The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-10-30
BRYAN,S.
Elpiainsd-A New Issue wa, Seee..sry.
Prosperity OF the Country Untier Pro.
lection aud the Gold Standard.

IN MS fcvcrlsh desire to reach the
white house, Mr.. Bryan Is making the
greatest effort ever made by nny prc.
vlous candidate, lie Is seeking tho OF.
nee" by q Barnumesduc tour OF the
country. contrary to tho more dIcnl.
Ned and becoming custom OF everyone
OF our Presidents for nearly half cen.
fury past, who believed. with the peo-
pie, that the office should seek the
man. HasI.I - ~
But In order that Bryan nigh, have
chance OF winning the prize he ia
AFTER, u was absolutely necessary that
ne and his supporters should make ex.
traordinnry efforts, In the FIRST place.
bryan was almost unknown. lie had
never distinguished himself IN ANY,
tnIng that entitled him to national
prominence. Thousands OF men In tho
democratic party were far nearer the
nears OF the people, older and more
neu every way TO occupy the hIch Of
Nee presided over by Washington and
Lincoln. 20 = '''
Why. then, did Bryan receive tho
nomination? It is unnecessary 10 re-
peat, at this time. how II all happened.
Tor nearly every reader Il well nc.
quainted with the details, Suffice II to
say that the Chicago convention WINS
Wildly stanpeded, and mainly by the
fopullsts, through so-called Demo-
Gratis who, like Bryan, had Populistlc
wheels In their heads"
during the making OF the platform
and the choice OF candidate, the ma
chihe slipped u cog''-in fact several
coSs.-and the result was that which
thc better element OF the old md hon
ored Democratic party are now repu-
uiatinS with nll their might. In order
TO save the party from total tles,ruc.
zion and the country from dlshonor and
disaster. -,
Here was reason enough for the ne
cessity OF extraordinary hustling. But
there was far greater handicap that
worried the party, and which It would
be necessary TO remove In order to pre-
vent Republican walk-over. 1t was
absolutely necessary that new issue
should supplant the older one-the tar
III. This was In fact foreseen by the
Democratic party, and the Rstute lead
ers OF the PopullSts, long before the
meeting OF the Chicago convention.
Ihe country had been under Repub-
iican rule and a protective taHI from
ls5O TO 1892, with the exception OF four
years. In that time. the protective tar
III and a wise administration OF af-
fairs, had enabled the United States to
distance all other countries In growth
| and prosperity. II had made us, with
the assistance OF our patent system,
the leading manufacturing. as well as
the most Independent nation, in the
world.
From q national wealth In 1860 OF
sixteen billion dollars, we had climbed
10 slNty-three billion dollars In lS9s,
And during that period. wonderful to
relate, more than two-thirds OF the gi-
gantic war debt had been paid of.
The policy built up and fostered b.
the Republican party had, In the period
above referred to. enabled American
workingmen to deposit In savings
banks over six billion dollars-every
dollar OF which was worth one hundred
cents. In 1892, New York state alone
with a population of l.ssi.00O Iaborers,
had over thirty-threc million dollars
more deposited In her savings banks
than the l5.lsi,O00 laeorers 81 Great
Britain. In Massachusetts the deposit
tors In savings banks averaged two to
each family. while In Great Britain the
average Is only one In every thirty
families. The wages OF our workInSmen
were from 50 to 900 per cent higher
t!sln those received by the same class
OF labor In Great Britaiu, while the
cost OF living was no greater.
The great prosperity OF the country
under Republican administration and a
protective tariff was the handicap that
the Democratic party foresaw. Not
wlthstanding that the protective tariff
had completely vlndlcated ITSELF, ttsr
Democratic party would undoubtedly
have again harped on their old free
trade theories this year, but for the fact
that their tariH tinkeriGg had been
tried and found sadly wanting.
In the campaign OF 1892. the people
were misled by free trade theories,
They were not satisfied TO let well
enough alone, but listened to the Oft
repeated promises OF something better
made by the Democratic party. This
raiHhow-chasing resulted In the utter
defeat OF the Republican party a, the
polls, and at a time when the country
was enjoying its greatest prosperity.
sad President Harrison. In his last an
nual message to Congress:
A comparison OF the existing condl-
tons with those OF the most favored
period In the history OF the country
will, believe, show that so high a de-
gree OF prosperity and so general a
diffusion Of the comforts of life werc
never before enjoyed by our people,
Tfere never has been a time In
our history when work was 50 album
daht or when wages were as high.
whether measured by the currency In
which they are paid or by their power
TO supply the necessaries and comforts
Of life" y
In March. 1898, the Democratic party
assumed full control OF all branche, Of
the government. including both senate
and house, for the first time since 1850
But during the five months which in
tervened between the election md th-a
Inauguration, the people had como 10
their senses. The fear OF impending
free trude had caused dis;rust and
business failures throughout the coun
ty. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING
OF THE PRESENT HARD TINES,
President Cleveland waited five
rlo1ths to find some other excuse. and
then stated that he believed the Sher-
man law was responsible for the de-
plorahc condition OF the country. and
asked Its repeal But as this law has
now been repealed nearly three years,
and the condition OF the country been
growing worse day by day, 1t Is plain
" evident that 1t was not the cause of
the hard times, but that fears OF free
trade and loss Of confidence In the pre-
sent administration, combined later
with fears " free coinage and n de-
graded currency. was the true cause,
Loss OF confidence causes money 10
be withdrawn from Its natural chan
nels Of clrculatIOn-fron business en-
terprises Of every kind. As money be-
comes scarce, people say times ere
hard. When confidence Is restored. mo
ney again clrculates and prosperity IS
enjoyed. Mr.. Mkinley gives a good L.
lustratIon OF the value OF confidence, as