The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-17
THE FALL IN PRICES.

The voters of the United States at
the recent election cast their ballots
IN favor of reduction in the cost of
living. They believed, and Justly be-
lieved, that under the trustfostering
bunko tariff bill, the markets Of the
country are given over to the monopo-
llstIc control of the trusts and COM
bines, and that these trusts and com.
bines, the beef trust, the -four trust,
the sugar trust. the salt trust, and the
other trusts, put prices up to call that
The traffic will bear' and little more,
for undue profit. The voters set their
seal Of condemnation upon that sort Of
thing throughout the country, except
IN Utah. Accordingly, elsewhere We
find accounts of reduction in the price
of meats and of living supplies that
must be gratifying TO the people who
live In the places where that reduction
is put into effect.
But IN Utah. as is evident, the peo
pie arc satisfied with the high prices
They voted for them. They sustained
the Congressional delegation that op.
posed this delivery of the markets and
the control of the profits from the
rapacity of the monopolies and the
trusts. They Will havo no reason TO
complain, therefore, il tho reduction in
prices docs not reach this State.
SO far there is no evidence here of
any reduction IN the prices of tho neccs-
sites of life. No one on examining
his butcher S or grocer s bill will no.
tice today any reduction as compared
with the ices last week or the week
prior to election. Everything is the
same, or If any different, is little
higher. The dealers could Justly say,
in case of complaint, that the people
here have voted against the reduction,
while the people were voting for it
elsewhere IN the country, and that
therefore the reduction ought not to
apply in Utah.
Despite this logical position of the
combine, the retailers and the whole
salers being tied up close in a union
to govern prices here as has been
abundantly proved, We indulge the hope
that relief will be obtainablc by the
people at no distant time. 1t must
be confessed, however, that there is no
sign Of reduction up to now.
In the matter Of coal, as VIC have
pointed out heretofore, the policv of
the National administration absolutely
forbids any interference with the mo
nopolics and combines hero that are
upjustly and opprcssively overcharging
the people in the price Of coal The
recent raise Of fifty cents a ton in
the price of coal is absolutely unex-
plainabe, otherwise than that those who
are engaged in furnishing the coal find
themselves empowered to make the
raise, and the people cannot help them
selves. Accordingly the combines make
the raise and the people have to pay
the price, because there is no relief
The combine fixes the price in its own
arbitrary way and there is no appeal.
There is abundant coal land, how
ever, in various portions OF. this State
and in the regions round about, that
ought TO be available for public pro-
lection and public use. 1t is not SO
available because the administration
has withdrawn the coal lands from en-
try, aud no one can obtain coal lands.
no matter how good their intention
may be toward the public by way of
projected reduction in the price Of
coal. Even in the case of coal lands
heretofore patented. the Government
holds latent threat over all taken
within few years past, that suit may
be brought on allegations Of fraud,
whether there was fraud in the tax.
ing up Of the land or not. 1t will be
remembered that the present u. S. Dis
trict Attorney for Utah gave his opin-
ion as lawyer before be was ap.
pointed to office. that the coal entries
which later on he was called upon to
invalidate and to prosecute those who
made them, were legally made, Very
naturally, nothing resulted from those
prosecutions There was, to be sure,
a sarcastic. sort of compromise. where
by the company chiefly concerned was
compelled - to purchase So 900 900
worth OF coal lduuS anu pay, ESUU,UUU
for them. That is. the company was
" coerced' by the compromise into pay
ing about one-twenty fifth of the value
of the coal lands it got in the "com.
promise. And so the attorney who
had served his clients by his advice
in the original entries of these lands,
was able as an official to serve them
still more faithfully and proftably
later on.
The people of Utah voted to sustain
high prices, and to sustain the Federal
bunch in their political domination of
the State. 1t is no wonder, therefore.
that The price Of coal has raised, and
that we do not get the benefit of the
reduction in the prices OF meats and
Injuries such as are reported in other
places that voted for such reduction.
The Democratic victories NIL through
the country meant a reduction in prices.