Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-07-22

USING CORN FOR FUEL IN 1896.
and the second is to lower his stand
ard of living The wage Garner, band
ed together with his fellows in a un-
ion, has been able to increase bis
scale of wages to some extent. though
not nearly enough to Oil the gap be-
tween income and expenses. The wage
Garner who does not belong to un-
ion has profited to some extent by the
general rise In wages. though not so
much as the union man.
The salaried man has borne the hard
est brunt of the rising prices. He be-
longs to no union. and his demands for
increased pay have brought little re-
Spouse.
All classes that are compelled to
work for living have had to turn to
the other alternative in a greater or
less degree. They have been forced to
lower their standard of living. The
first item to be attacked is the food
supply. Russell Sage once said, las
the cost Of living increases the use of
meat decreases. the proportion Of dark
rooms increases and child labor be.
comes plentiful" Less meat means
poorer nourishment. less resistance to
disease aud Il higher death rate. Other
foods of cheaper quality are used.
Oleomargarine takes the place of but
ter. Cold storage eggs are luxury
and fresh eggs unknown. and cheaper
brands of canned goods are used.
Aside from food. the big item Of ex-
pense in the city Is rent. In order to
keep up with the increased cost of
things property owners have been fore
ed TO raise rents. The frenzied crowd
ing Of the people to the cities has en-
abled landlords to make these increas-
ed rents effective. The result is that
a house with porch and a bit Of lawn
has become luxury. and more and
more the middle classes. the classes on
whom prosperity should react most ia
vorably. have been forced into fats
and apartment houses. The poorer
classes have moved into tenements
The high cost of room has made crowd
ing inevitable. Human beings have
been forced to herd together like cat
tie or worse. The modern dairy barn
Is a palace beside some Of the tene-
ments that pass muster as human hab-
itations.
Many causes have been advanced by
economists and others to account for
the rise in prices. Many blame the
tariff. but that will not explain why
prices are rising nearly as rapidly In
England as in the United States. The
economists favorite reason is in the
Increase in the supply Of gold. Money
IL becoming cheaper, he says. and
therefore it takes more of it to buy
given amount of any commodity.
This explanation sounds very plausi-
BILE, but it does not explain the fact
that prices have at other times gone
down in the face of increased gold
production. The gold supply is un-
questionably factor influencing ris-
Ing prices. That it is the fundamental
factor may well be doubted.
Other writer's try to lay the whole
trouble to the growing extravaganza
Of the American people and to the in
creased standard of living. 1t Is true
that at the present time we regard as
necessaries what yesterday were luxu-
ries. This increase in the standard OF
living is but the product of civilIza-
ton. however, ard is something to be
encouraged rather than discouraged.
Furthermore, it is responsible in but
u small degree for the increase In the
cost Of living. The increase in the
standard of living has manifested it.
self most strongly in better houses,
better clothing and more conveniences.
Yet the great increase in cost has been
not in these materials, but in food.
Between July l, 1896. and Jan. l. 1910,
breadstufrs and live stock increased In
price 1OS per cent. During the same
period the increase in the textiles was
% per cent. in metals Is per cent and