The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-07-05
CAUSES OF THE HIGH COST OF
LIVING.

oOIIlo "SShS o6o
adopted by Congress to investigate
the high cost of living, and the matter
was turned over to senator Lodge,
who a declared hat neither the
high tariff nor the trusts had anything
to do with higher prices. BY Senator
Lodge, it was turned over to experts
of the type who, without being told
exactly how to do it, always bring in
the figures to suit the parties by whom
they are engaged.
h committee did not deny the in
creased cost Of living, though a few
months ago that was the attempt of
certain t~hick-and-thin Republican
papers, but charged up the increase
cost to the following causes and none
others:
Increased supply of money.
Craze OF women for trading stamps.
Increased freight rates.
Higher wages paid to farm hands.
The of the farmers from
The farms to the cities and towns.
The reduced fertility of farm lands.
Cold storage warehouses;.
Organization of city sto~rekeeperS.
OVercziIitalizattOn.
The Omaha World-Herald, edited
by Congressman Hitchcock, calls the
report funny and gives the follow
ing illuminating dissection Of it:
1T viii be seen that of the nine
reasons given, three are laid at the
door of the farmers and the arms,
one at the door of the retail merchant,
one at the door of the women and one
at the door of providence, which in
creased the supply of money.
This leaves wi three reasons. or
one-third of the total, to be charged
up to the larger business world
higher freight rates, cold storage ware
houses and overcapitalization.
1T will also be seen that the three
! principal causes Of the unduly high
cost Of living are not included in the
list. These are, as every n knows,
high tariff, trusts, and cxtravagant ap-
preparations.
Nc other body on earth but a re
publican investigating committee
could omit tariff, trusts and public
extravaganza from the list of causes
of high prices and give their place, by
wages of farm hands, and the organi-
cation Of retail merchants.
THE tariff, the committee expressly
finds, has been no material factor in
causing the ADVANCE IN prices during
the past decade.
What Is the tariff for, then? Why,
if this be true, would reducing the
tariff throw men out of jobs, open
the soup houses, bring on q panic, and
raise hob generally?
THE trusts, likewise, have been in
vestisated, and are specifically ex-
empted from responsibility.
ut IS worth while here to quote
what Andrew Carnegie. the chief trust
and tariff beneficiary in the country
said on the trust and tariff subject in
his testimony before the ways and
means committee of the house, in De
cember, 1908. He said:
A protective duty, in it's nature and
its object, means that the consumer
has to pay d higher price than he
otherwise would for the articles pro
tected. IF the tariff did not raise the
price it would be of no use.
I think thai the tendency Of com
binations is to raise prices and to ex-
act Q the consumer what they
safely can. If there is no tariff the
combination comes together, and ii
will fix the price lower thar if there
is d tariff. The tariff would enable
them to raise the price to the extent
OF the duty.
I'm these few sentences Mr.. Car
negie said what everybody under
stands and everybody believes. He
tells simple truths that are founded
on the elements of human nature.
The esteemed senate committee might
write tones and tones to prove that
tariffs and trusts have nothing to dc
with high prices, and after it had fin
ished, every sane man YOU still be
lieve every word hat Mr.. Carnegie
said, az above quoted.
Just a word as to eXtravag ance
Why did not the senate committee
make mention Of the appropriations
that have cen made by the present