Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-10-13
No. "a
Mr.. BIGEL0W ANSWERED.
EDITORS PUBLIC OPINION:

EDITORS PUBLIC OPINION:
AS Mr.. Bigelow has responded to
your invitation for discussion of the
issues on the democratic side and asked
several questions, would like to ask
him some. The question of finance is
not only the most delicate, but the
most important that can come before
the people, and should be settled, not
under spasmodic impressions, or pre-
judice, but under sober and careful
reasoning. Thus these discussions, i'm
a friendly spirit, are good thing.
1t is argued by the democrats that
this country is big enough and rich
enough to get along independent of
any other nation, but they don't seem
to realize that the world moves; that
the vast railroads, fast ocean steamers,
and telegraph lines that run through
every hamlet and encircle the globe
with electicity have caused the civil
lied nations of the earth to become one
enormous family of near neighbOrs,
and that it is impossible for one family
to prosper well without the aid of
Others. Now Mr.. B., you are one of
those who claim that we are independ-
ent of all creation. l want to ask you
that if the great Touring mills of Min
nesota had no market for their pro-
ducts but their own city, how long
could they run? Or how could any of
the great industries of ours, farming in
cluded, succeed on a home market
alone? How can we deal with our
neighbOrs abroad with unsound money
any better than we can with our
neighbors at home with such money?
But the question arises, what is sound
money, and who is the judge? No
one knows whether horse is sound or
not, not even an expert, or the man
who reared it. The democrats seek to
make great capital out of the fact that
there are some very wealthy men in
this country and that concentrated
wealth is serious matter, and that
farmers and the common people are
great sufferers thereby. Now let us in
vestigate how wealth is used. Sup
pose farmer is worth quarter of
million of dollars; he might employ a
dozen hands, but manufacturer with
that much capital would employ five
hundred hands. The farmers don't
consider who ultimately consume their
products. 1t is not the rich, but the
laboring classes. George Gould doesn't
eat any more than the laborer. Farmers
cannot sell their products to one an
other; they must be sold to non
farming class of people, and the great
er part OF these are in the employment
of the wealthy. But little more about
what the rich do with their money.
Don't we know that they build rail-
roads, telegraph lines, manufactures,
vessels for mercantile trade, open up
mines, and furnish employment for
millions OfpeOple? They never would
have been rich had they not realized
the value Of the nimble sixpence.
Now, Mr.. B., if you should fall heir to
few millions what would you do with
it? Would you hide it away for fear
that someone would call you goldbug,
or would you use it for the benefit of
humanity and the world in general, as
others do?
The republican party stands for sound
money the world over. 1t stands for
national credit such as its preeminent
intelligence and enterprise demands.
1t stands for the permanent prosperity
of this whole country. 1t stands for
honesty and fair dealing with all men,
millionaires included. 1t is evident
that Mr.. Bigelow is better posted on
gardening than on finance.
n. G. ELTON.