The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-05-25

not political but strictly business)
summed up the history Of the fiscal
year thus:
"A fiscal year never matched IN the history
Of the country In volume Of Industrial produo.
ton. IN magnitude OF domestic exchanges, or
in foreign trade, has Just closed"
On the 10th Of September, 1892, tho
Dry Goods Economist said:
Dress goods manufacturers ought to DO
happy this season because they are busy de-
livering the goods already ordered and book.
ing orders for more . They can conf
IDENTIFY look forward TO continuous run OF
business for the next six months"
The final quotation. that shows this
state of affairs, may well be made from
the last message December 8. 1902
made by President Harrison to congress-:
The general conditions affecting the COM
mercial and Industrial interests Of the United
States are in the highest degree favorable. A
comparison Of the existing conditions with
those OF the most favored period in the history
OF the country will, believe. show that so
high degree Of prosperity and SO general q
diffusion of the comforts Of life were never be-
fore enjoyed by our people There has
never been o time In our history when work
was so abundant or when wages were as high,
whether measured by the currency in which
they are paid or by their power to supply the
necessaries and comforts Of life"
The foregoing extracts will show tho
condition of affairs in 1892. In Novem-
Der of that year the result of the cleo
tions foretold the repeal of the Nc
Kinley tariff bill and the free trade
policy on the part Of the democratic
party. From that day to this we have
had, first, distress, uneasiness and
doubt; we have had the curtailment Of
business, the reduction Of volume Of
enterprises, and a general shrinkage
involving the business of the country.
Little by little we have gone on dimin-
ishing our exports. Wheat has gone
lower. Every product Of the farmer
has diminished in value. Our manufac-
tured articles have gone to such price
that there is no profit In manufacture
ing, and manufacturers have had to
reduce their forces and their output
Reductions In wage schedules have been
made Strikes have followed until the
result is now seen in a financial con-
dition hitherto unknown in this broad
land.
These are not idle words. The facts
set forth above are incontrovertible.
No one who reads this article has been
exempt from the tax of this condition.
The effects of this impending change
became visible when President Cleve-
land began his administration in
March, 1898. bat, not desiring to recog-
nize the true cause, he and his party
associates charged them to the Sher-
man law. After much procrastin&tion
he summoned congress; and, largely by
his personal influence, succeeded in
having that act repealed. They
charged that with this act repealed
prosperity would Immediately resume
its sway. the wheels of industry would
again revoive, COCA wages and plenty
OF work would bless the workingman.
and all our ills would be removed
The Sherman law was repealed and
we have watched vainly. The remedy
did not touch the disease. The threat
of the inter spoliation of our industrial
conditions was broader and deeper than
any Sherman law. 1t was not silver.
in its purchase or it's non-purchase. 1t
was the threat of free trade and the
destruction of our protective system.