The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-08-14
D%EMoNErIzlNG HORSES.
Scarci, FORT liz Reason why they Have De-
rlIntl La prlrr. ~ -

. POI.
Kansas City Journal, (Rep.); What
has been tho matter Of late with the
horse? Ito can pull Just Nv much md
eats no more. There are horse races
now Just The same before, and men
stand around the speed rings In tho
hot sun and JnhbCr and lie una swear
Just as they always dld. And they pat
WlnnlnH horses IN tho neck and Kick
losing jockcys Just M they always did.
| And they 70 out one side and squirt
tobacco Juice into the .llnlson weeds
and put up jobs ON each other ns they
always did, Why then the ]deCNdcncc
OF the horse?
The following statistics show the
number OF horses and their value In
tho United States for the years named:
.., Horses. Value,
lS2,.'r'""...,.,,., lb.iNs.lN H,O0L5NS,G3G
leI ...',.,,.,.....,.. la,s9J,3S 6TG, I3O,hAO
1896. ,,".",....,.. IL, l9i,0ii J0O,liO, 1856
The statistics show that while the
number OF horses remain practically
the same, the value hns declined over
one-half. Here il unG-halt billion OF
wealth wiped ont In four years. This In
Of jiSIf alone enough 10 make u pnnlc
and bring the country into financial
HtraBs, The farmers who constitute
about onc-thIrd Of the population OF the
United STATES have suffered about ope-
half OF the loss arising from the de-
m0netiZntiOn OF the horse.
What has caused the decline Of the
four-leEsed Othello whose occupation
IL solnearly gone? Why Is Ire no longer
stolen? Why has the horse thief be-
come an antiquity, and why has the
horse ccased to be II medium OF cx-
changer Why are there no more law
suits for breach Of warranty? Why
are oats down to eight cents per bush
el' These are hard questions to M
swer. 1t certainly cannot be- owing to
any decrease In population OF tho Uni
ted States, concerning which tn. facts
are us follows:
Population, 1872 CT. ;Og, 600
Population. lS9J ....,...,.,....... Gy,g7bOJ0
Population, Observation-Disclosures. g. g5,OOd
Here Ia nm increase OF over four mil,
dion people added to the numbers OF
those who In 1892 worked horses, stole
horses, Swappcd horses. aud plotted in
The JiInson weeds; and In addition 10
this there are many millions OF people
In the United states who are four years
older now than then. There never was
Il time In the history OF the United
States when the value OF It's horses NV
eruGcd that year In the United States
oyer S6J each. There was then IN circu-
lation In the Uni,ed States money to
the amount OF 1901, 81, 1877. When In
1896 the bottom has dropped out OF the
horse so 10 speak. there was lust as
much money (sl, e0l ,9Gs, 473), but not 80
much horse. The corned beef factories
seem to have been unable 10 keep up
the price or to stem the tide Of depre-
citation.
From the foregoing 1t wou,d seem
impossible TO connect the laundering of
the horse, II we may use the expression,
with the great crime OF 1873" Since
1879 the per capita circulation has been
In round numbers 20 per cent greater,
There Is more than a billion OF coin In
circulation now than then, and yet the
horse has baked, or to speak more ac-
curately, has sat back In the breechlng
and refused to go forward, financially,