that dread breeder of con-
sumntjOn succnmh s tn tha healinp inanen-