The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-05-08
be lowered or removed, but incessant
hammering and CRYING of dishonest
| is hardly calculated to assist congress
in its work.
The Increased Cost Of Living.

Cedar Rapids Republican: We hear
a great deal nowadays about the IN
creased cost of living. That the cost
of living has been increased nobody |
can deny The question IS, What is
responsible for the increase in the cost
of living. and is it on the whole for
our good?" There was time within
the memory of men not yet past mid
die life when the cost of living was
very low. In 1896, for example, dol
lar went long way as compared with
what it will do now. 1t went so far
in that Mr.. Bryan and the Democratic
party alleged tiat we could never get
back to prosperity until we should
come to time when dollar would
not go nearly as Tar as it went then
except in the payment of debts when
had been already contracted. Tne
| trouble was in that period that very
few people had any dollars. The wage
earners of the country were idle, mill
| ions of them. The farmers could not
get enough for the products OF their
! farms to cover the cost of production,
although farm labor could be had then
l.for less than half of what 1t can be
obtained for now. People refused to
vote for cheaper dollar. They took
Mr.. McKinley's advice and opened the
mills instead of the mints. and since
then labor has been fully employed at
high wages except for a brief period
| following the panic. Everything costs
more than 1t did in 1896; but what
are the items that enter into ones
daily life which have been most IN
creased in price? First of all. they
are the things which the farmer raises.
horses. cattle, sheep, hogs. gram OF
all kinds, butter and eggs. The next
thing that has been increased IN
price most radically is the cost OF Ia
Dor. The San Francisco Argonaut
recently pointed out that whereas tne
average worker in tin and sheet 'r""
some years ago would make fifty joints
of pine in a day at wage OF three
dollars. now the average worker makes
only eighteen joints day at wage
of four dollars. In other words, the
man who some years ago could buy
for ore dollar sixteen and two-tniros
joints of pipe can now buy but four
and one-haif joints for one dollar. In.
creased wages and shorter hours nave
wrought these results; and what is
true in joints of pipe is true OF lnnu
Imerable other commodities.
Now, there is not a free traoe
bowler between the two oceans VINO
will come out and openly advocate
lower prices for the farm products ane
!, lower wages and longer hours 10
labor. They talk about cheaper nv
ing. but they are unwilling to specif.
further- than to say we ought to brln'
about a decrease by means OF lowe
: tariff duties. The only way this coui
be done would be to admit free
duty. the farm products OF Canao
and Mexico and break up the iabo
:. unions. Free trade would undouptee
do this. Anybody is -iliing TO col
fess that it would. The great lncreas
: in the cost of living comes aoou
= through increased prices in fields "
. have mentioned-ag agriculture and ia'
mr. The farmer or the wage earn
who cannot see this is swallowing u
% same kind of bait they swallows
II in the early COS, and the results WI
h. be the same.