The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1897-03-05
DOWNWARD STILL.
General Prices Have Fallen Twenty
Per Cent. Ia Six Years.

General Prices Have Fallen Twenty !
Per Cent. Ia Six Years.
The most discouTaging feature of |
business is the everlasting downward |
trend of prices. Not even has this been /
arrested since the election, when the
restoration of confidence was to do
wonders, but the details now known of
two full months business after the No
vember election confirm this condition.
OF course, the free coinage advocates
expected nothing different, and have
not been disappointed. But the eoun-
try at large, who led themselves to &C
cept the promises made, have been not
undisguisedly disappointed, but cha
grined.
This continued, unarrested down
ward trend has proceeded without ma
teFial change from January 1, 1891, to
which point there had been an uninteT-
rupted march downward, ali the way
from 1873. silver and other commodi-
ties, in the main, keeping pace together.
The proofs of this are furnished by
summary in the form of index figures,
complied from the reports of the COM
nerciaiagencies-notabiy BradstTeets,
The compilation is On the following
articles: Silver, bTeadstuffs Is articles),
live stock a kinds, provisions ga arti-
cles), hides and leather (4articles), raw
and manufactured textiles (1l aTticles),
metals az aTticles), coal and coke a
articles), mineral and vegetable oils q
aIticles), naval stores g articles),
building materials q articles), chemi-
Gals III srticles), miscellaneous q
articles), general index number (1OO
articles).
Taking the low prices of January I,
1891, as 100 for each of these, the prices
of the same January /, 1897, are as fol-
lows;
Silver. 62l6; breadstuffs, 6845; live
stock, 1872; provisions, 82.63; hides and
leather, 1882; textiles, 75.4li metals,
G2.G9; coal and coke, $3.50; oils, $685.
naval stores, OO,99; building materials,
1910; chemicals, 1854; miscellaneous,
84.43. On the whole list, covering 100
articles, 1925.
Applying this to the producers, it
means this, that the great bulk of our
b1eadstuffs which were sold for SlGO
seven years ago bring only SG8.45 now;
that the live stock sold for 500 then is
worth $77.52 now; and so on through
the list. Conversely, it will be seen that
the cost of living, that the protected
and tTust-controlled articles have fallen
comparatively little, and in one case
have actually risen materially. On the
whole, and applied to one tradesman, If
they invested 500 in the general aver
age of the articles January I, 1891, they
could sell them for but S79.95 January
/, 1897. The commodity of greatest
importance, in this connection, silver,
under its continued ostFacism as a
money metal, has suffered most like
wise the products most closely allied
with its cost or use.
Stated in still another way,within six
years past, two of republican and four
of democratic administration-bOtR
continuing the same financial policy
| pTeciseIy-the gold acknowledgement
/ prices have fallen 20 per cent. from a
then low standard; this is at the rate of
8 10 per cent. each year. This means
that every one handling the products
Of labor has suffered d loss from depre-
citation of 10 per cent. in such goods
annually; that every one handling such
products has, on the average, had to
earn 3 10 per cent, a year on his capital
tomale good the loss from the deprecia-
tion of his stock; that every merchant
has, on the average, had to earn 3 1-3
per cent, annually on his capital over
and above expenses before earning
anything for himself. This is a sapping
Of our energies enormous in the aggTe-
gate; it is a progression backwards
about the amount that the national
banker goes forward by interest the
government pays on his bonds on which
! be does business before he commences
| business!
Is it a wonder that the producers are
eager to change a system which shows
those results, or that the next in BUSH
ness kin to them, the merchants, are
equally so, as soon as their eyes are
opened minneapolis Penny Press.