The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1877-03-22
GOLD -IOl H.

decline in the midst oil all the excitement
snd uncertainty attending the long presiden-
tisl contest, gave rise to much comment and
considerable theorizing. But this steady |
sppreciation OF our credit, signiiied by the
decline OF gold, has been due solely 10 the
simplest OF causes. and that Il, We have
been keeping our wealth at home-have
been living within our means, and selling
more than we bought. The question oi ne
tional finances, alter all the elaborate iheo-
ries that have been written about it, IL not
essentially different from the question oil
individual finances, and what is needed Tor
IL, solution is practical business sense. II
q man has q salary oi thousand dollars
wear, and lives on nine hundred, he will lie
prosperous-will always be in easy circuni-
stances. and will have no difficulty
in meeting his liabilities, but ~ econ as
lie undertakes 10 support is" thcus-
and dollar family on one thoUs-
and-dollar salary, gold, in hi- case,
will begin to 60 up. Daring the MAR, and
for several years afterwards, We lived ahead
Of our means, not only as nation, bat as
Individuals, and hsye latierly been iesrn-
ing the important Lesson 81 keeping oar
outgoes within our incomes. The extTava-
giant habits contracted during TIE flush
times" of the war made this very severe
lesson to some oil us, but there could be no
real prosperity without it. The figures OF
last wears exports and imports show that,
az nation, We have at last go; down to
"hard pan" and are now buying less
than we sell, the balance Of trade is in our
favor, and consequently gold goes d'wn.
From an official statement by the bureau
OF statistics We learn that during the
wear 1876 the imports OF merchan-
disc into the United States isll off
S16,316,0e0. oi this decline the largest
single item was in woods and anuisctnres
oil wool, oil which We took less By So $780,
900 than the previous year. The next
largest item. being almost the saIne IN
amount, was coffee, oil which we took less
by Sl5, Ol2O, 900 than in $50. In silks the
falling of was S9,l05, 600. In iiax and It's
manufactures it was $4,000. Ia earth
IN and chin, ware it was 5000, 900. In
cotton, blesched and unbleschej, and in
prints and Jeans, &c, it was =, 2ji eco. In
steel rails it was 81, 10000. In tin i; was
S2GS2, 600. In fiax-seed S3,l62, 6C". In
precious stones, S9l9,000. These articles
include those in which the decrease was
the most considerable, and in ihese it
amounted to $50 200 900, or sbout three
fourths OF the whole.
While we have thus been cuItailiDg our
expenses, We have been augmenting our re-
sources, Tor We find upon turning 10 the
table oil exports that the increase in 70
over - was little more than seventy
millions, thus making a total balance in
our favor, over the business Of the pfecsd-
ing year, OF nearly ! hundred and hiy
millions. The most important items a in-
crease were as follows: In Indian corn,
>l1,2S3,000; in mineral oils, SIS. i23,o0O;
in bacon and hams, Sl5, 100000, and in
lard, 81 ,365, 900; in leaf tobacco. 81, &c.
900; in copper, Sl,Sl7,00o; in uncolored
cottons, $4,000; in clover-ssed, nc,
SI,l6s,O0O; in heel, 81 ,304, GOO; in but
ter, Sl,104,Oo0 in hops, 81 ,o2. 900 !;
and in rectal cartridges, 81 $4,000.
These items account Tor an increase a $780,
60S,0 which was Offset by 4 falling of in
wheat, 81 Is, 600 in cotton, Sc, isl GOO; in
iurs, 81 ,2l9 900; in hides II ,s93 coo; III fire
arms, s., l30, 600, and in tallow, SIZES, Uoo.
IL will he seen that, with some important
exceptions the increase in our exports is in
provisions or in products in a low state Of
preparation, and intended AS the raw mate
rial oil other industries, and these being al
most exclusively western products, it will
lie seen that the great west is not only iced
ing the United States, but 4 good portion a
the world besides, and at the same time Civ
ing the whole country the conditions q
prosperity, by enabling Us to sell more than
We buy. At present some Of those sections
OF the west which contribute most largely
10 this result, receive, themselves, the
smallest per csntsge OF benefit from it, be
cause those articles which bring the great
est ::mount OF money into the country, and
which are "as good as gold' in Europe, are
eaten up by freight charges before they get
10 their destination, and CT the dollar and
= half in gold that the English consumer
paws for bushel OF Kansas corn, but very
few cents find their way into the pocket / the
Kansas farmer. Better railroad facilities
throughout the state will do much to better
our chances in this direction leedins our
surplus grain to cattle and hogs, and stsd-
ing it to market in the shape of teef and
pork, will also do great deal, and the
building up Of manufacturing establish
nlents, giving us market. Tor our surplus at
home, will do much more. But in Inc
meantime it is gratifying TO know that, as
a nation, our balances are on the right side
OF the ledger.