The herald., 1896-10-19
A FEW FACTS

Either Mr.. Boutelle Is the most reck-
less Of men in the use of language, or he
trusted to the stupidity Of his audience
last Saturday night to accept whatever
he might say as facts. Naturally he
held the tariff question to the front as
the one great economic issue before the
country, which would have been all we'll
enough had he kept himself within the
bounds Of truth, but truth and McKin-
leyism are in no way related.
Mr.. Boutelle, as do all Republican
professional vote seekers, boasted in the
name Of his party of the wonderful
wealth expansion of the country from
1880 to 1890. and it will be admitted that
the channels Of trade and commerce
were widened and deepened more dur
ing that decade than in any other like
period since the Republican party be-
came q controlling factor in American
politics. But had Mr.. Boutelle wanted
to be entirely fair and honest with his
hearers he would have told them that
the largest percentage of material
wealth since the government was found
ed was in the decade beginning with
1o0V dIlu eHuluS Will 4ooV, uuIli6 WulCAi
time the direction of the public concerns
Of the country was in the hands of two
Democratic administrations. The in
crease between 1850 and 1860 was about
lis against about so between 1880 and
1890, and, moreover, four years of the
latter decade were blessed with the
brains, the honesty and the ability of
Democratic president, who not only
paid off nearly twice as much Of the
government bond debt as did his sue
cessor, Benjamin Harrison, but left
close onto $500, 900, 900 in the treasury,
against $125, $1,000 by Harrison, but
which was in reality only about 10000
900. or $50, 900. 900 less than the required
reserve. But Mr.. Hanna did not send
Mr.. Boutelle to California to tell the
truth, and Mr.. Boutelle is obeying or
ders.
At no time in the decade between 1880
and 1890 was there tin plate factory in
this country, now there are thirty-six,
thirty-four of which were born of the
terrible free trade Wilson-Gorman
act" The yearly output of iron and iron
products has been from 10 per cent to
25 per cent greater under the Wilson,
German act than during the wonderful
decade of which Mr.. Boutelle boasts.
and what is true of tin and iron is more
or less true Of all the industries. Yes,
the decade from 1880 to 1890 was con-
spicuous for many things. 1t was in
that period that the great rail-
way combinations and consolida-
tions were formed and billions Of bonds
and stocks issued which represented
fictitious capital. 1t was between
1880 and 1890 that the seed of the whisky
ring which fourished during the fifteen
years ended in 1878 took root and grew
into the most powerful and heartless in
dustrial monopoly the world ever saw.
It was in this decade Of wonderful pros
perity that labor was forced to perfect
organization to protect itself against
organized trusts. 1t is true, as Mr..
Boutelle says, there was great prosper
ity between 1880 and 1890, I'd it Is also
true that in no previous period of ten
years in the history Of the country did
labor get so few and capital so many OF
the good things of earth. The decade
Mr.. Boutelle refers to was period of
great prosperity for the rich, but as a
whole the workingmen of the country
were not a whit better off In 1890 than
they were in 1880, and had not the veto
of q Democratic president stood between
the common people and the trusts and
monopolies from 1885 to 1889 the condi-
ton of labor would have been far worse
than II WAS