The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-01-28

Farmers have been moving to town.
! Until now We have paid everybody
better than the farmer, and he has
been anxious to get into some other
/ line of business. II he has not done
this himself, he usually has planned
to have his children do it.
Automobiles; and Other Causes.
The automobile and the tele-
phone combined, they have
been an influence for lux
ury, and luxury is something we al
ways must pay for No housewife
! ever markets as economically by tele-
phone as she does when she goes to
market herself The automobile takes
Jus far and we dine out often. When
! we do we dine well and in little
time we insist upon dining equally
well at home. This raises the stand
ard of living.
The farmer, through the telephone
and the newspaper, keeps in closer
touch with the market. He no longer
goes it blind, but raises whatever
/ promises the highest prices.
Overproduction of gold. When gold
is plentiful prices must advance.
Here is one explanation from John
T. Lenfestey that goes considerably
into detail:
Where does the money go?' 1t
seems to me, might be improved upon
by asking Where is the invisible
waste?
The miller grinding wheat loses
two per cent of weight during the
process of making -four and calls this
an invisible waste or loss. Ten
years ago workmen gave ten hours
for day and they worked faster;
therefore they accomplished much more
than now, because they work only
eight hours and are much more delib-
crate and independent. Therefore,
the unit of value resulting from one
hours work is less and in many cases
the wages paid amount to double those
paid ten years ago. Labor success
fully has commanded reduction in
hours and increase in wages gener-
q ally.
4 Law of Compensation Enters.
The law of compensation enters
here, SO the manufacturer and mer.
chant are compelled to advance prices
because of the increased cost of pro-
duction. Now it gradually has
dawned upon the workman receiving
increased pay that he is no better OFF
than before, because he must pay for
the increased wage of other workmen
! making merchandise that he must
have but does not make.
Notice the size of shoyels the com
: only two-thirds the size formerly
used, and move only G6 2-3 per CEN
as much material as ten years ago;
nor are they filled more than two
thirds as often.
THE carpenters do not accomplish
more than 66 % per cent as much as
ten years ago, and get 100 per cen
more pay for eight hours than the,
did for ten hours.
There can be but one logical re
suit, which is that the contractors
charge all this, and add more fol
contingent expense because of thu
, greater uncertainty.
Il bought one pound of food fol
fifty-five cents per pound. or twenty
|. ounces. Therefore the food cost m,
: fifty-fiye cents per pound, or twenty
' five per cent more, because OF shor
I weight. This happens with other mer
f chandfse, and the same facts apply t,
labor.
Blames the Reformers.
: The Hull houses and reformers
: headed by Theodore Roosevelt. Great
ed most of these conditions throug
= the uplifting OF labor and pure foo
v law enforcement.
9 The laws were demanded by th
@ public and enforced consistently b
s the federal authorities; therefore, VIII
], should laborers or any one else VIII
Il encouraged the making Of these law
l. find fault with the result?
l. 1T is natural that the big operate
r makes money relatively faster tina
s the smaller one, and in case of PAM
S or over-production loses faster. Ever
large business did pioneering at on
time, and had lean as well as ia
years. Many pioneers were lost an
If forgotten, and the public never she
e a tear for their loss, and now tn
e successful business men are treate
e as If to succeed were crime
T. Arthur w Catlow of harrington, III
has another explanation. He think
e the trouble is due to gentlemen farm
:. ers who don't know anything abol