The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-10-29
AIS to Prices.

A spirited controversy is going on out
In Utah on the old question Of high
prices under a protective tariff and low
prices under free trade. A good deal Of
original argument has been injected In
to the discussion. giving It new life and
plquancy. To prove that Mckinley
Prosperity Is more than offset by the In
creased cost of articles of common use
the Bryanite Salt Lake City Herald"
cites the case Of y certain brand of plug
tobacco. which has undergone an adj
vance Of 25 cents per pound. Where
upon the Tribune" OF that city cleverly
counters with the following apt anec-
] dote: II. ), T.
When Artemus Ward first went to Cleve-
land he approached a stranger and said.
politely: Il beg pardon, but can you tell
me where person can get wholesome
meal for Is cents?" The gentleman point
ed across the street, and said:"Right over
there; that Is good restaurant" Where
upon Artcmus said: II beg pardon. but one
more question. Have you any Idea where
| ccnts2" 55. - -
Here" says the American Econo-
mist, lis center shot. The question Is,
not what is the present price of plug to-
bacco, but have you got the price. Four
years ago. when Mr.. Bryan was clamor-
ing for general advance OF prices and
was urging 10 to as the surest way to
bring about such advance, 1t didn't
matter how good q meal you could get
for 25 cents. provided you didn't have
the % cents. Chewing tobacco might
then be selling for q penny plug, but
that fact furnished little consolation to
the man who hadn't q cent In his
pocket.
Outside OF Mr.. Bryan and his anti
prosperity following there is M percep-
tible unhappiness on account of en-
HANGED values. Wage earners are not
finding any. fault, for they and their
families are enjoying more luxuries
than ever before. and their deposits in
the savings banks have increased enor-
mously. showing that after paying high
er prices and enjoying more comforts
am AaAdlAC lLlClC ollll lCll u olbbCl
margin than ever before to lay up for
the possible rainy day. The farmer is
not grumbling at the advance OF about
40 per cent In the prices of agricultural
implements, which cost him all told an
average OF about $50 year. whereas all
his farm products yield him an advance
Of from 40 to 100 per cent over the prices
Of four years ago. The farmer can
stand it. How well he stands 1t is
shown In the paying Off of hundreds of
millions of farm mortgages in the past
two or three years. AS Is well said by
the Salt Lake City Tribune:
A man can very much more easily pay
so cents for something when he has dol
lar In his pocket than to pay . cents when
he hasn't 4 nickel. That thing has been
tried over and over In the United States
ever since 1881 with the unvaryins result
that every time the tariff was taken away
the country was drained Of money to pay
for foreign goods. Every time the tariff
hns been In force goods have sold cheaper
than foreign goods ever were In this coun-
try under free trade. That Is n question
that Is practically solved, and only ANA
tours pursue It any more-amatcurs and
fossils. Mr.. Brynn's idea OF the tariff Is
q fossil planted In his brain. and Is found
as trllobite Is on the top OF some desert
mountain. 1t Is only an indication that
at some time before the mountains were
upllfted there was snlt water over them.
The mountain has emerged. but the trll-
obite remains, and the old Democratic
trilobitc fossil still cl!ngs 10 Mr.. Bryan's
brain. and makes him unable TO compre-
bend that 1t is better for American work.
ingmen to make anything than to have
foreign workinsmcn make 1t. even II It
costs little more, because the wages OF
the workingmcn enter into the money cir
culatlon OF the country, and all are made
better because Of It,. g