Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-12-16
HOW HISTORY REPEATS
Present Conditions Not UnpreCG'
dented.
High PRICES FOLLOWED CIVIL WAR
Flood of Prosperity Swept the North
After the Conquest of the South
Money Was Plentiful and Labor Had
to Make Trouble to Raise Wages in
pronorfion 70 Cost of livinu

Proportion to Cost OF Living.
New York Herald. ..
That familiar old saying. History
repeats ITSELF" gives great deal of
comfort in these times Of strikes, eX-
travagance, fear, doubt, and social
and industrial unrest. 1t should
buck up" those who, are asking,
What is the world coming, to?"
This is not the first time this coun-
try has experienced these, conditions,
later to emerge into years and gen.
erations of unexampled individual
and national happiness. BY the same
token it is destined to do so again.
Immediately after the Civil War
the country was far more disturbed
and the outlook darker than now.
The social and industrial conditions
of that exciting epoch seem. confused
in the minds Of those who having only
read Of Them are unduly disturbed by
those which threaten today. Written
history only sums up. The unfolding
of events Is best followed in the
daily newspapers of the time of. their
actual happening. From this source
and from reports of various CONNER
cial bodies together with those of
societies and state and national in
stitutions facts are presented which
show how similar in many phases are
the old struggle and the new. ..
The Extravaganee of ,65. ....
Writing of the reckless ,prodigality
of the American people in 1855, a New
York correspondent OF the London
Times says: ,g ~
This war has brought the levity
OF the American character, out in bold
relief. The indulgence :, IN every va
riety Of pleasure, luxury, and extrav-
agance is simply shocking, There is
something saddening in the high glee
with which the people here look up
on a grievous national calamity. The
jewelers. shops in all their cities have
trebled their trade; the love Of fine
dresses and ornaments on the part Of
women amounts to madness. They
have money and they must enjoy it,"
The New York Independent adds
ASK Stewart about the demand
for camers hair shawls. His answer
Is, Monstrous!' Ask Tiffany what
kind of diamonds are called for. He
win reply: The prodigious; as near
hens egg size as possible; price no
object
Ingram carpets won't do at all
Brussels and velvets are now used
from basement to garret." go.
From the files Of the Herald it is
seen that interest in horse racing was
keen and that grand opera enjoyed
great prosperity. The theatres, never
had more crowds
""war and high prices" says the
Herald, cannot terrify the Gothami-
tes. AS long as life remains in them
they will keep up their reputation for
jollity and good fellowship,p
Gayety was epidemic In Washing
ton. Frederick w. Steward, Assistant
Secretary Of State, in latter said it
was a sign that the people had given
up mourning and grumPllng and were
devoting themselves to festivities.
The Springfield Republican declared
that Washington was drunk and reel
ing in a whirl of dissipation, where
only the best women devoted any
time to home, husband or children.
Reaction from the Strain.
The reason for this outbnrst or jol-
lifcation was ascribed to reaction
from the strain of war and the plen-
tiful supply of money in the hands
Of all classes.
Nowhere In the world" wrote the
same London Times correspondent, us
the laboring man so prosperous as in
America. If there is a. country in
which labor is petted, humored, and
put in clover, it is here" ..4,.
Suddenly, when the war ended
peace in the industrial work gave
way TO discomfort Wages remained
stationary and price: for commodities
rose. This was due to the. initiation
OF the currency caused by the intro
duction of paper money. Labor
says one writer, assumed an atti-
tuQe Oh nOSlluly lOWdIu -tLuplOy ei :
and took concerted measures for self
defense" The situation in New York
he says was typical Of the period.
Eggs jumped from fifteen cents q
dozen to twenty-five, cheese went
from eight to eigteen cents a pound
potatoes advanced to S2.25 a bushe
from $15O-all necessities rose il
value from sixty to one hundred pei
cent. Wages on the other. hand lag
ged behind. The average increase il
all the trades was about twenty five
per cent. AS the discrepancy betweer
wages and values of food and clothing
became greater industrial unrest ten
ded toward revolution. Labor. entered
into determined effort to offset th'
shrinkage of the dollar by forcing
wages up and capital united to keel
them down. The low pay of wOmel
was a special grievance.
The tendency to increase tie mum
ber of apprentices and to hire un
skilled abor for the better paying pO