The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-09-04
Good Money Never Made Times Hard.

Good Money Never Made Times Hard.
at Is mere pretense to attribute the
hard times to the fact that all our cur
| rency is on gold basis. Those who as
/ sert that our present Industrial ard finan-
| cial depression Is the result OF the gold
standard have not read American history
| Alright. or been careful students of the
| events of recent years. We never had
| greater prosperity in this country, in
every field of employment and Industry,
| than in the busy years from 1880 to 1882,
| during all of which time this country was
| on a sold basis and employed more gold
| money in its fiscal and business operations
! tariff under which ample revenues were
/ collected for the government ard an ac-
| Cumulating surplus which was constantly
applied to the payment OF the public debt.
| Let US hold fast to that which we know
| Is good. 1t is not more money we want:
| what We want is to put the money we al
| ready have at work When money is en-
| plOyed, men are employed. Both have al
| ways been steadily and remuneratively en-
| gagged during all the years of protective
| Iarin legislation. When those who have
| money lack confidence in the stability of
values and investments, they will not part
with their money Business is stagnated
| the life-bloof of trade is checked and
| congested. We cannot restore the pub
lie CONFIDENCE by an act which would rev.
| Oiutioni3e all values, or an act which en-
| tails a deficiency in the public revenues
We cannot inspire confidence by adyocat-
| ing reputation or practicing dishonesty.
| We cannot restore confidence, either to the
| treasury or TO the people, without change
in our present tariff legislation.
The Tariff of 1894.
THE only measure of a general nature
| that affected the treasury and the employ
rlents eff our people passed by the Fifty
| third congress was the general tariff act,
which did not receive the approval of the
president. Whatever virtues may be
claimed for that act there is confessedly
one which it does not possess. 1t lacks the
essential virtue of its creation-the raising
of revenue sufficient to supply the needs OF
ftNGa
vided enough revenue for such needs, but
1t mas caused a constant deficiency in the
treasury and steady depletion in the earn
ihSS of labor and lana. 1t has contributed
to swell our national debt more than S2G.,-
UUl,OOU, a sum nearly as great as the debt
of the government from Washington to
Lincoln. including all our foreign wars
from the revolution to the rebellion. Since
its passage work at home has been dimin-
ished; prices OF agricultural products have
fallen; confidence has been arrested and
general business Generalization is seen on
every hand.
Tariffs of 1890 and 1894 COntrasted.
THE total receipts under the tariff act
of 1884 for the first " months of it's enforce
ment-from September, 1884 to June, 1886
were S557, 615, 3S and the expenditures $780,
AIS, 1868, or deficiency of SS2, sos, 0S5 The de-
crease in our exports of American products
and manufactures during the first 10
months of the present tariff, as contraSted
with the exports of the first 10 months of
the tariff of 1890, was S229, 1858, so. The ex-
cess of exports over imports during the
first 10 months of the tariff of 1880 was
s213 9I2, $685. but only $56 75S,6 1923 under the
first 10 months of the tariff of 1894, a loss
under the latter of S157, 214, 345. The net loss
in the trade balance of the United States
has been Sls6,9S3.6V during the first Is
months of the operation of the tariff of
1894, as compared with the first 10 months
CT the tariff of 1890. The loss has been large,
constant and steady, at the rate of $l5.-
5000 per month, or $780, 900 for every busi-
ness day Of this year.
I'VE have lost steadily In both directions:
Our foreign trade has been diminished and
our domestic trade has suffered incalcul-
able loss. Does not this suggest the cause
OF our present depression, and Indicate its
remedy? Confidence in home enterprises
has almost wholly disappeared. Our shops
are closed or running on half time at re-
duced wages and small profit, if not actual
loss. Our men at home are idle and while
they are idle men abroad are occupied in
supplying us with goods. Our unrivalled
home market for the farmer has also great
ly suffered because those who constitute
1.-THE great army of American wage-earn-
ers-are without the work and wages they
they cannot buy products. They cannot
earn If they have no employment, and when
they do not earn the farmers home market
Is lesSened and impaired, and the loss is
felt by both producer and consumer. The
loss of earning power alone in this country
In the past three years is sufficient to have
ton. If our labor was well employed, and
employed at as remunerative wages as in
lS.2, in few months every farmer in the
land would feel the glad change in the in
2sed demand for his products and in the
better prices which he would receive.
should Open Mills. Not Minis.
ut is not an increase in the volume of
money which is the need of the time, but
an increase of coin, but an increase of
confidence. Not more coinage, but a more
active use of the money coined. Not open
minis for the unlimited coinage % the
silver Of the world, but open hills for the
full and unrestricted labor OF American
W .rxinEmen. The opening to the world
of our minis for the coinage OF silver would
not bring the neCesSGrieS and comforts of
life back TO our people. This will only
come with the employment of the masses,
and such employment is certain to follow
the reestab lishment Of a wise protective
policy which shall encourage manufactur-
Ing at home.
The I'arty's First Duty.
Protection has lost none Of its virtue and
Importance. The first duty of the repub-
lican party If restored to power IN the
country, will be the enactment of a tariff
law which will raise all the money neces-
sary to conduct the government, econom-
ically and honestly administered, and so
adjusted as to give preference to home
manufacturers and adequate protection to
home labor and the home market. We
are not committed to any special schedules
or rates of duty. They are and should be
always subject to change to meet new
conditions, but the principle upon which
rates of duty are imposed remains the
same. Our duties SQOulu always De nlRn
enough to measure the difference between
the wages paid labor at home and in COM
peting countries, and to adequately protect
American investments and American en-
terprises.
Our Farmers and the Tariff.
Our farmers have been hurt by the
changes in our tariff legislation as severe
ly as our laborers and manufacturers,
badly as they have suffered. The republic
an platform wisely declares in favor of
such encouragement to our sugar interests
as will lead to the production on Ameri-
can soil of all the sugar which the Amert-
can people use 1t promises to our wool
and wooden interests the most ample pro-
lection a guaranty that ought to COM
mend itself to every patriotic citizen.
Never was more grievous wrong done
the farmers of our country than that so
untustly inflicted during the past three
years upon the wool growers of America.
Although among our most industrious and
useful citizens their interests have been
practically destroyed and our wooden man
ufacturers involved in similar disaster. At
no time within the past IS years, and per-
hapS never during any previous period,
have so many Of our wooden factories been
suspended as now. The republican party
can be relied upon to correct these great
wrongs. II again entrusted with the con-
troll of congress.
Reciprocity.
Another declaration of the republican
platform that has my most cordial support
is that which favors reciprocity. The splen-
did results of the reciprocity arrangements
that were made under the tariff law of 1880