Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-03-28
LIVING IS HIGHER
BECAUSE EVERYBODY LIVES BET
TER THAN EVER BEFORE.
Wage Farmers Eat More Meat, Wear
Better Clothes and Get More Pleas
ure Out of Life Than They Did
Twelve Years Ago.

There has been much said of late
concerning the great increase in the
cost of living over the increase in
wages. Some people make this a
basis for an attack on the protective
tariff. They insist that the higher
cost of the necessities of life is
caused by the tariff duties.
But those who are advocates of the
protective tariff argue against any
such conclusion. They contend that it
is the protective tariff which has given
the country the great prosperity that
it now enjoys. This prosperity has en-
abled every one to draw good wages.
where during periods of hard times
only portion of the people in the
country were receiving anything like
adequate financial income.
The whole country is now living
higher than it ever has in it's history.
Everybody, both capitalist and labor
CT, is indulging in greater luXuries
than ever. The wage Garner is eat
ing more meat and wearing better
clothing than he did II years ago.
He is taking more pleasure out of life,
going on more vacations and attend
ing the theater, going on railroad
journeys and living nearer to tho line
of individual comfort than before. All
OF this costs money, and consequently
his expenses are very much greater
Ask a man TO name the particular
line Of necessities of life that cause
the increase OF living and there will
be hesitation, and a vague declaration
that "all of them have advanced in
price" AS a matter of fact, however,
it will be found that the advance in
the cost OF living lies more in the
higher living INDUCED in by the wage
earners than in the greater cost of
the commodities. Were people willing
to-day to limit themselves to the cloth
ing and food which they could afford
during the hard times they would find
that the cost of living would be very
little if any higher now than then and
that their savings would mount up
more rapidly.
But the rule of life is Easy comes
easy goes,' and it is only with the ut
most frugality of spirit and careful
business management that the wage
Garner to-day is able to keep from
allowing mis- good fortune to run away
with him.
With the present indulgence in eX-
ira living, because of the financial abil-
ity to do so, increasing the cost of liv-
ing, it is not fair to lay the blame to
the policy that has created the larger
income. 1t is well in this connection
to consider the conditions that con
front the wage Garner in other coun-
tries. The Kansas City Star has OBJ
tanned from a reliable source a list
of the wages of II classes of laborers,
mechanics and artisans in Germany,
England and the United States. The
comparison shows that the wage here
is more than double in the other coun-
tries named while prices in Germany
are as follows: Beefsteak, 20 cents
pound; porksteak, 20 cents bacon,
Il cents; ham, 20 cents; butter, 80
cents; coffee, 2S to As cents; eggs,
20 cents a dozen; potatoes, "a cents a
bushel; flour, nine dollars per barrel.
Little comment in this case appears
to be necessary Hawk
eye.