The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-12-17

an enormous Republican victory. The
changes which have taken place in the
past indicate the possibilities Of tn,
future There Is only one prophecy
which can be made with certainty Of full
filment, and that Is, that the American
people win study a subject until they
understand It and will then settle IL
Changes of opinion will go on until thu
best solution Of every question is found
Our form OF governments is based upor
the theory that this people are capable o
self government. This theory is, in my
judgment, we'll founded. The people
have both the intelligence and the
patriotism to selsct and to secure for
themselves those policies which are best.
They are now engaged In an effort tC
discover and secure satisfactory flnan
cial policy, and It would be reflection
upon them to say that they would per-
manently accept an unsatisfactory policy
Experience plays an important part in
the settlement OF public questions. That
financial ana industrial conditions are
unsatisfactory at this time, no one denies.
The advocates Of free coinage have in.
sisted that these conditions are largely
due to the gold standard. They insist
that falling prices are but an evidence
that gold is rising, and they assert that
the rise in the purchasing power Of an
ounce Of gold is due to legislation which
has increased the demand for e. I'D. The
Republicans, on the other hand, have
blamed the Wilson bill for the present
hard times and have promised to restore
prosperity by opening the mills. The
next four years will determine whether
the Republican promises can be fulfilled
In 1890 in a report which accompanied
his tariff bill Mr.. Mckinley said: "That
there is widespread depression In this in
dustry (agriculture) today, cannot be
doubted" This admission was made
after the country had had thirty years Of
protective tariff. This depression in
agriculture is more widespread and acute
today than IL was six years ago. In the
same report Mr. Mckinley said: "This
great industry (agriculture) is foremost
In magnitude and Importance In our
country. Its success and prosperity are
vital to the nation. No prosperity is
possible to other industries II agriculture
lanRuish. He was correct In asserting
that prosperity must begin with the farm.
The farmer has suffered because the price
Of agricultural products has fallen, while
taxes, debts, and many other fixed
charges have not fallen in the same pro-
portion. His tctal income has decreased,
while his necessary expenditures have
stubbornly refused to decrease and he
has been compelled to economize iu his
living expenses. The President elect
recognized this fact in 1890 because he
said In the report above referred to:
I'VE do not believe that our people,
already suffering from low prices, Can or
will be satisfied with Legislation which
will result in lower prices. In the late
campaign the llboring men have been told
that low prices are an advantage to them,
while the farmers have been pointed to
the advantage Of higher prices 1t is
going to be very difficult for the incom-
ing administration to secure higher prices
for the farmer and lower prices for the
wage-earner. 1t must be remembered
also that the fnanciers have denounced as
dishonest any dollar which falls in pur-
chasing power. Will the advocates of
gold standard try to raise prices and thus,
according to their own language, become
repudiatorsY Will they be willing to
have debts paid with the dollars which
will buy less than the dollars borrowed
II, on the other hand, the maintenance
Of the gold standard results in a continu-
alton Of low prices, or, as bimetsllists
believe, in still lower prices, then the
condition of the farmer will beome worse
than 1t has been in the years just past.
If our opponents imagine that the bi-
metalllists will be easily defeated In 1900,
let them remember that thousands of
Republicans have been held to that party
this year by the pledge that their party
will try to secure international bimetsll-
ism. II the party did not intend this
pledge to be relied upon, why was it In
sertedf If Republicans have relied upon
1t, will they not be disappointed when
the four years pass withou a successful
effort to secure cooperation OF the part
of European nationsS We have charged
that international bimetallism was not
seriously contemplated by those who
wrote the Republican platform, and that
the pledge was made 10 deceive the voters
the next few years will sustain or dis
prove our charge,
I The gold standard Democrats cannot
do as much harm In 1900 as they have
done this year. At Chicago they ad-
vocated financial plank almost Identical
with the one adopted by the Republicans.
They declared that free coinage would
interfere with International bimetsllism,
toward which, they added, all efforts
should be directed. The fact that the
gold Democrats, whose devotion to inter
national bimetallism approached the
pathetic so long as they were members of
the Chicago convention, forgot all about
1t when they reached Indianapolis, Illus
trates the lack of candor which has all