The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-03-11
 THE ENHANCED COST OF LIVING.
And How Far the Tariff and Trusts Are
 Responsible.

And How Far the Tariff and Trusts Are Responsible
 Since the Dingley tariff act has been in operation the cost of living Ill the
 United States has increased all the way from 20 per cent to 60 per cent and
 in respect to wages there has been in some of the protected industries de crease. and in none of them has the in- crease been proportionate or compen- satory.
 The operation of the Dingley act and the extraordinary advance in the cost of living may be mere coincident' put it is an indisputable fact that some or the prohibitory provisions of the new tariff have created and fostered large proportion of those monopolistic trusts which crushing out competition ana being thus in restraint of trade, nave been able to fix arbitrary prices on the necessaries, as well as on the luxuries, of life.
 The increase in the cost of living has
 been continuous during the Dingley rer,od and. as the Ledgers New York | corraspondent yesterday said in his spe- cial dispatch on the subject, upward | the course of prices still pursues US way" He also said that the highest 1 level in recent years has been reachen' but he failed to state or suggest that there are yet higher levels certain to be reached in the near future
 | ue quoted Dun's Review, hlgh au- 1 tboritv on the subject to the erect
 that there was an average advance dur | inc the month of February just passed
 of Q ner cent of the prices of the neces- 1 saries of life. "All live stock made definite gains, but the most extensive advance during the month says Dun's Review. twas in dairy and garden pro-
 ducts whose rose to S6 per cent. These
 nroducts would have shwon a still larg- l ar gain if the top point for eggs had
 beeu taken Not only in eggs was the rise sharp, but potatoes, apples, nay, 1 hutter. cheese and raisins advanced
 materially" March prices this year are 71 per cent higher than were those of
 Iast year' the greatest increase belng
 noticeable in breadstuffs, which rose, 1 says pun's Review, nearly 32 per
 cent during 1901" Meats rose l36 per
 cent. eggs 50 per cent, and dairy ana
 garden products 12,S per cent.
 1 All this large increase has occurred Tn | Q single twelve month, and it is simply
 an addition to the increase of previous
 DingIev trust years The rise in the
 cost of living falls upon all the people
 hut it does not fall upon all alike, The
 makers of profits or the takers of fees 1 can increase either as their living eX-
 pense; but upon the wage and salary
 earners and all persons having fixed in
 comes the burden falls the heaviest and
 hardest. They cannot increase their revenues, although they must pay the
 enhanced price of living, no matter how | high it is.
 The situation grows steadily worse, not better, and so it will continue to do while absolute prohihitive duties pro-
 mote and sustain the sordid trusts Wnich. in the absence of wholesome competition fix all prices arbitrarily
 and without regard for justice or con sideration for the poor.
 A tariff should be no higher than the
 point of protecting domestic capitol and abor It should never be probitory, as such duties create and foster the trusts,
 which practically levy tribute upon the
 whole people, Congress has steadily
 protested that if it could it would de- stroy or mitigate the trust evil; but il declares the evil cannot be destroyed or mitigated by legislation, But very l large, and the worst part of it, can be