Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-05-27
ducer as. is the honest; director at the

top:
Take that chautauqUa lecturers il
lustration Of the woman who got rs
cents for picking a basket of peaches
and of the New York retailer who sold
that same basket for 1925. Does look
like there has been lot Of stealing in
between doesn't it? But If the New
York purchaser Of the peaches had
gone to the orchard of the Georgia wo-
man direct, the peaches would not have
cost her more than a quarter.
sThere has been a g. at. hue, and cry.
on the part Of the Federal reserve Of
fEals, the big wholesalers and others
tbat the blame for the high cost Of liv--
ing now rests on the retailer, and the
dizziness of trade, is blamed on a: buy
el strike ,eto., .,..: So, :, .~..... -, /;
;That TOO is suggestive of the stop
thtef subterfuge.; =: :. ,".,;:''
d, ;R it was not the eimanufa cturers. and
wholesalers who first put prices out Of
sight in order; to gather in the cash
that the government and Federal re-
serve system had made so cheap, who
was it.?
1T was on the retailer that the whole
sader and manufacturer unloaded their
high priced goods, and of course the
retailer had to pass them on to the con-
sumer on q basis of the same prices.
1t was the wholesaler and the manu-
facturer who first raised the howl
against the retailer; but it was not un-
TIL the wholesaler and manufacturer
had unloaded on the retailer. 1t was
the wholesaler and the manufacturer
who made the first break for price re-
duetion; but it was not until after they
had made their cleanup. 1t was not
until the. goods were On the: shelves of
the retailer and the. retailer had either
paid his money or given his obliga-
tions.
What was the reason of :it?* *,5simple
enough: to all except those who have to
carry the load. Where by reason of in
fiated prices the wholesaler and man
ufacturer had made double and trip
pie profits, he could see many ways
wherein he could derive greater ad-
vantage by doubling and tripping the
purchasing power of money he already
had than through the accumulation OF
more cheap money.
The process was simple. AS already
seen, the wholesaler had unloaded all
the goods he had, or practically all, at
the high prices. There was nothing to
lose in marking down prices on his
remnants. In fact the marking down
would only help to cut the prices on
the bulk of the stock still in the hands
Of the retailer
Take for instance, the experience OF
this particular section Of the country.
What other action than the reduction
of wholesale commodities had greater
bearing on the reduction. Of the price
of cotton from above, 40 cents down to
present figures? Remember that every
thing was on a basis of inflated cotton
prices, the imitation being stimulated
and sustained largely by the swollen
profits of tho wholesalers and manu-
facturers. At the same time that these
people cut the prices on goods they no
longer had they disposed of their sur
plus currency in such a way that II
could no longer sustain the general IN
flation. With the fall Of prices from a
40 cents basis there fell the ability OF
the owner to buy of the. retailer on the
40 cents basis, and there fell the abil-
ity Of the retailer to pay for goods he
had bought from the wholesaler on the
40 cents basis.
And here we heard raised the hypo-
critical cry Of buyers strike"-"stop
thief"
OF course some wholesalers and man
ufactarers who were not into the whole
general scheme, and who were not
we'll enough. Informed to see how things
were working, got stuck and got stuck
badly; but taken altogether the whole
salers and manufacturers Of the coun-
try made all the billions that were lost
by the retailers, farmers and laborers
Of the country.
It will be some time before we hear
the last OF the sclfshness of the re-
tailcrs and Of the buyers strike; but
farmers, laborers and others should
ponder we'll the origin Of such propa-
randa. before they allow themselves to
submit too unrcscrvedly to it's inliu-
ence.
go" MERE MENTION
Five highwaymen entered the Union
Nntinnal hank at New Castle, Pa, last