The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-03-17

lNF' w l''is '' W. '''fs
Foreign Traio. 1870 to 1859. 80 per
cent. 1890 TO 1908. Sji per cent.
value Manufactured products. 1870
to 1890. III per cent. 1890 TO 1905, IS
rci cent.
Net Ordinary Exp. T.. :. Govt, 1870
10 1890. III per cent 1890 tn l?oS,
~. per cent
Expenditures. 30 states, 1880 to- 1904
2'1.G pei cent
The phenomenal increase Oi publ,
expenditure has already produced
plentiful crop or public Ills. It is Quo
Of the causes of the iucrcas, I'm prices
now disturbing the people Thi. in
"tca~c follows in a suggestive way ~.
initiation Of national and local bud"c ".
The average cost OF the supplies th't
must D., bought for practically every
household has increased about ~ per
cent hctw,on l>96 and 1900. During
tie past year. there has been a mark
ci lifting Of the price level. Food.
,uns cost from 10 to ~ per cent
more than ten years ago.
Something is due 10 enormous cur
leucy Initiation. The total per capita
In the United States ia 1896 was s2l b
II. and in 1909 it was $1,000. Al.
thou-h population had grown by many
mi iilions i'm these thirtcCn years, The
amount ot money TO each individual
had Increased by $l3.Go. or more than
go per cent. The increase in the to-
tai gold production Of the world;
which rose from silN.NiS.U0D in 1890
to over si27 .0o0,O0 in 1908, has becn
mad, tho basis for one form and an
other of credit issues aggrogating =
vast sum.
The tariff is another contributing
cause II is true that 1t can furnish
! but partial explanation. For to on!y
limited extent can the rise in food
prices b, affected by or traced to the
taril. As to commodities that We ex'
port, the tariff Is imperative. II gen
orally affects prices directly as We
become importers. Nevertheless. the
atriff must bear its share Of response
| bility for rising prices.
Combinations which are actually II
restraint OF trade, which lave mon
opolized their field and are either con
trolled by common secret manage
ment or secret agreement TO main
tain exorbi,ant charges are partly -
sponsible.
Still more OF the rise of prices Is
due to tho decline of agricultur'l
products as compared with the IN
crease of population Decrease IN the
number of cattle and swine was also
given as reason
When due allowance has been
made for the effect of these forces that
make for dearcr living, there still
remains a large unexplained balance,
said Mr.. Hill. This must be credited
to the lavish expenditure which has
now grown to be national trait
Waste. illoness and rising waSes
all intor.related to one another. now
as cause ana now as effect, are, next
10 an oyer-ssuc of irredeemable pap
or. the three most powerful forces in
tltc world TO raise prices.
Perhaps the greatest factor OF al
in the price Pre- IN Is the wage rat
Everybody knows that labor cost :
the principal item in all form Of a.
dusty The wage rate has been iis
ing steadily in this country Power
ful forces are back of this movement
1t has public sympathy. 70 resist i;
is difficult and may be- dangerous ~
cost OF production is chiefly labor
cost. the price OF the finished article
must 80 M If the price OF labor Is
raised This Is just rs true OF tho
farm as of the factory.
The effect OF national waste Of cup
i,al is f,lt Immediately in the add
weight Of taxation. The taxes collect.
ed annually from the railroads of the
country have increased more than 2}u
per cent since 1889. They increased
10y forty million dollars and by marr
than 800 per milo OF track between
1900 ana 1905 Franchise taxes, IN.
heritance taxes, taxes on corporation
and income taxes are referred To VIA
neither approval or disapproyal.
The modern theory that you can
safely tax the wealthy is just as OBJ
noXious as the medieval theory that
you can safely oppress or XII the
poor, 1t Is obnoxious not be1aU52
wealth deserves special consideration.
but because capital is tho mains spr.p5
of all industry and material develop
ment; and, after YOU have devoted -
much of II to the unproductiye pur-
poses that the state represents when