Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-08-09

ininedsuTdDty greater. lnat term
implies moro than a hundred or a
thousand per cent. that but for the
incubus Of the tariff we should have
900 millions of population instead
of go, and development and pros
perity in all ways in proportion.
6th.-Mr. Jones says that our
national prosperity was at greater
rate from 1850 to 1860 than at. any
period Of our national life, and in
support of the assertion he presents
a percentage of increase of exports
from 1850 to 1860, and from 1870
to 1880. This strikes us as the
weakest point in alt of his weak
and shutting letter. An increase Of
exports is no evidence of prosperity,
unless it appears that at the same
time they more than counterbalanced
our imports. If farmer sells 1000
worth of produce in a year and
spends $1,000 in living, he is 5000
poorer, but if he sells $1,000 worth
and spends only 5000 he is 800
richer Statistics show that from
1850 to 1860 the United States i'm
ported many millions of dollars
more than she exported, that the
balance of trade was against her,
for which her people paid cash;
while from 1870 to 1880 we exported
many millions worth more than we
imported. aud our people received
cash to settle the balance. And,
further, the per cent. of increase in
exports from 1850 to 1860 was
greater than from 1870 to 1880, be-
cause at the commencement of the
| first period the volume of our for
eign trade was insignificant as com.
pared with the volume of such trade
in 1870. This per cent. argument
reminds us of the elated democrat
who boosted of 200 per cent. in
crease in his party vote in his town
last year there was one democratic
vote in the town, this year there
were three.
7th.-Mr. Jones asserts, in answer
to our question, that the wage earn
ers of America are poorer than the
same class in more than one Euro.
pean country, and supports his
assertion by quoting statistics show
ing that the wealth per capita Chat
is the whole wealth in proportion to
the number of people, is greater in
Great Britain and Holland, than in
the United States. lie must pardon
us for refusing to accept his figures
as proof of his assertion. Because
4 the aggregate wealth of Great Brit
ain is greater than the wealth Of
the United States in proportion to
population, is no evidence that the
wage earners oyer there possess a
larger proportionate share of the
wealth of the country than the same
class in America possess. The per
capita wealth Of Chicago may be
greater than the per capita wealth
Of Iowa county, but that is no
evidence that the wage earners Of
| Chicago possess as large proper
ton Of the wealth of that great
city as the same class possess Of the
wealth of Iowa county. All testi-
mony is to the effect that in no
country of the world are the labor
ing classes so comfortably fed and
clothed, nor do they have so much
Of the Injuries Of life as in this
country. And nowhere else on the
| globe do SO many people live in
their own houses, till their own
/ lands and have such advantages for
pleasure, ease aud advancement as
in the Uni ted States. These are
admitted facts, which no assertions
to the contrary, and per capita com
putaGons of wealth can dispel
We feel that an apology is due
our readers for occupying SO much
space in treating of mere theories
that every day facts so readily con
trovert. But as the Democrat says,
and as some might be deceived into
believing, that Mr.. Jones had
"cracked our tariff nuts" and found