Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-03-04
DOWNWARD sTILL.
General Prices Have Fallen Twenty.
Per Cent. I'm SIX Years.

/ O&MGE8& E1G1GGH
Per Cent. Am SIX Years.
The most discouraging 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, tho free coinage advocates
expected nothing different, and have
not been disappointed. But the coun-
try at large, who led themselves to ac-
cept the promises made, have been not
nndisguisedly disappointed, but cha
grined.
This continued, unarrested down
ward trend has proceeded without ma
terial change from January 1, 1891, to
which point there had been an uninter-
rupted march downward, all 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,
compiled from the reports of the COM
mercial agencies-notably Bradstreet's.
The compilation is on the following
articles: Silver, breadstuffs e articles).
live stock q kinds), provisions CA arti-
cles), hides and leather a articlesl, raw
and manufactured textiles III articles),
metals (12 articles), coal and coke a
articles), mineral and vegetable oils G
articles), naval stores e articles),
building materials q articles), chemi-
calls III articles), miscellaneous q
articles), general index number Zoo
Rrticles).
Taking the low prices of January I.
1891, as 100 for each of these, the prices
of the same January 1, 1897, are as fol-
lows:
Silver. 62.16; breadstuffs, 6s,4S; live
stock, 77.32; provisions, sass; hides and
leather, 1os.92; textiles, 7S.41; metals,
$3.50; coal and coke, $3.50; oils, S5.07;
naval stores, 90.9a; building materials,
1870; chemicals, 77.64; miscellaneous,
s4.43. On the whole list, covering 100
articles, 1925.
Applying this to the producers, il
means this, that the great bulk of our
breadstuffs which were sold for 500
seven years ago bring only $6s,45 now;
that the live stock sold for 800 then is
worth $77.32 now; and so on through
the list. Conversely, it will be seen that
the cost of living, that the protected
and trust-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 /, 1891, they
could sell them for but $7o.95 January
/, 1897. The commodity of greatest
Importance, in this connection, silver,
under its continued ostracism as \
money metal, has suffered most; like
wise the products most closely allied
with it's cost or use.
Stated in still another way, within six
years past, two of republican and four
Of democratic administration--both
continuing the same financial policy
precisely-the gold acknowledgements
prices have fallen 20 per cent. from a
then low standard; this Is at the rate OF
Is per cent. each year. This means
that every one handling the products
of labor has suffered loss from depre.
citation of 3 1-3 per cent. in such goods
annually; that every one handling such
products has, on the average, had to
earn lis per cent. year on his capital
omalke good the loss from the deprecia:
ton of his stock; that every merchant
has, on the average, had to earn 3 Ia
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 aggre
gate; 1t is a progression backwards
about the amount that the national
banker goes forward by interest the
government pays on his bonds on which
he does business before he commences
business!
Is it wonder that the producers are
eager to change a system which shows
those results, or that the next in bust
ness kin to them, the merchants, are
equally so, as soon as their eyes are
opened minneapolis Penny Press.