Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1896-08-08
MR.. FoRD's STATISTICS.

the Cleveland administration there
was deficit Of sixty odd million.
That Is not true. He also stated that
in 1893 under the Wilson tariff bill
there was balance OF trade against
us Of s40, 100000. That was the first
year OF the Cleveland administration,
but under the Mckinley tariff.
Balance Of trade against US that year
sIs, 73j, 72s. Mr.. Ford may find statis-
tics % give the Democrats black eye
but not in the years lie h;s cited.
tSee World almanac.l
Mr.. Ford compares the balance Of
trade in our favor in 1892 with the de-
flclency in government revenue in
Isg3--two statistical facts which II
they were correctly stated would have
little connection with the question OF
finance. The WilsOn-Gorman tariff
bill did not 20 into effect until Au-
gust %. 1894. For the calendar year
1895, the first full Official year under
Democratic tariff act, total imports
and exports OF merchandise were as
follows:
Imported into U. S....... .SS0l 1863, ,49O
LN.y....rfn1 III - ADl kltD 1In
Balance OF trade In our
favor first year OF Will
son bill ................s 23,l9S, ,055
The facts are the reverse OF what
Mr.. Ford stated. There was balance
OF trade against our country that last
full year OF the Mckinley Tariff OF
lS,73j, ,72s. There was a balance Of
trade In our favor the first full year Of
the Wilson Tariff Of $23, 1913, ,0S5, with
prices Of all products much lower.
Mr.. Ford's other argument was that
II we have per capita debt of s4OO
for every man, woman and child, we
have a per capita wealth in our coun-
try OF Sll00 for every man, woman and
child, hence every member Of a mans
family must have 300 in wealth, and
the larger the family man has the
richer he will be. This brings n laugh
when uttered by a rich old bachelor
worth several hundred thousand dol
lars; but Mr.. Ford knows that the ag-
gregate wealth OF a nation is not the
index OF its people. IL is the distri-
button OF It's wealth that is the index.
Perhaps Mr.. Ford means TO offer some
method OF dividing up this wealth and
distributing IL. lie is hardly that
kind OF man. IL poor man made
such an argument as that he would be
called socialist or anarchist and II
he undertook IL he would be sent 20
Jne penltentlafy'
This kind OF talk may please the un-
thinking. But IL will not solve the
question why, with n deficiency OF re-
venues under the first two years of the
first two years OF the Cleveland aa-
ministratiOn OF only Sll2,6OS, ,4S3 II
was necessary TO issue $262, 900, 900
bonds. There is $3.50, ,OO0, 900 gold bond
debt TO be charged to the gold stand
ard money system that Mr.. Ford Is up
holding. The deficiency would not
have been so large II the last
Republican congress had not lin the
face Of hard times and shrinking rev.
enues,l again appropriated more than
its billion dollar predecessors.l IL should
also be remembered that the Republic
can politicians OF this district did not
denOunce our congressman because he
helped swell those appropriations,
but because he had not secured half |
million more money for the William
ette river than he did. Mr.. Ford's de-
fence OF tariff that will build up
American milllonaires was also M
genious. IL was in substance; You
must build up millionalres some
where. Let us have them here at
home and then tax them. But how
tax them, Mr., FordY Your gold
standard platform does not propose 10
Tax the incomes OF the milllonaries.
Mr.. Bryan says he believes the income
lax n just law and II elected the first
bill he will sign, after free coinage
bill, win be a bill 10 tax the income OF
of millionaire. Mr.. Ford favors free
coinage and taxing millionaires but
not at present.