Birmingham age-herald., 1895-05-02
FINANCIAL FACTS.

FINANCIAL FACTS.
 The currency question is per force
 made the allaabsorbing question of the
 day. The issue was forced upon the peo-
 pie by the panic that occurred early in
 the summer of 1893 and the two years of
 hard times which followed. During that
 period of depression thousands and tens
 of thousands of men were thrown out
 of work, reductions were made, and the
 tiller of the soil received but meager re-
 turns for his labor. This presented
 fine opportunity for the demagogue and
 the calamity lhowler, and each of these
 lifted their heads and began to tell the
 people about cause and effect. These
 were the self-constituted prophets who.
 were to lead the people. and they first
 laid hold upon the siren cry of free, un-
 limited and unconditional coinage of sil-
 yer. The people were discouraged; they
 felt that something was wrong and that
 the wrong should be righted. The un-
 employed, the idle, the depressed lent
 willing eyes and ears. Demagogues had
 the field to themselves and converts were
 made to the belief that money volume
 was of more importance than money value.
 Eight weeks ago Congress adjourned
 and adjourned, too. without adopting the
 policy proposed by the demagogues
 Ever since that time steady progress has
 been made toward the restoration of prosperity in this country. Gradually has the upward tendency been moving
 until the week just closed marked one of
 the most wonderfully progressive bus mess periods known in the history of this country. London is buying" was the cheering cry in monetary centers London, which awhile ago was absorbed in South African investments, ignoring America, has turned this way. Facts warrant a most hopeful temper and our
 values are growing firmer and more in- viting every day. The great improve
 ment in manufacturing is especially mo- ticeable The voluntary increase of the wages of 50,000 operatives in the textile mills in the last two weeks is not mean ingless, but strongly indicates a rapid
 return to prosperous conditions, and without unlimited silver coinage, high protective tariff or any other paternal aid from Congress for the enrichment of the classes as against the naturally sup ported interests of the masses. What is true of cotton is also true of woolen manufacturing; and trading in general staple products goes on with but little abatement Wheat is advancing rapidly. Money can be had at easy rates
 on good collateral. The surplus reserve of the New York banks show a great increase. Speculation is exceedingly ac- tive, and foreigners are buying in Amer
 ican stocks. Observant financiers tell
 us that business faces the most encour- | aging outlook seen in four years, Bonds
 and other securities are in great demand md md ic cfo thus showing that idle capital is seeking employment.
 Now why continue the calamity howl? Why rush the people, who have been standing on the brink, into the quag- mire? Why not shelve the financial cranlSs and let the people know that day. light is breaking? The continuous agi-
 tation of this money question $ dividing
 the Democratic household. The AIneri- can dollar of today is a dollar every where. Let not the agitators make it less. The people favor bimetallism as against silver monometallism. The true bimetallist opposes free coinage at fixed ratio of 16-to 1, in disregard of bull lion value, because they know that | means the inauguration of silver mono-
 metallism.
 The Age-Herald, ever anxious for the
 general prosperity of the people, favors
 the establishment of a ratio which would permit both gold and silver to be coined freely into legal tender dollars and to circulate freely side by side. neither driv- ing the other out of circulation or out of the hints, and the Age-H Herald believes this can be done by either decreasing the | gold in the gold dollar or increasing the silver in the silver dollar. It does not be- | lieve just, equitable or honest solution
 Of the problem can be found in fixed
 ratio of 16 to 1. therefore opposes that
 fallacy Now the extreme disruptionist, populistic rePudiation silver monometal
 lists will please place the Age-Herald in
 that column of Democratic newspapers which thus believes and yet does not con- slider 1t practical to maintain parity be- tween the two metals except by wise leg
 islation, or better still, international agreement.
 THROUGH FLORIDA.