The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1899-05-26
The Laborer and Cheap Goods.

There is no man more deceived by the
assumed blessing of low prices for the
poor man than the poor man, the man
who has to depend on his daily bread.
Labor produces all wealth. The labor Of
one man is exchanged for the products of
the. labor of another man of his own
guild. The products are not exchanged
directly, one product for another, but
they are exchanged by the use of money,
which makes the exchange possible by
facilitating the action and economizing
time. The exchange of the products of
one laborer for the products of another is
none the less real because the convenient
tool or medium of exchange, money, is
used. The price perhaps might not mat
ter if there were only the two parties con-
cerned, the two producers of property
products or wealth, which pass under the
common name of commodities. But
there is another party, non-producer;
this third party being a capitalist or
moneyed man. He acquires his wealth
by loaning his money, by receiving a
salary or fees as professional, etc. He
is not a producer of wealth but like the
two laborers he is consumer and pur-
chases by the use of money portion OF
what the two laborers create by their
labor. Low prices and cheap goods are a
blessing to him. The lower the price the
less of his salary, interest or fees he is
compelled to part with to secure the nee
essaries of life. While low prices and
cheap goods may be stand-off between
the two brother laborers, although they
may be employed in different branches of
industry, hired perhaps by some capitalist
the non-producer purchases the goods he
consumes from the laborers, indirectly it
may be, and in the main is indirectly
yet he must consume the things labor
produces. There is nothing else in the
wide world to consume but the products
of the laborer. The low price the non
producer pays for his goods is divided
between the producers of the goods, and
while:the non-producer rejoices at the low
prices he pays for the products he en-
joys, the laborers who have to part with
these products ''for song'' should
mourn, and would if they understood the
complicated question producing, buying
and selling.
High prices for the products of labor
are always all advantage to the laboring
man. He gets more wages and has a
market for all his time, large part of
which is wasted in involuntary idleness,
because employers of labor cannot afford
TO hire when they cannot part with the
products OF the labor they employ at re-
munerative prices. All the money which
the products of labor are exchanged for
must pass through the hands of labor or
the employers of labor, which is indirect
ly through the hands of labor. If prices
are what is termed high trade is always
brisk. That is, there is more work car
ried on, aud more money coming into the
laborer's hands, he has an opportunity of
laying by part of it for rainy day. If
his wages are low and work scarce on
account of low prices, he cannot lay by
for the rainy day. He does not have
anything to lay by.
Find country or select the periods in
country when prices are low, and you
will find the poorest class suffering and
idleness, ignorance and crime multiplying
There are no exceptions to this rule In
fact it is natural law. When prices are
high the laborer prospers, when low he
suffers. 1t is very grave and very serious
mistake in the working man" to believe
that low prices are benefit to him.
They are his worst enemy. Low prices
and cheap goods are a blessing to the
rich but never to the poor. The rich grow
richer and the poor poorer under such
conditions.