The Republican journal., 1897-08-26
The Ohio Democratic Platform.

| III
1--WE declare that the act of 1873 = re-
suited in an appreciation OF good and
| corresponding fall in prices
Since it is shown from official statistics
that there has been no appreciation of
gold but on the contrary vast increase in
the other classes of money of the world,
an increase much more rapid than that of
the population, the cause of the fall in
prices of commodities must be looked for
elsewhere. This fall in price is due to
the enormous increase in production, and
to the reduced cost of producing and
transporting the products of the farm,
factory, forest and mine. Senator PETER,
in his report to the Senate in 1894 on
the cause of the fall in agricultural
prices, said: Gin Kansas it appears from
the report of the Secretary of the State
Board of Agriculture that it costs so
cents to raise bushel of wheat, in
Pennsylvania the average cost of produc-
ing bushel of wheat is about IS cents
n Wheat in India costs but about Is
cents bushel on the farm, II cents more
puts it aboard ship and % cents additional
lands it on the wharves in Liverpool. This
fifty cent wheat from India completes lin
our best market, England) with wheat on
American farms at an average cost of 60
cents per bushel. y Wages of India
farm hands run from to 10 cents of our
money per day The same report shows
that the cost of producing wheat on the
great farms of California and the Dakotas
is less than half the average cost in the
Central Mississippi valley, while similar
conditions prevail in Argentine and Aus
trala. which through the extremely low
ocean freights are also competitors with
us in all the markets of the world The
reduced cost of agricultural products, due
to the combination of low freights and
the use of machinery, finds parallel in
the reduced cost of manufacturing in all
lines through similar causes, and also in
the reduction in the cost of mining and
the production of the precious metals
which thus supply the money of the
/
prime measure of value, labor.
eve declare that the act of 1873 s.. has
resulted in heavy increase i'll the
! burdens Of taxation.
The increase in the burdens of federal
taxation are mainly due to the increase in
expenditures for pensions, public build
ings and river and harbor improvements
Any party which would specifically de-
clare against a continuation of these
would quickly find itself repudiated by
the people.
"We declare that the act of 1873 has
resulted in heavy increase in the bur
den of all debts, public and private
The census figures show that the in
crease in debts since 1873 has been, in
very large share of the cases, for the pur-
chase of homes OF the Improvement of
farms, and that the sections in which this
increase in mortgage Indebtedness has
been greatest, have shown as a~result the
greatest activity and the greatest increase
in actual wealth and genuine prosperity
1--WE declare that the act of 1873 re-
suited i'll \ the enrichment of the money
| lending class at home and abroad
The money lending class can only 'grow
rich'' by the interest which it receives for
money loaned, and everybody knows that
the rates of interest have fallen since 1873
and that the opportunity for enrichment by
this means must consequently have been
correspondingly reduced. The usurous
rates of interest which We're possible in
many sections of the country prior to 1873
are now absolutely prohibited by State
legislation.
1--WE declare that the act of 1873 ~ re-
suited in the prostration of industry
and the impoverls hment of the people,
Industry was not ''prostrated'' or the
people Impoverished until the success
OF the Democratic party at the polls in
1892, and its free trade legislation which
followed paralyzed industry in the United
States and transformed it's communities of
busy workmen into idlers, thus bringing
prostraton of industry and mpoverish-
ment of the people" There was never
greater prosperity in the United States or
any olACl CouulIy llldu llldl OI lue years
Immediately preceding the Democratic
success of 1892, and never ''greater pros
tration of industry and impoyerishment of
the people, than that which followed
that Democratic success. 1t is because
OF the 'prostration of industry and i'm
poverishment OF the people, through the
| operations of the Democratic party that
its leaders now abandon their time honor
ed principles and ask restoration to power
on currency proposition which has been
discarded by the most progressive nations
of the world and is being rejected by
others as rapidly as possible.
A Big State Fair.