Morris tribune., 1901-06-15
ST. 9auR Gottcp.

| things is the contention that the adj
vance in prices has been greater than
the advance in wages and the claim
that 'a days wages now will not buy
as much as it would five years ago.
Absurd as such a claim is it is the
basis of pretty much everything set
up by the organ of the new Demo
cracy, Mr.. Bryan's "Commoner."
It is not at all necessary to go into
a volume of dry statistics or pore
over the reports of commissioners or
experts who have figured on this
problem of prices and wages Five
years ago the employment agencies
of the large cities were displaying
cards at their front doors such as
these. WANTED Men for railroad
work in North Dakota; wages 80 cents
a days" ''twenty men wanted for
section work in Northern, Iowa; ST. a
dav; Work for Is men in the woods,
SIS month and board" etc. Very
few men employed at unskilled labor
earned more than a dollar day. It
| was noted few months ago in the
st. Paul papers that leading Demo
cratic contractor of that city declared
that he wanted to see "the good old
] Democratic days again when he
could hire men for dollar day, or
! a man and team for 1925 day. He
can not do It now, for where the en-
ployment agencies of five years ago
we're displaying the signs above noted
they are today displaying such las
the following which are copied YER
batim from cards appearing on the
doors and windows of employment
Offices in st. Paul and Minneapolis:
"Wanted, railroad lsborers for Mon
tana, So day-free fare;" "25 men
| for upper Mississippi drive, $2.25 a
day and board; So men and teams for
grading, $3.50 day." etc. III.
Such being the conditions estab :,
lished so soon after the advent of the
rejuvenated Republican party in 1897
it followed as an inexorable sequence
that prices of all commodities should
advance. Building material and
farm machinery went skywards al
most the first thing, and for 8 good
reason. Nearly all the plants in
the country for the production Of
these commodities had been shut
down or. were running at half capasi
city, and when the big wave struck
there was nothing on hand The
orders that came were nearly all
s'rush" orders. and the manufacturers
had to run their plants night and day
to supply the demand. More than
this the demand was SO great that the
manufacturers found they could get
about what they asked, and, being
human, they set high figure. Next
thing farm produce, and particularly
live stock, took jump. People were
working more and getting more for
it, and therefore they would eatmore.
The farmers we're just like the manu-
features in that they found they
could get better prices under the new
conditions, and being just as human,
they asked all they thought they
could get-and got what they asked,
The man who has experienced the
greatest benefits from the Repub-
lican party and it's work is the farmer.
He buys less in proportion to what
he sells than any other class, hence
he can afford to pay high prices for
what he buys, since he gets cores
pondingly higher price for what he
sells, or rather he gets price which
is an advance over the price of his
purchases.
There is evidence enough that the
people are satisfied with things as
they are. There was evidence enough
of it last fall when the nation re-
elected President Mckinley by the
largest majority eyer given a candi-
date for president and there was
evidence enough of it in Minnesota
when we sent solidly Republican
delegation to Congress to aid in the
furtherance,of those policies which
had given the country new start.
There was still farther evidence of it
when a Minnesota legislature elected
two United States senators who
Carried their brains in their heads
rather than in their purses. And
there will be furthur evidence of it
when the people come to vote again.