Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-01-21

a restored Union; but did not secure
anything of marketable money value.
In the latter sense the money spent
was lost. The so-called good times
caused extravaganza in expenditure
by the national government, by the
State and municipal governments,
and by ourselves individually.
When at last the time came that the
money was spent, that our soldiers
returned to their homes and be ;ame
producers instead of consumers, that
the government was no longer the
purchaser of our surplus products
and We were obliged to commence
the process Of paying instead of con
tinuing the more easy one of spend.
ing,-the times began to grow hard.
The first interest to feel the pressure
was that OF agriculture, the leading
one of our State. Our surplus pro-
ducts, increased by the labor of our
returned soldiers, and no longer need
ed for the support of our armies, had
to seek a market abroad, and their
value there was measured by the
standard Of the worlds currency
coin.
The consequence was great and
rapid decline i'll the prices of all we
had to sell. The prices Of all we had
to buy did not decrease in proper
ton. The manufacturers and others
undertook the hopeless task of keep
ing the prices of their products, and
their labor above Il proper relation
to the price of our products and for
Il time succeeded. The result to us
was at first disastrous; but the evil
worked ont its own cure. Our
ability to buy was limited by the
amount we received for our surplus
produ, is, and by the prices we had
to pay for the goods we wished to
purchase. We necessarily bought
less, and the manufacturers found
themselves compelled to carry large
stocks Of unsold goods. Slowly but
surely the laws of trade asserted
their power. The prices of what we
wished to buy, in most cases, fell TO
4 proper proportion to the prices of
what we had to sell, in some cases
below that proportion, and the press
ure upon us was lightened and trans
terred to those not engaged in agri
cultural pursuits. And AS we were the
first TO suffer SO we have been the
first to get relief We are doing
reasonably velour State is fairly
prosperous; God has blessed our
labors with fair returns; we buy at
fair prices what we need, and fair
prices for what we sell. The pro-
cess OF adjusting the business of the
country to the changed order of
things is going on gradually and
steadily, and if that process shall not
be disturbed we may soon confident
ly expect renewed activity and pros
perity throughout the land. Some
of our people, remembering the era
of apparent prosperity caused by
war prices, are disposed to establish
another such era by placing second
mortgage on the national farm in q
new and abundant issue OF paper
mouey. This would in my Judgment
be Il misfortune. 1t might, for short
time, produce a tevcrish activity and
a temporary advance in prices, but
this activity would be unhealthy and
disastrous, and as surely as day and
night follow each other, SO surely the
inevitable result must ensue,:and we
would be called upon to endure
again the troubles from which we are
now SO happily emerging. 1t seems
to me the course we should pursue is
plain and clear. We owe a heavy
national debt. The debt was incur
red for most worthy object, which
has been happily effected. AS hon
est men we must pay it. TO that end
we must practice industry, thrift and
economy, for the reason that by
these means, and these means only,
can we prosper We must insist up
on strict and rigid economy in ad,
ministering the affairs of the national
government, and we must practice
the same economy in our private at
fairs. This is the way, Il sure way,
and the only way to certain and per
manent rosperity.
Senators and Representatives:
Much of your Legislative work will,
unt.er the constitution, begin to have
force and effect with the republics
new century. Let us be inspired by
this consideration to make our ac-
tons worthy of the illustrious fol
lowing i'll which we find ourselves
The America and the Iowa of to-day
tell how well those who have gone
before us have done their part in the
council, In the field, on Tie f',rm, in
the mine, on the bench of the me-
chanic, and in the mart of trade.
But to do us well rs they have done,
we must do better. With the benefit
of their experience as well rs that of
all the ages before them, in the
fruition Of their labors which they
themselves were not perlnlttcu 10 en-
joy, i'll day Of superior intellectual
light, we must do our work. While
our opportunity is enlarged, our re-
spon<ihility is vastly increased. How
we use that opportunity, and how
we meet that responsibility, will be
best judged by those who will stand
in our places in the years to come;
and if we may look SO far forward as
to the end Of another century of
American history let US hope that he
who will then stand in my stead in
the palace now rising on the fair hill
that overlooks the beautiful capital of
Iowa, shall say of us that we honestly
tried to do al our duty, and the
peoples acclaim shall be, "They did
it WE'LL"
SAMUEL J. KIRKwooD.
TIgE Legislature has taken hold of
the three-card monte nuisance with