Dakota farmers' leader., October 24, 1890, Image 3

About Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
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IT OPERATES.
HIGH T^tfalFF AND Bl6 TRUST
iJffE,1rWIN BROTHERS.
Every turn of tlie Screw Squeezes the
People Harder and yet the G. O.
Points with Pride to its Record.
The circulars that we print below
cannot well be called campaign cir
sulars for they are Issued by the
wholesale houses to the dealers, re
jardless of politics, as a matter of
Business strictly. They tell their
»wn story and the man who can
squirm from under these arguments
leserves the best salaried position any
5f the tajgts can fjurhish. But read:
To the Trade.
GRJJ^^BYVIDS.—Sept. 9.—G-ENTLE
important and rather
ri(lv®iiT.ifJ'vance in prices of some
irtflrcles in Y'he hardware line are daily
taking place,v we wish to say a few
words so you may more fully under
stand the situation and not think
that the joblier is overcharging you.
AXES.
There is now but one axe company
in the United States, and that is
called the American Axe and Tool
company, with headquarters at
Pittsburg. This company has pur
chased outright every axe factory in
the country of any importance, and
by thus controlling the production
have advanced prices on an average
of $2 a dozen.
The company also controls the man
ufacture oi axe polls (or the heads of
axps) the iyachinery of which is pa
fthis enables them to keep
}polls so high no else can
(rfike axes.
„-HAND AND CROSS CUT.
tented,0
the prafi
afforcir
In thisv industry the same forces
have been at work, and to-day there
are but two companies who manufac
ture hand saws, where there were
a dozen four months ago. Prices in
this line of goods have been advanced
from 10 to 40 per cent. In,cross-cuts
it is the same. By a consolidation of
interests prices have been advanced
from 4 to 8 cents a foot.
LEAD.
Everything made of lead has taken
a decided advance owing to recent
decisions on the admitting of Mex
ican ore into this country, as well as
by combinations of manufacturers.
Shot, lead pipe, pig lead, solder, bab
bit metal, have all advanced and may
g« still higher. The passage of the
silver bill will also affect all articles
made of or coated with silver. In
the hardware line plated knives and
forks, spoons, etc, will be affected
and advances made.
TIN.
present tariff on sheet tin is 1
^ound, and the MfeKinley tariff
no doubt will pass ,both
Jngr.ress, advances the duty
$jenta a pound. This must
advance tin from $1.25 to $3
a box, according to the weight of
said box. This advance in sheet tin
will affect all articles of tinware and
advances will be made all along the
line.
Tin in New York has already ad
vanced all from 50 cents to $1 a box,
and is growing stronger each day as
the certainty of the passage of the
Mcliinley tariff bill becomes more
assured. Hot a box of t}fi is made
in this country, notwithstanding
which tin has declined in price from
$15 "to $4.75 a box during the past
twenty-five years.
.OI.
ASS.
The window glass market of this
country is practically in the bands of
two large companies who work in
harmony as to prices, which has re
sulted in a steady advance for the
past year averaging about 30 per cent.
ZINC OB STOVE BOAUDS.
The Adams & Westlake company,
A. I. Griggs, Sidney Shepard & Co.,
Palmer Manufacturing company, H.
Rendtoff & Co., Central Stamping
company, W. H. Sweeney Manufac
turing^ fcompany. All of the above
naii(^fjtlrms were anxious for our
bu&yHft',lasb year, but now they
haVsfl^&sold out to the American
Stove^»ard company, with offices
in New^York and Chicago, and a
general advance on all lines has taken
place. Last year you could buy a 28
inch square paper-lined zinc for 36
cents. This year the same thing
costs
you 72 cents. An advance of 100 per
cent.
AMMUNITION.
The price is controlled by a com
bination, and you have to pay the
price or go without. For powder,
the same—but one price, and that
nearly double what it was two years
ago.
SUMMARY.
We call your attention to these
matters so you will understand why,
on nearly every invoice you get, yon
will find something higher than it
was before.
It The tendency of the times seems to
be consolidation, thus enabling large
corporations to produce the goods
cheaper and sell them at a higher
price. We fail to find, howerer, in
all the consolidation of various lines
of goods a single instance, notwith
standing the advance they put on
goods, where they have advanced
the pay of labor a cent. If the con
sumer who purchases last does not
pay this increased cost we do not
know who does. If he reaps any
personal benefit from it, we would
.lfilfc. to know where it comes in.
^kHtt*not:a political document, but
a nBHjStatement of the condition of
certain-tales of business, as we daily
come in contact with them.
FOSTEB. STEVENS & Co.,
Hardware Merchants, Grand Rapids.
To the Trade.
NEW YOBK, Oct. 4, 1890.—The
tariff act, which goes into effect on
October 6th, suddenly advances
the duty on musical instruments,
parts thereof and strings from 40 to
100 per cent above old rates. This
combined with a steady rise in the
European cost of goods for some
time back, absolutely compels all
importers to advance their prices.
Various American goods are also
affected, because of higher duties on
imported material, parts, &c., used in
their construction.
At a large meeting of the whole
salers of New York, Boston, Chicago,
Cincinnati, &c., the question as to
how and when to advance prices was
fully discussed, and it was unan
imously decided to make the nec
essary advance at once, and to all
dealers without exception.
Any other plan will demoralize
tne trade. A state of unsettled
market price would be worse. than a
decided and stable advance.
We therefore, notify you that all
orders received by us after October
6th will be filled at prices in ac
cordance with the new tariff. Ex
ceptions cannot be made.
Dealers will do well to mark up
their goods accordingly.
Eespectfnlly,
AUGUST POLLMANN.
EXCHANGE IDEAS.
IT requires courage for women to
stand out prominently in the reform
movement of to-day. Men show
their bravery in times of war, but
women are often the greatest hero
ines in times ofv peace.—South Haven
(Kan.) Patrick Henry.
IF the government can afford to
loan
money at one per cent, on bonds that
may be repudiated, will some one give
a good reason why the government
cannot afford to loan money at the
same rate on land that cannot be re
pudiated?—.Free Lance.
IN Germany the government en
courages the circulation of Toistoi's
book because of the good there is in it
in America its circulation is forbidden
because the book is bad. The trouble
with governments on both sides of the
water is that they meddle with affairs
that are none of their business.—To
peka (Kan.) Jeffersmian.
THE value or purchasing power of
money is regulated by its volume.
The greater the volume the less the
purchasing power. The less the vol
ume the greater the purchasing
power. From this economic law will
some one tell us how western farmers
are benefitted by a restricted curren
cy?—Iola (Kan.) Farmers' Friend.
DON'T vote because it is fashionable
to vote. Your ballot is eithera sword
of liberty or chains of slavery. It is
your defense and the defense of your
home. If you do not cast it in that
light, if you do not so think when vou
see it dissappear in the ballot box,
ycu are unworthy the dignity of
American citizenship. Jonesboro
(Ark.) Our Country.
THE secretary of the treasury
knocks the life out of the silver bill
by issuing silver notes only of the
$500 and $1000 variety. Can't the
American people put a head on this
rascality? This is to prevent the
money from getting into circulation.
The dangers of the country are multi
plying, and so are the traitors!—
Arlington (Neb.) Defender.
CLEVELAND,. Harrison & Co. have
been running the affairs of this
country so long that they have come
to the conclusion that they have a
lien on the job. Just how much
longer the people will bear such
afllction remains to bp seen. But we
fancy that the day is not a great way
off when the entire gang will be given
notice to quit.—St. Louis Monitor.
THERE is no time for Alliance men
to be setting on the fence. This is a
fight between the people and the
political manipulators and money
sharks of our country. And it be
hooves every man to get down to solid
work and help make this fight for
freedom. Come, let every man buckle
on the Alliance armor and help to
make a square fight.—Yicksburg Va.)
Industrial Union.
NOTHING seems more clear than the
fact that the whole of the railroad
corporations contiguous to the New
York Central are in league with that
company to break up the labor organ
izations. Some day there will be a
terrible battle between labor and capi
tal, when Pinkerton police will be no
protection to the tyrannical officials
of the soulless corporations.—Trades
and Mining Gazette.
"EXPERIENCE teaches a dear
school but—Heavens! "what fools
these mortals be!':—we are so con
stituted that we will learn at no
other. There is a great evil under
the sun, or rather on the earth, and
it is a matter of common ocurrence
in this American Republic it is this:
The farmers, the mechanics and the
laborers who have produced all the
wealth of the country—the wealth
producers—are poorly fed, scantily
clothed, and know but little of the
pleasures of high education, while
those who do not produce—the land
grabbers, the money sharks, the spec
ulators—roll in luxury, ana "sail on
ilowery beds of ease" over an ocean
of human tears and blood and agony.
—Jonesboro (Ark.) Our Country.
WHEN the Wall Street stock and
gold gamblers and bankers get in a
tight place President Harrison and
Secretary Windom rush to the rescue
but when the farmers find themselves
in destitute circumstances, and are
about to lose their homes, and send
persons to congress asking for relief,
they are sneered at by the autocrat
rulers and are told that they are too
extravagant that they do not need
the comforts of life: that their chil
dren need no education and no decent
clothes that organs, buggies and
other things that go to make life
pleasant are not intended for clod
hoppers or laborers that they should
be satisfied to live as their forefathers
did. They are told to go to work and
"raise more corn and less hell." Then
when they raise a good crop, and fail
to get a decent price for it, they are
told that they have raised too much
—there is an "over-production." Just
study these facts, gentlemen.—Kan
sas Agitator.
IT is only by an unjust financial
systerii that astringency in the money
market can occur. It is only by in
justice and treachery that a few indi
viduals can absorb and lock up the
money supply of a nation. It is only
the basest crime by which congress has
called in our greenback money and
burn it by the millions, and then
by statutory enactment given the
national banks control of the money
that is left. Give us plenty of green
backs—not based upon gold nor silver,
but a full legal tender based upon the
faith and credit of a mighty nation—
the only money the kings are con
fessedly unable to control—and the
people will care nothing for the gold
and silver locked up in bank and treas
ury vaults. Then be the Wall street
money market ever so "tight" the
peoplecould mock the villainous
eagle
squeezers and be prosperous and happy.
Thedespised "rag baby" was the life of
this nation in one crisis, and it will be
our redeemer in another.—Pacific Ex
press.
-,RVV'V
GOVERNMENT LOANS.
NATIONALISM THAT IS PRACTI
CAL AND RIGHT.
The Democratization of the Means of
Transportation and Communication, and
the Beduction to a Minimum of the
Tribute Exacted by Bent, Usury and
Profit.
Single taxers and nationalists are
both upon record in print as desiring
the same end or object. This object
or desire, simply stated, is that labor
shall derive tne full product.of its ef
forts as its "fair wages" or just recom
pense. The factors which at present,
under the present system of laissez faire
or let alone, anarchistic government,
combine to absorb from productive
labor a portion of its product, and
from all other labor a portion of its
earnings, may be classified as rent, in
terest, profit, individual ownership of
means of production, transportation
and distribution.
It may be stated at the outset that
productive labor will never, under any
system, receive its full product, as it
must always inevitably part with a
portion of such product to pay for the
transportation and distribution of the
residue, and also to pay for the labor
of service, such as that of doctors,
preachers, lawyers, and all such labor
as does not either produce, transport
or distribute, but yet renders a useful
service to the community. All labor
is alike subject to this drain, and can
not therefore expect the full amount
of their product or earnings.
Now as to transportation of either
merchandise or news: The extent to
which this factor robs labor is just
equal to the net interest received upon
the amount of money actually invested
in the plant. Such interest is, of
course in addition to the entire cost
of operation, maintenance and sink-:
ing fund, and is taken from the people
under the name of interest upon
money. Here we find that, as in every
thing else, interest is the root of the
evil. If a set of individuals were pre
sented, free of cost, with aright of
way, they must either borrow money
at 6 or 7 per cent, to build a road with
or use money they already have, which
they could loan out at 6 or 7 per cent.
The Farmers' Alliance and the
Knights of Labor, in their St. Louis
demands, solve the matter or question
of transportation by demanding "that
the means of communication and
transportation shall be owned by and
operated in the interest of the people,
as is the United States postal system."
The single-taxers, not having the
courage of their convictions, straddled
the question, and, declaring that rail
roads and telegraphs "should be con
trolled and managed by and for the
whole people concerned, through their
proper governments," virtually leave
matters just as they are at present.
Government ownership of the rail
roads and telegraphs, and their opera
tion at the cost of service, is what the
people want and ultimately will have.
Now as to competition: We now, at
this time, have our Knights of Labor
and trade unions with their demand
for shorter hours of labor. Whenever
the day's labor is so shortened that it
will require the whole number of
workers or laborers to perform the
necessary amount of labor, then the
competition with itself is eliminated
and destroyed. Hut it must not be
forgotten that each store and place of
business, factory, etc., etc., muse run
two or three shifts of hands, from
superintendent down, and that rail
roads must put on as many shifts as
there are day's work in the twenty
four hours. So much then for trans
portation and distribution.
What then about rent, usury (or in
terest) and profit: These three terms
are simply distinctive names to dis
tinguish similar operations of the
same factor in and through different
channels. Rent is net interest upon
money in
vested in buildings and lands.
It is the current rate of interest upon
the actual cash or rental value of land.
The rental valuation of land is that
value or price upon which the rent
will pay the current rate of interest.
Bodies of unimproved suburban or
farm lands, held for speculative pur
poses, have no "rental valuation."
The Knights of Labor propose to take
the whole of the "unearned incre
ment" as a tax. This would simply
"nationalize" the land, as all land
value is unearned increment. If not,
what is the basis or normal value
above which all value is unearned in
crement? The single taxers propose
to take as a tax the current rate of
interest upon the cash value of lfcnd
only. We will notice this as we pro
ceed. Profit is net interest upon
money invested in merchandise and
goods and profit is in addition
to a living for the merchant, trader,
exploiter, etc., etc., and family and
the payment of all expenses, including
rent. The laborer, under the present
"iron law of wages can never expect
any profit, and free access to land,
alone, will not better his condition.
Interest is rent or usage paid for the
use of money. All monopolies, includ
ing the monopoly of land, are based
upon the individual's monopoly of the
issue of money. In other words, Con
gress, by misunderstanding or not ap
prehending the full meaning of the
words "shall have sole power to coin
(issue) money and regulate the value
thereof," is responsible for all the
monopolis that have fastened them
selves upon the people.
And now a few words as to the op
erations of usury or interest, and an
explanation of what is meant by the
value of money:
The value of money is a legal fiction
—"an ideal thing"—andJ.s based upon
certain properties or attributes in
herent in money only, created by flat,
of law. These powers may be formu
lated as the power to represent, meas
ure and exchange values, and the
power to pay debts, or legal tender at
tribute. This legal tender attribute
is arbitrary and authoritative and is
not affected by fluctuating volume or
value. The three tlr»t named powers
are legal and mandatory Wt the pow
er to measure values, unlike the other
three, is not fixed cr arbitrary, under
our present monetary system," as are
the measures of weight or length, and
varies and fluctuates with the increase
or decrease in- legal tender currency.
Money measures values, not by reasou
of any intrinsic value it possesses, but
because of its possession of the legal
attributes mentioned above. Hence
we find that the amount of silver that
a silver dollar contains will, if bullion,
buy ninety cents' worth of wheat, but
if coined and made a dollar by the
stamp of the government will at once
i-i
buy 100
cents' worth. Nor is the value
of money affixed or declared by defin
ing and limiting the number of grains
of gold or silver that shall constitute
a dollar, because if that were the case
the price of labor and its products
would remain stationary. The Consti
tution of the United States says "that
Cc ngress shall have the sole power to
coin money and to regulate the value
thereof." Now I atlirm that Congress
has never attempted to "regulate the
value" of money. The value of money
is its purchasing power. An increase
in the purchasing'power of money
simply means a decrease in the price
of labor and all other commodities.
The value or purchasing power of
money. is governed by two factors or
potencies, and these are so closely
woven together as almost to be inter
changeable. They are the volume of
money and the rate of interest on
money. How then, you say, would you
regulate the value of money? I an
swer: First, issue plenty of money to
do business on a cash basis and keep
its volume at a steady and fixed ratio
to the population and volume of busi
ness. Second, declare that the use of
a dollar for a certain length of time is
worth a certain amount of interest: i.
e., establish a national legal rate of
interest. Ah! ah! you say you could
nnt do that. The various states all
have laws regulating interest, but they
are constantly evaded and are useless.
Exactly so. But, my dear friend, I
would establish postal savings and
loaning banks in every county and
stand ready as a nation, as a people,
as a government, to loan the people's
money at the rate of interest declared
to be national legal rate. This system
of finance would establish a monetary
yardstick or measure of values, which,
like our measure of length, while
possessing no intrinsic value in itself,
would nevertheless have an estab
lished, unvarying legal value.
Now a few ideas upon the subject
of interest, pure and simple:
The basic inquiries into the matter
and theory of interest are (1) to whom
is the interest payable? and (2) what
is the rate of interest? If the interest
is payable to individuals and is above
a certain rate, then it becomes only a
question of time, under certain con
ditions, as to when such individuals
will absorb all of the material wealth
of the nation. But if the interest is
payable to the people or government,
then such interest simply takes the
place of other forms of taxation for
the supportof thegeneral government
and in nowise oppresses the invidual.
If, however, the interest is payable to
individuals, then the whole argument
recurs to the rate Of such interest. If
such rate of interest, paid by any given
community, be it township, county or
state, to individuals, is greater than
the average per cen t. increase of wealth
in such community, then the interest
gradually absorbs the principal, or se
curity—i.e„ the material wealth—and
it is only a question of time when the
whole of such security, or wealth, will
belong to the individual to whom such
interest is paid. If, however, the rate
of interest is less than the average per
cent, increase of material wealth in
such community, then, whileit is true
that the individual receiving such in-,
terest grows richer, yet the community
also grows richer, to.
the extent that
the increase in material wealth is
greater than the rate of interest paid.
Nov^lefc us again emphasize the
original proposition, viz., that rent,
interest and profit are but different
names for the same factor. What is,
the average rate per cent, of increase
in national or communal wealth?
Three per cent. Very well. Then if
money bears a rati
of interest, payable
to individuals, greater than 3 per
cent., it is only a question of how long
time must elapse before the individu
als to whom such interest is paid will
own all the material wealth, land in
cluded. Herein lies the weakness of
the single tax. Several prominent
single taxers have paraded formidable
arrays of figures to prove that the
single tax would yield or provide suf
ficient revenue. These figures were all
based upon a twenty years' purchase
valuation. In other words, they were
based upon a prospective current na
tional rate of interest of 5 per cent.,
and it would appear that at any less
rate of interest the single tax would
not provide sufficient revenue. Now
I positively assert that if money,
loaned out or invested in buildings,
merchandise and the "means of pro
duction," is to draw 5 per c?nt. inter
est, then inevitably those wno now
own the money will within a certain
length of time own all the material
wealth of the nation, in spite of the
single tax. Interest at 5 per cent,
absorbs the 3 per cent, increase in
material wealth and 2 per cent, each
year of the wealth existing the year
before.
But suppose the people or nation loan
to the individual money at cost of issue
and handling the business, say at 1
per cent., and no individual can ob
tain more than 1 per cent, for money
secured by such security as the govern
ment or people would be willing to ac
cept. What then? Simply this: Rent
and profit must at once drop to 1 per
cent. also. All values of properties
and businesses are estimated to be
the value or amount of money upon
which the}' will pay the average legal
rate of interest. If the ruling rate of
interest upon money is 1 percent., then
rent that will pay 1 per cent, upon the
cost of land and building would be
accounted a good rentand the
property
a fair investment at its cost. With
rent-, interest and profit at
1 per cent.,
and the ownership of the means of
production only returning an income
on the cost of ownership of 1 per cent.,
labor would bo fleeced by those four
factors of but 4 per cent, of its products
or earnings. Then with the hours of
labor shortened so as to give all em
ployment, and all natura1 monopolies,
such as railroads, telegraphs, water
works. electric-light plants, etc., etc.,
owned bv the people and operated at
cost how far removed would we be
from a perfect system of political
economy? And the first step is not
the single tax, but a bill providihg
lor government loans to the people at
1 per cent. GEO. C. WARD.
Kansas City, Mo.
"DISGRUNTLED politicians" and
"disappointed office-seekers" is the
common everyday name that has been
applied to the nominees of the Inde
pendent party. The only "disgruntled
politicians" or "disappointed office
seekers" that we hav* discovered so
far are in the old parties-"disgruntled"
and "disappointed" because thev
could
not use the Independents to pull their
chestnuts out of the fire and elect
them to office.—Colorado Workman.
CANTON,
M:",
AW
J.. .• •. J, ,,. I,, .'
C. SATRANG
—DEALER IN—
(Groceries, Provisions, Crockery, Glassw
Boots and Shoes,
Tdmedfruits,!
I CAMED GOODS, I
mmiBLES,
H-f 1 TOBJOCO, «te.
O—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—O '»V
Ca.ll etnd se© our pr*io©s.
Main St., Canton, S. D.
J. ANDERSON. P. J. ANDERSON.
Wholesale and Retail Furniture,
Sewing Machines and Organs.
FURNITURE OF ALL KINDS, which we are prepared to
nish at prices lower than the lowest.
ANDERSON BROS.
CANTON, SOUTH DAKOTA.
THE PIONEER JEWELRY STORE.
Established M. L. SYVEKW, Prep.
Watches, Clocks, Jewelry and Silverware, Musical Instraments.
Fine watch repairing a specialty. All work
warranted.
Thos. T. Brady,
of Beresford, will make
Special Prices To Farmers,
On a bill of goods. Call and see him.
M. E. RUDOLPH,
Attorney at Law.
Practices in all the Courts of the State.
Notarial and Collection Business given care
ful attention.
CANTON, SOUTH DAKOTA.
N. C. STUBBERUD,
Canton, Lincoln county, keeps a full line
of Mens, Womens and childrens shoes
for summer and winter wear,
that sell cheap.
t' tWf.'
.* |7- 1
4
fur­
SOUTH DAKOTA
Farmers Trade Specially Invited.
HOTEL AD RESTAHAHT,
A. D. HYMER, Prop.
Board by day or Week. Meals 25e.
CANTON, SOUTH DAKOTA.'
C3-. O. Bray,
—Proprietor of—
THE GATE CITY IIVERYJ
Seeps a first class outfit of livery rigs of every
description. One of the best equipped
barns in this state. Sale and
boarding department In
connection.'
E. END 5th ST., CANTON,S. D.
T. L. Torgeson,
Beresford, South Dakota,
-DEALER IN—
Dry (JIKKIS and Mon§,
Groceries, Boots and Shoes.
Motto "Square dealing." Come in and look
us over.
B. Schmidt & Co.,
Beresford, South Dakota.
Dealers in all kinds of Heavy and Shelf
{jtoves, Tinware Barb wire, Paints, Agricultural Impliments, etc.
Give us a call and we will guarantee you prices.
O. T. HELGERSON.
Owns this space. He handles a large vari
ety of farm machinery, mowers, reapers,
binders, Aultman & Taylor threshers, hullers
and engins, corn plows, stirrings plows, and
all kinds of binding twine, oils and repairs.
If you call on him for what you want in the
machinery line he will treat you well and
supply your wants according to hoyle.
0. T. HELGERSON.
tin LJMtt .wjiufekAag
--Ml
31
iff