The herald., 1896-10-03

wrong. We have the same country; we
have the same men; we have the same
mines, the same manufactures. the
same money, the same masterful genius
among our people we had between 1880
and 1892. but we have not the same de-
gree of prosperity now that we had
then. (Applause and cries of That's
rightly And what is the trouble? "a
voice: Democratic free trade" fol-
lowed by great applause.) In single
word the trouble with the country is
lack of confidence. AS to what brought
about that lack of confidence we may
differ, but that there is lack of conf
dence every citizen everywhere must
concede, for every citizen has felt it in
his own experience.
Now what is this thing called "busi-
ness confidence?" 1t is belief in the
stability of values, faith in our markets
and our money; faith that the consump
ton of next year will be as great as Or
greater than our present one; faith that
men will have work and that the cur
rency of the country will be fixed, stable
and undepreciating. (Great applause)
The merchant has confidence-and
day-a merchant has confidence when
he stocks his shelves with more goods
in the expectation of larger sales. The
manufacturer has confidence when he
increases his machinery, hires more
men, adds new factories, lays in his ma
terfal in advance, certain that it will not
decline before his finished product is
sold; confident that he can pay the
wages to labor and the prices for his raw
material, and will not find in the end
that his goods will be driven out of the
American market by foreign goods un-
der a free trade policy. tremendous
cheering and cries of That's the stuff
The laborer feels this confidence when
assured of steady employment. He buys
a lot and starts building a house for him
self and family. The farmer feels this
confidence when he plants his crop, gen.
erously confident that what he reaps
will be in demand and will bring him a
fair return for his toll. The railroad
company feels it when it extends its
lines and switches, gets new equipment
and improves it's old equipment and
gives employment to workingmen. The
banker feels 1t when he loans freely of
his capital ard deposits, and knows
that when his loans return they will be
in good, sound money, and the depositor
feels this confidence when he takes his
money from It's hiding place where it is
today and puts it in the bank, sure that
he can draw it out according to his ne
cessity or inclination in as good money
as he put in. (Great cheering) This
thing called business confidence" new
er shut up the American mills; never re-
duced wages or curtailed employment;
never refused loans; never got up a run
on banks; never stopped mines, and
never created idleness among laborinG
men. (Applause)
When confidence is present with us the
sheriff has less to do. (Great laughter
and applause.) Advertisements are
fewer; forced sales, court docket regis
ters fewer fewer judgments; public
charity is less invoked and the free
souphouse" is unknown and unneces-
sary. tremendous cheering) When
confidence is shaken misfortunes come
not singly, but in battalions, and suffer-
ing falls on every community. CAP
plause } No part of our population is
exempt 1t may come from one thing,
or it may come from another. Doubt
in the business world is death to busi-
ness. fApplause and cries of That's
rightly We have it now. We know how
it came. Great cheering.) We know
what brought it and we think we know
how to get rid of it. (Applause.)
We had it in the United States to a
greater or less degree from the moment
it was settled in 1892 that our protec
tive tariff law was to be changed. 1t
continued until the changes were act
ually made and still longer until the
people in 1894 elected Republican ma
tional house of representatives and made
it impossible to cut deeper into the
industries of our country. Great ap-
plause.) When the doubt as to fur
ther changes had been thus removed,
then came a realization of what the
destruction of that tariff law had done
to some of our great industries. and
entailing injury fell in every state and
community of our country.
Then following that was the loss to
the treasury from insufficient revenues
under that legislation. Then the run
on the gold reserve; then bonds to make
that gold reserve good; then obstruction
in the senate to any emergency legisla-
tion which would supply the loss of rev.
enue entailed by that law and the verey
character of that resistance in the SEN
ate to legislation which would increase
the revenues only increased the uncer-
tainty. (Applause.) Then with all the
burdens on us the Chicago platform,
with it's reactionary provisions came to
further fret us.
The effect of this platform upon the
business world has been characterized,
not by Republicans alone, but by old
and trusted leaders of the Democratic
party as a menace to every invested
interest in the United States; revolution
ary in character, directly leading to
dishonor and partial reputation. Great
cheering)
The people this year are engaged in
a great national contest to restore the
confidence so sadly shaken by a success
sion of events which briefly named. In
less than five weeks they will speak and
make known their decree. What will
it be, men of Ohio and West Virginia? :?
(Cries Of Mckinley Mckinley and
tremendous cheering.) If the people
shall with a ringing and impressive
voice declare four weeks from next
Tuesday that the public credit shall not
be lowered; that the national currency
-