Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-10-17

due to lack Of consumrtion-to the stagna-
ton of business. Our people are not doing
as much building or painting this year as
in former years.
1.-The effect of the agitation of the prop
OSition for free coinage of silver can be
realized when We read the reports from
Bradstreet's and Dun's agencies of the
failures in business in July and August of
this year. since Mr.. Bryan's nomination.
The failures in July and August. 1891. were. in
round numbers. s19.O0O,OOO; in 1885, s21 900, ,O0O
and for the same months in 1885, over $751;
100000.
so far as the merits of the two stand
ards are concerned. We have an object les
son In British Honduras, which, after suf-
fering great depression, low wages and
confusion of business, under the silver
standard. adopted the gold standard Octo-
ber Is. 1894; and since that time wages have
increased. general prosperity has come. and
real estate has advanced 100 per cent. The
little republic of Costa Rica has adopted
the gold standard within the last few
months, and the event was celebrated with
illumination, bonfires in the streets and
general rejoicing.
I'VE have plenty of money. but fear of
a change in our present standard has driv-
en- it from circulation. 1t does not take a
large amount of actual money to transact
business. 1t is mostly done with drafts
and checks. The business at the Kansas
City stock yards amounts to about $3.50 900
day, and less than 5000 in currency is
used. The proportion would be about the
same in the grain business in Kansas City
and all the large mercantile and man
ufacturing business there. But how Is it
when we have panic. confidence is gone,
and every dealer and manufacturer. every
jobber, large or small, demands currency?
And We put a burden on our money. over
ninety times much as we do at present.
Many years ago Daniel Webster said that
credit had done a thousand times more to
enrich a nation than all the mines in the
world, and this is as true to-day as it was
then.
The cost of running this government is
over S4oo,OO0,G00 a year. and We will all
agree that we ought not to borrow money
to run it. We must resort to tariff. or
some other form of taxation. to pay this
expenS. Mr.. Bryan, in travelling over the
country. puts his arms around the farm
ers-telling them what a friend he is to
them, and what he intends to do with his
wonderful panacea of is to l. How was
it when the Nebraska farmers sent him a
petition, asking him to vote against free
wool? He not only voted for it. but advo-
Gated it, and the result is that the sheep
industry of this country has been destroy
ed, the tariff on wool broken down which
protected our farmers flocks for over thir-
ty years. The Nebraska farmers, who
DrlnS tnelr Sneep 10 our STOCK SaruS, sell
ing them at half price, are not for Bryan.
The loss in wool has cost the farmers of
the state of Missouri s., 900, besides the
loss in the value of the sheep Another in
dustry which Mr.. Bryan helped to strike
down, in which the farmers We're inter
ested, was the beet sugar industry. When
the manufacture Of beet sugar was begun
in Europe it was ridiculed by the press
and in the theaters of London, caricatured
and discouraged in every possible way.
But they kept on. Germany has been Civ
ing bounty on beet sugar for many years
The Emperor William l. encouraged it by
exempting from taxation the lands or
which beets were raised. and loaned
money to the manufacturers Of beet su,
gar. Napoleon l.. in France, saw in it q
and did much to aid it. The production OF
| not quite as large the state of Texas
| was 100000 tons. France produced. the
same year, 10000 tons. Under the Nc
| Kinley law, the production of beet sugar
| increased from 100000 pounds in 1891 t
nearly 100000 pounds in 1898. There ar,
three beet sugar plants In Nebraska. Cal
| ifornia produced nearly 20.000,0oO pounds il
| 1885. We have right near us the soil ant
climate well adapted for the growing o.
| beets.
THE United States pays annually Sl35.
| 100000 for sugar. OF this amount S-10ths. OF
about Sos. .000. 000 is paid 10 foreign Countries
| Ought We not to try to keep this money
| at home: at the same time diversifyine
| our production? The crop of beets to tn,