Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-14


it benefit any of you? His valuatio
would reduce your taxes and give yo
the name of being the richest town il
| Maine. but otherwise l fail to see hoy
you would be benefited by it.
Our free silver friends would say
however, How Clinton is to be envied
1t has $4,000 per capita. daughter.
But suppose Mr.. Vanderbilt, instea'
OF keeping his money locked up, shoul'
build a big shoe factory, employing ;
thousand hands. Then the situation
would be vastly changed. Then ever.
producer in Clinton would have {
| flourishing home market, and all would
have an opportunity to secure part o
| that $50,0000O0
Therefore l say, my friends, that the
per capita money in circulation is NJ
test of prosperity. We never had SC
much money in the country per capita
as we have now. In 1860 our pei
capita circulation was $l400. In 1873 il
was $500. Today it is $500, and II
we include the amount in the national
treasury, $32 This is larger per
capita circulation than any other
country in the world has, except
France, where the per capita circula-
ton is S36, but where checks do vastly
less of the money work of the nation
than they do in this country
No, my friends, it is not the amount
of money we have that measures the
prosperity of the people, but its ac-
tivity, the rapidity with which it circu-
lates. The per capita circulation Of
Switzerland is only 1897, and yet it is
one of the most prosperous countries
of Europe. The nimble sixpence does
the work of the slow shilling.
There never was time in the his
tory of the country when there was so
much money anxiously waiting for
revival of business activity and enter
prise to call it into circulation We
have far more money in the country
today than there is business to absorb
it,
The free trade policy that has para
lyZed our industries has driven mil
lions of dollars from circulation. In
deed when l look back from this period
of business Stagnation and distrust
to the prosperous days of 1892, when
there was plenty of work at good
wages, and confidence was abroad in
the land, am reminded of the inscrip-
ton on an old tomb stone. 1t reads:
Il was we'll wanted to be better
took medicine, and here I am"
Uaughter) The money that Demo-
cratic rule have driven out of circula-
tion is temporarily in retirement, but
let US return again to the happy days
of protection and Republican prosper
ity. and il viii once more circulate
F,ss 10 rl,r
ransion. tApplause.) The fires will be
relighted in deserted furnaces. the
smoke will curl once more from the
big chimneys of our now silent fac
tories. and the busy hum of industry
will make music in the land Cap
plause)
Now these Popocrats are boisterous
fellows. They have sanguine temper
ments ana vivid imaginations They
know how to paint very rosy pictures
Now it is a characteristic of
Popocrats that wherever few
Of them are gathered together,
they endeaNor to make stir
enough TO give the impression that their
numbers are very large. Like a few
in the corner of the fence.
they fill the whole field with their
noise They remind me of a story
have heard. Most every one who has
done duty on the Republican stump
this year has used it; but it is one of
those things that will bear repeat ting !
\ worthy old farmer took a load OF
produce to the city one morning, and. |
after he had disposed of it. he deter |
mined to treat himself to a first class |
l..
IN the city. and looked carefully over |
the bin OF fare to see what special |
il contained. Among other |
things, he noticed frogs hind legs"
He ordered some of them and found |
hem very nice. After he finished his
dinner he went to the landlord and |
asked him what he paid for frogs. The
landlord told him he paid SO much a
dozen. 1t was good stiff price and |
the farmer
My gracious he said, las much as
that? Why, ! have a meadow on my |
farm with a brook running through it,
It's a wet place down there and it's
simply full of frogs There are mil
ions and millions of frogs there. Why, |
can get you two carloads of frogs |
here
We'll" says the landlord, Il should |
be very glad TO have them. You get me
Wo carloads of frogs. and shall be glad |
10 take them of you at the price I've
named"
The farmer said he'd do it and went
,ff home. About two days later he re-
urned to the hotel with a small pack
age in his hand. and passed it to the
landlord. When it was opened it was
'ound TO contain just two dozen frogs
The landlord was a good deal sur
lrised
Why. what does this mean?" he
said. Where are those two carloads
If frogs you We're going to bring me?''
The old farmer looked crestfallen.
We'll. mister" he said. Il never was
% surprised in all my life. 1 was sure
rom the noise those pesky frogs made
hat there must be millions of them
Town in that meadow; but my boy and
myself have spent two whole days get
ing these two dozen. and l guess we
got every plaguey one of them" Cloud
and applause)
And SO, my friends, when we come
Town to the millions of Popocrats we
hear about, here or there, we shall
find that about all the noise |