Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-09-13
HIGH COST OF LIVING
Increase Due to the Dinglev
Law Schedules.
AMERICAN PEOPLE PLUNDERED

nus your income Increased as Much
rs Your Observation-Disclosures the
Tariff and Trust Issue and Decide
If You Will Vote 10 Continue pres-
ent Conditions.
III you find the grocery bills have in
creased lnordinately don't blame the
grocer, but investigate the tariff tax,
and you will find that it is the chief
reason for the increase. If your cloth
ing is costing more and most of what
you buy does not wear well don't
blame the dry goods and clothing mer-
chants, for the tariff tax is the cause
Of the high prices and shoddy goods.
If your hardware bill is higher and
the kitchen and other utensils do not
wear as well us they used to don't
blame the hardware merchant. He
has to buy what the trusts sell him,
and the tariff protects those corpora
tons and allows them to increase the
prices for their products. If your rent
has been raised don't blame the land
lord, for the tariff has raised the price
Of building materials, so that it costs
nearly so per cent more to build a
house now than it did before the pres
ent tariff law was passed in 1897. If
furniture costs more than it did, and
the cheaper kind is made Of green
lumber and soon goes to pieces, the
tariff on lumber and nails and varnish
and all the material that is used in it's
construction is the cause Of the ad-
vance, and the attempt to make cheap
furniture with dear materials is the
cause of it's poor quality.
The average increased cost Of all the
articles that it takes to keep house is
Al per cent since 1897, the year this
prosperity breeding Dingley law was
placed upon the statute books by the
Republican leaders.
Housewives who do the marketing
for the family now require nearly half
as much again to provide the food and
the clothing for themselves and the
children as was needed before this
trust fostering tariff law went into eff
feet. That is, if your income was $50
a week in 1897 it must now be S36.75
to buy the same necessities on the az
erage. Some few things like tea and
coffee have not increased in price-in
fact, those articles are cheaper, but
there is no tariff tax on them, and they
are about the only things you can eat,
drink or wear that are not taxed and
that some trust or combine does not
control and has not raised the price of.
The important question is, Has your
income increased as fast as your out.
go? That must be answered by each
individual.
If you do not like to keep asking
your husband for more money to run
the house you had better talk over the
trust and tariff question with him, and
if he investigates he will see at once
that prices have advanced and that
you need nearly half as much again
as you did in 1897.
Dun's Mercantile agency, that sup
plies information about business af-
fairs to all the wide awake business
men, keeps a careful account each
month of the rise and fall of prices of
all articles that go into general con
sumption. The figures of that great
agency show that on the average prices
have increased Al per cent from July
1897. to July, 1906. You can inquire
of Dun's agents in any city. and they
will tell you so, or you a go to the
library in your town and call for Dun's
review, which is published monthly,
and see for yourself. If Dun's review
is not on file ask for the Statistical Alb
stract of the United States for 1905,
and on page 541 you will find the ia
BILE of Dun's index number, for the gov
eminent has adopted it as an entirely
reliable and not to be questioned au
thority on that subject. In the last
column on the page mentioned you will
see the total for each year, the figures
given being the average per capita to-
tai cost of all necessary articles of dali
ly consumption for the year.
July. 1897, shows $72.455, and 1906
shows $1O4.464. Taking no account of
the odd decimal, this shows an in
crease of $$333.91, or over 46 per cent, on
the $72.45. which was the cost in 1897.
Since January Of this year prices have
still further advanced, so that on July
/ the increase was AZ per cent.
If space permitted, the details of this
plundering of the American people
through the protection granted the
trusts in the tariff law could be given.
But if you are interested to know more
about it ask or write to the Democrat
lc candidate for congress in your dis
trict to send you the three great tariff
speeches Of Hon. John Sharp Will
liams made in the house Of represent
ntives during the last session of con-
gress, and you will be surprised to find
what a fund Of evidence and informa-
ton they contain on this important
subject to the American people. And
after you have investigated the tariff
and trust issue make up your mind if
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