The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-17

No argument advanced In favor OF free
silver b more coeent than those advanced
by the free traders 10 the campaign OF 1882.
but their faIlacy has been 30 completely
penetrated by the cathode rays OF expe-
Renee that II would seem ~ II the people
might hesitate before risking any more
chimerical schemes for the creation Of pros
per;,y. The past four years have made
most Of us long for . return
Of the conditions existing under .
protective tariff. We have tried that.
that II We could but return to the pros
perity we enjoyed prior to the experimental
enkering with business under Cleveland.
. great sigh Of relief would 90 up from the
entire country.
We know now that We did not appreciate
abilities q continuance in that policy would
have opened Up to Us; and even now We
hardly realize the vast increase represent
Cd in figures OF the volume OF business
which grew under . beneficent Republican
administration. Hon. Carroll d. Wright,
School of Social Economics. has grouped
the facts OF the country's progress under
Republican rule In such a way as to make
them as startling as they are interesting.
Our population has increased faster than
that Of Great Britain. but our manufact-
ures increased from Lincoln's to Harri-
sons administration. inclusive. at an even
more rapid rate. Thus. In 1850 the total
value OF the manufactured products Of the
United Kingdom was about 2,2s5 billion
dollars. as compared with 1,SS5 billions In
the United States. In 1855 the manufact-
at 400 billion dollars, while those OF the
United States had increased to the immense
sum OF 1872 billions The total number
OF the employees in the manufactures OF
this country increased from 731. 137 in 1850
to 3,7i5.l23 in 1880 while the wages paid
them rose from s2ss. $50 900 to 81 e5o. 900 900.
an increase of over two thousand million
dollars. During the same period the total
capital invested In American manufactures
increased from s5s5. 600, 600 to Sc. 800 900. 900.
The farming industry does not seem to
have been any moro backward during those
thirty-two years of protective tariff. The
record shows that the ]. DO. 600 farms In the
United States in 1850 had increased In 1880
TO 1850. 600; that their value had risen from
s. go. 900 600 TO sl3 $50 900 900; the value of
Implements and machinery from s15l, 500, 600
TO nearly $500, coo 600 and the average size
of farms had steadily fallen from 20s to l37
acres. which shows that the small farmers
of moderate means we're steadily increasing
In numbers relatively TO the whole body
Statistics Of mortgages. collected for the
first time In 1850. show that fully IS per
cent were the result Of prosperous cond.-
TONS Thus 50 per cent. were given for
the original purchase money. purely bust
ness investments: Is per cent for improve
ments OF real estate. new buildings and ma
chinery. etc: IS per cent. for various ex-
tensions OF operations: per cent TO raise
money to go into business. etc. Only few
per cent. could be said TO indicate adver-
slty in any actual sense, and out of fh!s
number very many were due to family
misfortunes. losses by fire. ETC., not charge
able TO the business conditions OF the coun-
try.
Even under the conditions we now know
20 have been comparatively so good. there
was very much grumbiing. Looking back
most men can see how they might have
profited by tho conditions then existing.
Rad as things sometimes looked In those
days. We see now how much worse II Is
possible for them to be. and 1t will serve as
a warning that another bad blunder In
fnaneering might be followed with even
worse results.
Better bear the ills we have
Than fly 10 others that we know not Of
The sooner We get back to the weil-estab-
llshed lines and the firm commercial foun-
dalton upon which the grsndest Industrial
edince ever witnessed by the world was
constructed. the sooner will the dark DAYS
OF Democratic domination pass away.