Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-05-15

This bug and these worms haven't many
friends. but as sluggers in an argument with
10 to crank they are entitled to the belt
Cotton brought 81 pound In New York dur
ing the war, and so to 40 cents pound the
first year after the account OF the four
years cotton famine from 1s61 to 1865. and it
was several years getting down to its normal
price The price declined when we made too
much of it, The largest cotton crop made with
slave labor was l. gu. 80 bales, and remember
it was confidently predicted that no such crop
would ever be made with free labor The crop
of 1872 was less than B. zoo. COO bales, and
gradually increased it to little less than TO-
100000, bales in 1894 India. Egypt and Brazil
also raising larger crops of cotton The
immense crop of 1894 was thrown upon
market lily prepared to receive it. For three
years there had been less cotton goods
summed than usual. owing to the worldwide
panic and depression of business following the
Barring failure and these two conditions meet
MISREPRESENTATION and underconsumptiOn-
Some of the Populists tell US there cannot be
overproduction until every man, woman and
.hild in the world has a rotund stomach and a
FULL suit OF clothes This is based upon the
communistic idea that it is the duty of gov
eminent to take care of every loafer who is
too lazy to work for a living. and is too
temptible to waste an answer on
Prices of Corn, Hogs. Butter. Potatoes, Etc.
Have Risen Since 1878.
If the gold standard depressed wheat and
cotton, it was surely loaded at both ends. for
it has shot some things up IN price. The corn
crop Of the United States is more valuable
tIan both the wheat and cotton crops com
bined The crop of corn made just preceding
the gold standard, IN 1862 sold for 81 cents at
gold figures, and the crop of 1854 was worth A
cents in gold, and it has generally been above
the 1872 price. The oat crop is about equal to
the wheat crop. Oats were worth 20 cents in
1872 and 20 cents in 1894. Fat leee steers were
worth $40 in gold 1872 and $50 il. geld in 1885.
Eos,s worth more now than they Were in
1872 and have generally been higher than they
were then. The farmers wives get n.uch in
gold now for batter, chickens and eggs they
did in grec-slaclzs in 1572 and this crop is
plC1,. o111ai r1,p,, fbfa h 1t md on
crops combined Tobacco, potatoes. bacon,
hay. coffee, leather, whisky ard hundred
other things have not declined in price.
Labor, Land, Wool and Horses.
The labor crop is equal in value to all other
crops co1l bi2cL. and it has steadily advanced
in price Land is much more valuable in gold
now than in is.2. Notwithstanding 1t was de-
pressed by the panic of 1892 and 1853. The price
of wool has declined, but the worlds produc-
tion of it, since 1872 has doubled and the
OF it has been purity supplantcd by the of
cotton goods Horses have declined, but the
railroads, electric cars and bicycles are doing
the work they did The cost of the proCuc-
ton of article fixes its value. This is neces-
sarily so, because if the profit is large. others
will be attracted to the business until the price
is brought to its proper level. All articles man
ufactured by machinery have declined in price.
for the that with each invention the
cost of producing the article is 1cssened. HUI
genius b-.s produced more results for
cheapening production in the last 80 years
than in all the ages of the wcrld before that
time. These grand triu-llIhs of man over mat
ter, instead of showing depression from
standard of value, show forth the glory and
dignity of the human intellect, and are an I'M
mixed blessing to the whole human family
Could any outside Of 1unatic asylum at
movements of prices to one cause. and that
cause acting evenly and uniformly upon all
things alike?
What Makes Interest Low?
Interest has declined since 1872 in my part
of the country from per cent per month to
and per cent per annum. There is no deny
ing the fact that the goldbugs did that. The
south and west have saved mure On the decline
of interest than they have lost in the decline
in wheat and cotton. Interest is always low
under honest standard, among honest
people. where money is plentiful. 1t is lower
in London than in any other spot on the globe
because her standard is stable and her COM
mercial integrity has been the care of her
statesmen and her people for ages past Eng
lands punctuality in meeting her obligations
has made London the clearing house of the
world Tyre was the London of ancient times
Seated the eastern end of the Medlterra-
mean, she reigned queen of commerce for-c CEN
turtles. The scepter of commercial greatness
passed from her when her own children reared
Carthage at the other end of that Some
300 years ago England planted colonies in
America, and today the United States is Eng
lands only formidable rival for the COM
merce of the world The object lesson of an
cient history is being repeated. Ii the insati-
able mine owners by use of their millions, and
the place hunting demagogues by unctuous APP
peals to prejudice, succeed in driving this
country from the standard of civilization and
commerce., the standard lhiit announces IN
tegrity at home and inspires confidence
abroad, to a fiat standard and silver basis.
then England will have no rival to grapple
with her in the marts of the world.
More Gold and More Credits.
The third proposition is that the supply of
/ gold is insufficient to make it correct stand
ard and its scarcity will tend to depress
prices The average annual output of gold of
the world for the first half of this century, In
round numbers, was s15. 100000 From 1851 to
! 1865, covering the gold boom in California and
Australia, the yearly average was S130.0OOOO0-
The output for 1898 s155. 0OO COO and for 1894
S1S1, 900, coo. The birth rate among gold using
countries is not increasing, while the produc-
ton of gold is on the increase, just stated.
/ This answer ought to satisfy even the extreme
i 16 to peopie-the per capita" Populist-es-
pecially in view of the fact that improvements
in power and machinery being applied to
the production of gold, while the genius of in
vention finds no inducement offered nor Held
for operation in the population business.
My next answer is that the more highly en-
lightened the world becomes, and the greater
the improvements in business methods. the
less necessity there IS for the use of actual
money OF any kind Steam and electricity
have knitted civilized people together that
they are practically one community Business