| Show THE COST OF LIVING The other day Mr r. r J. J J J. J Hill in fl a a talk took ook a gloom view of thil things g and nd's nd s said id The rhe high cost 01 of f living is the tl ginning Beginning gi ning of every e national de de- cle- cle World of New York sa s cline dine To which the says quoting noting from Bradstreets Bradstreet's Prices show sho an av av- a average rise of 56 per cent in thirteen years Jem in the thu ther r price of th the necessaries of lif life Rent has in inmany many nan cases risen in an even greater ratio while wages l have ae generally risen no nc not nearly Dearly so much We are aston astonished sh d that a n great New York paper paper paper pa pa- per should put out such a statement nt as that as someI something some sone- I thing g abnormal l. l It i is the truth as as' proved by br the the of the world that tha in times of experience prosper prosper- pr prosperity sper- sper ity wages are the last things to rise while while in time o of adversity they are also the last things t to be re re- re- re It is a law as old as p political economy that prices in a country are aie are regulated d by bj the volume of money in in the countr country and according to that rule it is is perfectly natural that prices have haye Rc advanced 56 per per cent in thirteen en years Jears bec because beauze use the volume of f money in In the countr country ha has increased more than that amount At the same time prices have advanced too rapidly rapidly rap rap- idly that is the thc prices t to the consumer but thit hn has not ot bee been due due so much tp to a natural natura cause asto as asto asto to the he unnatural interposition of th the tho ni middle adle man man Food and how t to obtain it i is the great at problem of the the orld world Food to to the consumer has more than thau doubled d ii t thirteen biren Jr n Jea years but food t to the prod producer er has a not dou doubled led and the only complaint that then men meni i 1 have a right to make is to cOl complain o 0 of the middle middlemen men luen who on the one hand beat down the producer produce to tc the lowest figure and then establish combines s to o put up the price prie t tf those who sell to the co con con- sumer I We rave rae very much against Mr Rock Rockefeller feller and anil I his llis m monopoly of the oil product of the United States and we tell that he has put men out of business business business busi busi- ness and that having havinga a 11 monopoly he is growing abnormally rich but we have hae not a word to say t to the men who bul bulldoze doze the the- producers s of the food that the people eat cat and then with an avarice ins in- in s cause it I to double in cost to th the consumer Food ought not to have doubled d. d eyen even with the doubling of th tile the money because this c country produces pro- pro luces duces not only all all' alithe the food it needs but millions millions' of 1 dollars dollars' ars worth besides which it sends away way Th re should have been heen a reasonable adya advance ce in inthe r the cost of the necessaries of life b but t that the thep they p have ve doubled and more more mor too i is not du due t to any any natural law but to that unnatural ril i law ilaw aw which enables enables en en- ables a few men nen to combine c and anCl hold their clubs club over the e farmers on the one side and n t the e cities citi s sh which h ch are the consumers on the other The law does p not t seem yet Jet ab able e f to reach this t class of of offenders bu but there is where the trouble is and while whilO Iii e Mr 1 j f Hill says high have always alway 4 been a a signal for the decline of lOns even Mr l Hill Bill leaves out the real rell fact which is that with 1 L L. L increased money certain ertain classes of pf f men combine to prey prcy upon that money first upon producers and and- then upon consumers r r. r And nd the criticism o of Mr Rockefeller is not quite J air ir because wh while le he has conducted l. l his business Jor for Sor the very verr best interests of Mr Ir Rockefeller he lie has liaS not not raised th the the- prices of oJ oil oB He lIe lIes lIe's s sells his oil J Cheaper than oil was sold when he t took ok hold an and j he I sells a better of it for or th the same money I The he complaint against Mr lr Rockefeller is not a ai i i fair il one The complaint is because e he lie has has' grown rich and fr from m that is left 1 put ut the fa fact t that j lie he has been a blessing to the pe people who buy bur his 1 j toil oil But nut the thc middlemen who sit like cormorants f oye over oye every city beat down farmers to the lowest S stage and advance prices to consumers to the ver very highest point they point they ar ar arc arthe the thc men that the tIle law liw o ought S t to reach if it is js s possible to reach reach them V We vc k know ow no remedy except for or each ench city to establish its own great store stEre t to sell seH t to c the P people ople at at the lowest possible pr price ce the products of the farmer and thus tIms beat these middlemen n We Ve l know now t of no law that can reach them because it is hart hard hartt r t tb prove a con conspiracy piracy on their part and their dealings deal- deal ings are arc for m money ne on both sides side They buy what the farmer has hias to sell the they sell to the consumer i what they have hO bought of the farmers that r they co any ally different from what other men would 5 with their opportunities s we vcr very much doubt Th The f only rily remedy r is f for r tile the different cities to organize their thair t then len have their own buyers and thus tInIs at a fair profit to the farmers r sell their goods at ata a fair profit to the e store k keepers ep rs who supply Coila consume con con- sume k a |
