Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1897-08-14

had formerly been accustomed t.
retain for themselves. President Nc
Kinley modified this, allowing them
to keep certain Of the fees, but made
his modification extend only to con.
suls who were receiving salaries 81
| s., 600 per annum or less. The crit.
cism which Democratic editors had
thus hoped to be able to heap upon
President Mckinley in regard to this
order fails to become available.
Those people who are accusing
Senator German Of straddling again
on the silver question should again
read the platform which his conven-
tion adopted, and they will see that
he and his party are not straddling
and have merely taken their position
upon the Republican platform of last
year which declared for international
bimetallism, and which the Maryland
Democratic platform now so cordially
commends.
Farmers of the West are now hav-
ing as much difficulty in getting
freight cars to remove their crops as
they were a couple of years ago in
getting crops to put into the freight
cars. Thousands upon thousands Of
freight cars which have been standing
idle since the summer OF 1893 are
now rushing day and night to carry
the abundant crops Of the West, for
which advanced prices are being
obtained, despite the fact that silver
has steadily fallen meantime.
If silver goes on declining during
the next three years at the rate which
it has declined during the last twelve
months, Mr.. Bryan in 1900 will have
to argue for about ten-cent dollar.
The value of the metal in a silver dol
lar is but about - cents now, while a
year ago it was IS cents. Yet the in
consistency of proposing to permit
people to pass S. cents worth OF sill
yer for dollar is not so much less
than similar proposition with refer
ence to 10 cents worth OF metal when
the principle Of the thing is taken in
to consideration.
The man or woman who contrasts
present conditions under President
Mckinley and the Republican admin
istration with those of four years ago
under a Democratic President and
Congress will realize to some extent
the value of Republican methods as
compared with those Of the Demo-
cratic party. -Four years ago banks
and business houses were tumbling in
every direction, and the people were
confronted with low prices, financial
panic, and general depression, yet
the Democracy did nothing except to
add to the depression and distress by
passing a tariff act which closed thou
sands of factories and threw hundreds
Of thousands of men and women out
of employment. The present admin.
istration has given new life to the
o-,,..t~,, Nth ,fc fa~;m lo,x &c ,>xc,,. :, .
action on international bimetallism,
and there is prospect that the Secre-
tary of the Treasury will present to
Congress when it meets in its regular
session currency measure which will
insure sound money and continued
prosperity and safety to business in.
terests and working men and women.
''Bradstreets. which is recognized
as a most conservative publication
summaries the business situation:
q. That the crops are good.
-. That the price of wheat and
cotton has SO greatly advanced as to
pour scores Of millions of dollars into
the laps of the farmers. while the
price Of other staples has advanced
in sympathy with these
g. That short crops in Europe
India, and Argentina assure a contin,
uance Of these high prices during the
market season.
-. That merchants everywher,
are replenishing their stocks of goods
as they have not done for seyera
years past.
IS. That in consequence railroad
earnings everywhere show improve
ment.
20 That there are already signs o
t revival in industry, the manufactur
ers beginning to anticipate the new
: demand for goods.
Y. That our exports for the las
: year have been so enormously in ex
cess OF our imports as to make u
; very heavily creditor nation