The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-09-16
Despite BOlshevistic and SOcialis-
tic Agitation, Clouds Will
Move On in Time
LIVE IN RIOTOUS LUXURY
In Other Words, It's The "COst
of High Living" That Con-
Fronts the People, Not High
Cost of Living.
Manufacturers Record.)

Let no one be discouraged by the
spirit of unrest throughout the land.
However dark the clouds may some
times seem, the mist clears away
at last and the sun shines with re-
newed brightness.
Labor strikes are threatened al
most daily, but many labor men are
showing keen appreciation of the
conditions under which we are living
and are opposed to the radical lead
ers- an extremely hopeful sign. In
sofar as labor men are willing to
increase their efficiency and produc-
tion they are fully entitled to high
wages. Neither the laboring man nor
the farmer nor the average salaried
man has ever been adequately paid,
as a whole. The unrest of the hour
is the inevitable struggle of the cry
sails as II seeks to throw off it's old
tually, out Of the struggle will come a
larger, broader life. a closer friend
ship between all classes and a more
harmonious cooperation between
poor, the educated and the uneducat-
ed. This will be founded not on So
called charity or philanthropy, but
on fair and honest recognition
each of the rights Of others.
America is not going to the dogs.
despite all of the Bolshevistic and
Socialstic agitation, all the parlor
Bolshevists and all the wild theories
OF longhaired but short-brained men.
When tempted to be discouraged
as to the condition prevailing in this
country at present, we should rem
ember the difficulties through which
we have passed in former years. To
do this we need only to go back to
the free-silver craze of 1896, which
swept large part OF the nation off
of its feet and brought about a con-
dition which looked like we were
headed for chaos. At that time the
fearful denunciation Of the pluto
Gratis" and the money bags" and
the Shylocks by Bryan and others Of
his ilk more seriously threatened the
country than even the Bolshevistfc
agitation of the present hour, for the
simple reason that the agitation OF
that time had its foundation in the
desperate poverty of the whole coun-
try, whereas the agitation of the pres
ent has no such foundation, but, on
the contrary, has, as against 1t, the
abounding prosperity OF the entire
nation.
We are talking much today about
the high cost Of living, but, broadly
speaking, the nation is living in more
riotous luxury and In greater extrav
agance than ever before in its history.
In 1896. on the other hand, the ma
tion was living in desperate poverty.
Then the farmers of the entire coun-
try were practically bankrupt. and
all business interests were stagnated
Hundreds of thousands of men walk
ed the streets begging in vain for
work. Soup kitchens to feed the
starving were in evidence everywhere.
In the West corn sold at Is to 16
cents bushel and was burned for
fuel, because 1t did not pay the cost
of hauling to the railroad and the
freight to the market as compared
with wood or fuel needed for warmth
Cotton sold at 1-2 cents a pound, =,
and for the entire year averaged less
than cents a pound. Wheat sold for
several years at from 40 and so to 60
cents bushel.
Every wheat grower. every corn
grower, every cotton raiser grew
steadily poorer under these prices,
and there was nothing in sight except
absolute bankruptcy. Millions and
tens OF millions of dollars OF farm
loans could not be paid, nor could
even the interest on them be met.
This desperate condition of the
farmers did not, however. help the
city population. II is true that farm
products were abnormally cheap,
lower than they had ever been in