Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-07-26
INCREASED PRICES.
Cost ~ Living Monopoly
the CHIEF Cause.

the Chief Cause.
The cost of living is now A per cent
higher than on July 1, 1897, without
including rent, though it is safe to say
that rent keeps pace with the increased
cost Of building materials. AS every
one pays these increased prices, it is
important to know what has caused
such an enormous advance. 1t should
be first noted that the present trust
fostering tariff law went into effect
July "a, 1897, and that almost immc-
diately the price of all protected arti-
cleS began to advance in this country,
although there was no similar rapid
advance Of prices in other countries.
AS this tariff law protected the Amer
lean producers from competition, it
was very natural that they should in
crease the price they charged for their
products to the point where foreign
goods could be imported and pay the
freight and costs and also the tariff
duties, averaging over % per cent.
The large profits possible under the
protective tariff induced the Formations
Of trusts and combines to control the
home market, and this monopoly ad-
Vanced prices to the highest limit. No
hgureS or argument are necessary to
prove the advance in prices. Every
one who buys food or clothing or pays
rent knows of the large increase from
their daily experience. 1t is most ex-
asperating also to know that the trusts
and combines, which produce about all
the necessities and luxuries of life, are
selling their surplus stocks, after the
American people have bought all they
can afford, at much lower prices to for
eigners than they charge our own peo-
pie. AS the tariff is a political issue,
the Republican leaders and writer's de-
MED until lately this selling abroad
cheaper than here and denounced it as
Democratic fabrication, but the evil
dence produced of the facts has now
compelled them to admit it and in sheer
desperation boast of it as one evidence
Of prosperity. Yet if the trusts would
offer this surplus to the American peo-
pie at the same price as they sell to
foreigners our people would gladly buy
the surplus at the reduced price, but
that would naturally tend to decrease
the demand for the high priced goods
and lead to a reduction Of the price of
the whole trust productions.
There is another cause for the con-
slant advance in prices that is working
the world over, which is the eXtraor-
binary increase in the production of
gold. AS gold is the measure of val
ues, when it becomes more plentiful it
decreases in value as measured by la
Dor, and thus the prices Of all classes
Of commodities as measured by gold
are advancing to higher levels. But
prices in the United States are so much
higher than in other countries, espe-
c1ally England, which is on Il tariff for
revenue basis, that there must be some
great Fundamental cause at work to
produce so much higher prices here
than elsewhere. AS our high tariff
taxes prevent the Importation of for
eign goods. which would compete with
the trusts and combines except to a
limited extent Of high class goods. we
are at the mercy Of m%onopolists band
ed together to plumber us.
To obtain relief from high prices the
tariff must be revised.