The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-15
PICTURES FOR INSPECTION.
One Painted by Penetrate Policies, the Othe
Produced by Rel ubl can Wisdom.
To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journals:
The only test of tree is its fruit, well
matured. Judged by this standard, what
rational man will ever again intrust the
Democratic party with powerf 1t had un-
disputed control from 1923 to $780, just thir-
ty-two years, so that the condition of affairs
as seen in 1860 may be taken rs the Ri Do
fruit of Democratic measures and the
boast of the party is that it adheres to its
time-honOred principles. Look on the
picture. In 1860 there was not dollar of
money in the hands of the people. There
was Democratic currency" but what
purported to be n dollar to-day might be
ninety cents tomorrow, or seventy, or
fifty, or nothing; or. if it continued to be q
dollar In one locality it was probably much
less than dollar fifty miles away. There
was little gold and silver coin, but it was
in the hands of brokers to be sold as COM
modify bnt never to be used as currency.
And of this stuff, all told. there was less
than S14 per capita. As logical sequence
of this condition, the interest
on money was ruinous. The government
itself had to pay IL Der cent meney
needed to defray current expenses, Demo-
cratic policy failing to collect revenue
of peace while interest ranged from II to
"a per cent. in individual transactions In
1860 no hank in Indianapolis discounted
commercial paper: they all sold exchange
so as TO realize current forest rates in spite
of the usury laws which the Democratic
financial policy had fabricated. Farm
hands in 1860 received from 80 to SIS a
month and day iaborers from so to IS cents
day. while very few if any skilled labor
ers received 81 day. To this commercial
condition must be added political Chaos
which eliminated year later In the civil
war. Look on that picture in outline, and
ask yourself IT You can afford to commit
public affairs to party thai proposes to
reproduce 1t by adhering to its time-hon-
ored principles.
Now look upon this picture: The Repub-
lican party has had substantial control of
the government the same length of time.
Just thirty-two years, from 1860 to 1892.
Taking 1t when the government was in
deDt for current OK Denses, when the people
had not q dollar of reliable money within
their reach, when eXtortiOnate rates of In
terest were dev0uring the proceeds of toll.
it has not only borne the costs of rhe war
it inherited. but il has so managed the
finances of the Nation that the per capita
volume of real money In double That of the
bogus currency" of 1860. and il is gradu-
ally and rapidly increasing. every dollar
of which Is as good as any other dollar: it
was good yesterday, IL ia good to-day. and
will be good ten ortwenty years from now,
unless tho Democrats who boast of being
the same now that they were fifty aud
sixty years ago. shall come into power
and reintroduce their State banks. as they
propose in their platform. and other isc
demorslize our well-adjusted system of
currency; and this money Is the same in
Indianapolis. or New York. or San Fran
cisco. To-day tho government can borrow
money ut 3 per cent. and SO can any we'll
managed municipality. plus the taxes;
and between man and man per
cent. is the usual rate. The average
wages of laborers have nearly doublsd
and the purchasing value of dollar has
greatly Increased; exchange ranges frcm
zero TO one tenth of one per cent: public