Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-08-07

| the money circulation has been dccreaS-
| ing since the decentralization of silver,
and that the decrease has caused fall
m prices The fact is that i'm the United
States the increase in the money circu-
iation since 1850 has leen enormous Ina
1860 we had over &442, 00O, 600 Of money
IN circulation; in 1872 twas over $13S,
$50, 600; and 10y the Treasury Bulletin at
he opening of the month OF July. 1896,
there was i'm circulation 81 ,52l ,5S4, 2S3.
| This shows that our money supply has
increased since 1860, 240 per cent and
since 1872, 100 per cent. And shows
that the money supply has increased
much faster than the population: The
per capita circulation Of the United
States on July / 1860, was Sl4.O6; on
July /, 1912, $3.50; and July /, 1896,
S2l.35, an increase over population Of
over 30 per cent.
The report of the Director Of the Mint
shows that from 1873 to 1894 the worlds
total gold production was s., 526, S34, 900.
The increase over all previous years
being great In 1913, the gold produc-
ton of the world was 500, 10000; 1850,
sos, 436 500; 1890, 1S,S49,000; 1891,
$50, 626, 100; and in 1898 the output Is
estimated TO be $l99, 800, 600. This
means that the gold supply has actually
doubled in the last % years, and the pro
spectS are favorable to a much larger
increase in the gold production for the
future as shown from experts in the
United States, Australia and South
Africa
Now, what is the cause of the fall in
prices? We will cite two instances,
corn and wheat, which are fair samples.
| Prices are regulated by supply and
demand. Here are the reasons for the
fall in prices of the farmers wheat and
corn In the United States in 1919 there
were 26,3Sl ,5l2 acres of wheat cultiva-
| ted in 1891 there were 39,9l6,S91 acres
an increase Of % per cent. The yield in
1915 was 292, 1916, 900 bushels, heavy
increase over previous years in 1891 the
y
year with the partial crop failure the
yield was 461 100000 bushels. These
figures only show the great increase in
the United States, saying nothing of the
other great wheat producing countries
of India, Argentine Republic ana Russia,
which show a corresponding increase
with our own. Corn was cultivated To
the extent of 34,O91, 13i acres in 1871
AID in 1891 it was 6,204, 5l5 acres, an
increase of l24 per cent. The yield of
corn last year was more than double
that of any year previous to 1919. Our
cotton crop III 1894 was 80 per cent.
greater than in any year prior 10 1851.
Under such ciIcum, tanCcS decline III
the above products was just as inevitable
as when the farmers home market is
flooded with potatoes Of which he has
many examples, the year 1895 being the
greatest.
Free coinage under these conditions
and circumstances would not help grain
produces in the least The free coinage
advocates never use these statistical
facts in their speeches on arguments, of
which there is no dispute as to their
truth. Money will never be any more
plentiful TO the laborer unless he be
given opportunity to earn it, on to
the farmer unless there is demand for
his products.
Under HarriSon's administration and
protection we paid the expenses of the
government and 100000 of the public
debt; under -four years of Grover Clcyc-
lands democratic rule the government
has borrowed over a quarter billion Of
dollars and turned the country into Il
poor house. Had not the theory
of the democratic party, so long pre-
sentcd 10 the people, free trade pol
icy, been put into execution, from
which policy the democratic party has
abandoned forever, the stability of the
money of the United States would never
have been questioned.
There is no reason why any man,
Wltll llltNAAiS 'hNN' van ~ W AN4i
"a little thought and study, understand
the diSgraceful situation of the country
and its remedy. What we want is a
tariff policy that fosters home industries,
gives employment and good wages to
home labor, produces revenue with
which TO run the government, and IA
surplus to meet other demands.
The figures used i'll this article are
taken from reports of the United States
Treasury, Department of Agricul-
ture. of the Director of the United
States Mint, of the United Safes
Bureau of Statistics, and the British
Board of Trade, the highest known
authority.
The Ideal PanaCea.