The Portland daily press., 1896-08-29

peiloSou I1ie UaflA could be benefoially
means.
The last three elections in this country
damonstrated that they the Democrats
regret IL exceedingly, perhaps even more
than we do. saw them in Washington
at the time the transactions were going
on. hsG seen previous attempts to
tinker the tariff. Knew that the busi-
ness uncertainty would be such that the
country would be marking time Instead
of marching onward
BuG Enough We have had very hard
times yet you and l can remembe when
tne country was not near SO rich as 1t is
today.
| OF all
/ THE FOOLISH THINGS
have ever heard men say the mose
idiotio is this:
Lets try this thing There may be no
sense in it but things can't be worse. "
No man not dying but can be worse
Why in my own town of Portland it was
proposed to build railroad across the
mountains There were but few sparsely
populated districts and towns through
which it would pass and but few busi-
ness interests. There was road running
TO boston through country vastly more
populous and with vastly greater indus
trles. This FoadAhad never paid q mill
yet 6he adVooRtes anu orators Of this new
road declared it would pay 10 per cont
said to friend of mine, "You don't be-
lleye this road will pay do you" He re-
piled, Il don't know, we've got to do
something. Things can't be any worse"
Well they built the road and that man
has been paying two per cent taxes ever
rsuAt -, u al
put q i1etie o7er<1 per cent Our situation
can't be worse. You'll find out things
can be worse if you follow blind leaders
of the blind
Let me make suggestion to you. We
| can't al know verything from personal
experience. We must oftenJimes follow
| the
ADVICE OF THE LEADERS
and leaders with speoialties. No man
on earth has brains enough to be good
lawyer, good doctor, good preacher and
good railroad manager. The preacher
had better consult the doctor if there is
anything the matter with him. the doc
tor had better ask the preacher as to the
| future life and all had better consult
the railroad magnate before investing.
At the same time | don t advise you to
!
up little for yourself. When you in
quire about it ask somebody whose advice
has been good In the past
| The American people are now asked to
take leap in the dark.
| There has been much loud talk. That's
the case with all new propositions. The
more absurd the proposition the
LOUDER THE TALK.
The final settlement OF questions by
the American people is by sober thought
little and thinks much.
Now as to this step in the dark the
first thing anybody wants to- do is to be
sure the step is Wise and sound. What
men are advising you? Are they men
who have given you good advise before?
jus t look at it. These same gentlemen
told the West in 1892 that ii they voted
the Democratic ticket they Woud have 81
corn. Has it been so realized.
| They promised ybu the markets of the
world. How many of them have you got
up to the present time?
Ihey make no propositions now to have
gold and silver. They say to the farmer,
| With free silver You can pay your debts
| cheaper, while they answer to the BIZ
metallist that silver will go up to 129 an
ounce: II 1T does how is the farmer TO
pay his debts any cheaper. They play
upon two things. One or the other is
| not trne.
| 1t is always the bad money that drives
out the good. The moment you propose
TO COIN SILVER
the gold will begin to hide itself. Now
you haveZa currency you know something
bout and you are asked to take one you
know nothing of. AT the mere sugges-
t1on of the thing big business firms are
trying all over the country to borro
money at 10 per cent. Money is plenty
but confidence is scarce.
Talk about gold going up. The United
states does banking business and what
may be called a general. store business
The bank is absolutely solvent. The
general business is pretty bud. 1t has
Deen running behind, There has not
been money enough to pay Its running
expenses of the government. 1t has run
behind more than $50, 900, 0e0 year. Sup
pose you had an solvent bank and an In
solvent grocery store. If you married the
two together people would lose confidence
in the bank,
The cause of our disaster Is lack of con-
hdence. What is needed to take US out of
the
SLOUGH OF DESPOND
Is the restoration of business confidence
The United States cannot afford to be
dishonest. When it borrows it wants to
borrow quickly. The man who years
ago borrowed cow was wise who paid
with COW that was not lame
We have suffered under Democratic
demolishment of the tariff and miserable
system of finance and now we are asked
to adopt this new doctrine. They do not
offer to broaden the metallic standard.
They want to su bstitute the gold standard
for the silver one.
We're told we've had all this suffering
under the gold standard. True we have
but it has been due to the deficit in our
revenue. There was no trouble prior to
'92. In '79 we secured sound ourrency.
Then ensued 13 years Of prosperity such
as the sun never looked on in its
marches from the east. We were doing
our own work and doing it under an
HONEST CURRENCY.
How long shall we have 20 wait for