The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-05-03
HOW TO MAKE
PROSPERITY ENDURING

HOW " NAME
PROSPERITY ENDURING
Prosperity TO the business interests
OF the country depends for It's success
andcontnuance on the prosperity and
purchasing power of It's citizens. The
more dollars they have (other things
being equaD the larger will be the
amount OF goods they will buy and
consume, while the reverse is Of ne
cesslty the case where their purchas
ing power is curtalled and lessened.
Il follows therefore that anything
that lessons the purchasing power Of
the laborer and farmer, who constl-
tute the great majority Of our people,
Injuries the business interests of the
entire country and reacts to the In
Jury of all. while anything that tends
TO promote the interests Of the laborer
and farmer benefits all other interests.
The real enemies Of society, therefore,
are those who for personal, selfish
ends are permitted to exploit and i'm.
poVerlsh these two most useful
members OF society That this Is
systematically and openly done needs
no argument TO prove, in the case OF
the farmer this is equally true. Take,
for example, the case of prunes as one
instance out OF many The Oregon
fruit grower last year received from
10 4 cents for his dried prunes, while
the consumers In the eastern cities
had to pay 1874 TO 10 cents per pound
This enormous profit went into the
pockets OF the transportation compan
les and the mlddlomen. And this Is
equally true 10 less extent perhaps
OF anything the farmer either sells ol
buys, besides having to pay more thar
his share OF burdensome tax. The
laborer is in the same boat and he
too, gets the worst end OF IL.
True, we admit employment Il
abundant at the present time and hi'
wages are as high as they have beer
for many years on an average. Bu
he has TO work harder that ia by the
aid OF modern machinery he turns ou
a larger product and creates more
wealth per day than no has over done
before, while his wages are no higher
while ON the other hand the cost o
his living has been recently increase,
more than forty per cent. so that h'
Is In a worse condition than ever
even providing he has steady employ
ment. the continuance OF which Is I
serious problem with all thinking men
In view OF the rapidity which thii
country Is gaining possession of th'
worlds markets and displacing Euro
pean competing countries whose labo
on this account Is thrown idle Thos,
OF them who can raise enough 10 pa
their Storage passage and the neces
sary amount required TO secure thei
entrance are coming to this countrl
by the thousands, as instance the enOr
nous steerage immigration TO thi
TO this country from Germany Thes'
people are almost entirely laborers
and are coming to this country q
compete with American laborers 10
their jobs. This will result in th'
lowering of wages. and conseQuen
lessen the purchasing power OF thil
numerous class OF consumers, whicl
In turn will iniure the business inter
ests OF the country, The European
manufacturers In their efforts 20 re
gain their lost markets win be com
PEELED TO cut the wages OF their EN-
ployees In order 10 reduce the price O
their goods 20 regain their trade, This
in turn win be followed by the manu-
facturers OF this country In order {,
hold their trade And so Il win so
arst one side and then the other vii
go ON cutting prices and wages, unit
the condition OF the laborina class n
this country ls reduced 70 the level oI
that Of the Chinese, and as a matter ol
IoOurss HE purchasing power will b
raduced accordlnolN, The traat meth