The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1895-03-01
WHAT
Democracy Costs.

1oF me, Salu u sensible worker
But who can tell how expensive
What has been the cost of ;
Democratic victory so far ? TIL,
average price Of railroad stock.
has declined SIS per share since
January, 1893, or about $1,000.
100000. and bonds probably hall
as much more. The shrinkage
in that kind of property, not far
from sixth Of all the property
of the country, has been more
than a quarter of its value. but
has other property shrunk 10 like
proportion? Wages have fallen
PLY per cent. and the aggregate
sum paid yearly in 1892 was
about S1o,ooo,ooo,o0o But two
years of such loss have meant to
the wage Garner no less than S4, ;
100000, 600. During years of
prosperity the deposits in saw.
ings banks were increasing at
the rate of S9O,oO0,ooO yearly for
100000 depositors, and at the
same rate the savings of all wage
earners would not be far from
1880, 100000 yearly, but for the
last two years there have been
at the savings banks losses in
stead Il gains, except for inter
est on previous deposits.
These items only give some
glimpse of the enormous losses
sustained. The entire addition
to the wealth of the country two
years ago was more than S1.250,
ooO, 600 yearly, but there is every
reason to believe that since that
time there has been no addition
but a large actual decrease in
other as we'll as railroad property.
Certain it is that 81, 500. 900, 900
does not measure nearly The
whole of the actual value of prop
erty during two years, while the
sum distributed in wages has de-
creased much more. A rough
estimate OF the entire decrease in
production of wealth can be drawn
from tie records of payments
through all clearing houses, which
Dear about the same proportion
each year to the production.
In the twelve months preced-
-ng President Cleveland's inau-
guration these payments were
662, 459, 900, 900; in twelve months
after they were $50, $50, 100000,
and in twelve months which will
end March / the aggregate will
be about SAG, 900, 100000. If these
sums were about five times the
actual production, the aggregate
for the two years nearly ended
would be Sl9,3l6,ooo, 600, while
for two wears like 1899 it would
be S25, 900, 100000, difference
of s., 6s4, 900. 600. or 50, $40, Ooo,.
900 yearly.
But the National debt at its
maximum, in August, 1868, was
only s., $50, 100000. Democratic
rebellion was costly, and had
created that debt in four years,
but each year of Democratic gov
eminent cost the people more.
Part of the decrease, men viii
say, is "only in the prices of
products but that is exactly
where the shoe pinches for the
farmers, who have to sell 10 cent
wheat and j cent cotton, and
wool 80 per cent. lower than two
years ago. 1t brings home to
them not merely their fair share
of the general loss, but consider
able more, that they can get no
better returns for their labor and
their land, and about half of the
people in the country. it must be
remembered, depend directly
upon the prosperity of the farm
ers, For the rest of the people.
whose wages have fallen nearly
- per cent the loss is tangible
enough if not relatively so great.
1t will have to be set down on
as an economic fact of some CON
sequence that Democratic party
in power costs the country a lit
tie more than the entire National
debt a. its biggest, or in every
year not far from $40 for every
man. woman and child. Accord
ing to the censuS tho antjra cost