The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-14
Bryan Refdted
by Cold Facts

To the assertion of Mr.. Bryan at Cow
ington, KY, Oct. ., that prosperity has
never followed the gold Standard the
! Louisville Courier-Journal makes the
| following reply: The total wealth OF the
United States was s3o,06S, ,5lS,5N in 1870. 1t
| was S65,0S7, ,O9i,l51 in 1890. an increase of
! over 100 per cent. under the gold standard.
The wealth per capita Of the United
| States was $3.50 in 1870; 1t was $l.O36 in 1922
an Increase of - per cent. under the gold
standard. Our foreign Trade increased
| from 1873 to 1890 Il per cent. under the gold
standard. The coal production of the
| United States increased from 53S22.S30
tons In 1850 to lie, SS2, 729 tons in $780, an in
crease of l2l per cent. under ten years of
| gold standard. The iron production of
| the United States Increased from 2Hl,S5
| tons in 1879 to 9,202,703 tons in 1890 an In
crease of e35 per cent under eleven years
of gold standard. The savings bank depo-
! sits of the United States increased from
1853 in 1870 to S.Sl0, 597 023 In 1898, an
increase of about 23O per cent. under the
gold standard. The number of depositors
in the savings banks of the United States
increased from 1,GSO,Si6 in 1870 to 4,SI5,5l9 in
1875. and their savings per capita increased
in the same time from sli.2G to S25SS.
--::--
But this Is not all. The public debt of
the United States was 81 922 5l7. 332i in 1850 or
$SS.S3 per capita: in 1880 it was only $9l5,-
962, ,ll2. or $liG3 per capita-a reduction of
more than 90 per cent. in the total and of
81 per cent. In per capita Indebtedness
under the gold standard. The state debts
of the United States amounted to 500, i,J0O,-
GA, or $5.79 per capita, in 1880; in 1890 they
amounted to S132, 1885, $50. or only $3.50 per ca
pita. The net federal, state and county in
debtedness in the United States was s., 1896, =
IN N
was sl,2SfO20,si0, or $2O.iG per capita-a re-
ducton of over 80 cent. Farm property.
| including lands, fences and buildings, were
| valued at $9,2f2 coo, 900 in 1870, and had in
creased to $l3,2 10000 600 in 1890. Farmers
owned 1886, ,Oc0, 900 worth of improvements
and machinery in 1870 and $i9i0O0,01o
worth in 1880. Farm live stock amounted
to $l,5e5 600, 900 In 1870 and to 81 2Os OOO,ooJ
| in 1890 Tho acreage of farm lands in 1870
was i0l.I3j,Oil; In 1880, 623,2S, S,jl9-an in
crease of over so per cent. Building and
| loan association deposits We're of little
| consequence in 1875: in 1892 they reached
a total of $500, 900, 900, and in 1896 amounted
| to $780, OOO-all under the gold STANDARD.
-:lI:-
Moreover, the exports from the United
States have increased 1874 per cent since
| 1S72-under the gold standard. Farm pro-
ducts-grain, cotton, TOBACCO, meat, live
| cattle, sheep and hogs-werS- exported in
1872 to the amount Of $3.50, ,9O6, ,G37 in 1892
| $754, ,iS0, Si3 worth of these articles went
abroad. Freight rates on wheat from Chi
cago to New Yorw have been reduced from
1919 cents per bushel by lake and canal
in 1873 to All cents in 1895: from 1872 cents,
all rail, In 1873 to 12.17 cents, all rail, in
1895. Average wages in manufacturing in
dustries increased from $32S in 1870 to SiSi
in 1880. or 80 per cent. The purchasing
power of wages at the same time increased
from l1i.1 In 1870 to 172l in 1890, taking 1859
as basis of comparison at 100. a one
horse plow that GA bushels of wheat. or 1871
bushel of corn, or y bushels of oats, in
1879 could be bought in 1889 for 3.S bushels
of wheat, S.5 bushels of corn or 1l.5 bushels
of oats. A binder that cost the farmer
211.7 bushels of wheat in 1873 could be
bought for 1Si.9 bushels in 1889. A one
horse cultivator that cost 6.S bushels of
wheat in 1873 could be bought for AZ BUSH
els in 1889. A two-horse plow that cost l7.6
bushels of wheat or $40 bushels of corn
, in 1873 could be bought in 1889 for 1871
bushels of wheat or 3l.2 bushels of corn.
The volume of money in circulatin In 1872
was $73S, 800, $40, or $1S.l9 per capita, incud-
ing deprecated paper in 1896, June 30. 1t
was Sl,5od,63l ,026. or $2l.l0 per capita.
Counting the money in the treasury there
was in the United States in 1872 $3.50 per
capita. which in 1896 had increased to So So
per capita. Money has increased in sup
ply so much more rapidly than the demand
that interest rates have declined - per
cent. since 1878. No other nation on earth
can match this story of progress.