The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-08
A RETURN TO PROSPERITY.
WHAT REV. CHAs. II. STRONG En-
PECTs OF THE COUNTRY.

NOW Has "a Right to Demand Good
Times-The Tariff TO he Dealt With
FirSt-shOuId he just So That IL
VIII Furnish All the Revenue
Needed-StabIe Currency Impor-
tant-There Has Been Too Much
War TaIIS-The Pension Business
Being OverdOne.
Rev. Charles II. Strong dealt with eco
nomic questions in his discourse at st.
Johns church last night. The tariff, the
money question, the pension list, the war
talk. and trusts and monopolies were
among his principal topics.
His text was from Joel II, IS: and I
will restore to you the years that the To-
Gust hath eaten, the cankerwoTm, and the
caterpillar and the plamerworm, my great
army which I sent among you" His sub
ject related to the country's prospects
under the new administration.
In beginning, he said it is the politi-
clans business to fight under his party
banner while it is the students work to
study and know about the questions re-
lating to prosperity and adversely. He
spoke. he said, without one speck of par
tisanship. The country has had bad days,
and it is trusted now that they are about
to pass away. The locust and the canker-
worm have eaten on the country's pros
perity for four years, and the question
which many are debating just now is
whether this will continue or will years of
prosperity be restored to the nation.
The recurrence of good times, Mr.. Strong
said, is the paramount desire of every good
citizen We have reason to demand an
era of prosperity, and there is no reason
why the country should have had four
| years of depression such as had existed.
| If we had had famine like India, a war
like Cuba, or if our country was overpop-
ulated, the question would be a serious
one but with all of our advantages and
material resources such a state of affairs
should not exist.
Whatever the cause is, Rev Mr.. Strong
| said, and there may have been many
causes there is no doubt that it has
| brought distressing results. Why, he
asked, with everything in our favor has
| our country suffered as it has? The
government of the United States should
| set good example. But the country has
run INTO debt at the rate of $50 100000 or
part to the failure of the income tax which
was no doubt relied upon as one of the
| sources of revenue
The first great question that will be set.
| tied, he said, WILDE that of the countrys
| income, and the country, he trusted will
! be made an honest debtor. There is no di-
! rect taxation under this government, but
its income comes from internal revenue
| or through the custom house. Probably
| the tariff will be so adjusted that the rev.
| enue from this source will be sufficient to
meet the country's expenses. I'VE are
| not tariff lovers in this section" he said,
| because we do not have any products
| that we want protected, but IL the coun-
| try's tariff could be so adjusted as to
| bring the receipts up to meet the expendi-
| lures, it would seem to be the proper So
| luton of the question. The country may
have been extravagant in many respects,
| but do not believe for one thing that
nothing should be curtailed which is for
the country's protection. I rejoice in ev-
| cry new battleship that Is built; / feel
| sense of qualification over every seacoast
| defense that is constructed, and l believe
| every city should have a public building
| representative of the grandeur and
| and strength of the American nation. But
! / do not hesitate to say that this great
! expense for pensions has been overdone.
| southern man in congress is in rather
| a strange position, as 1t would be rather
an ungracious thing for him to take a
| position against the payment of pensions.
| But it seems the time has come when the
| pensions list has grown larger than it
! ought to be. 1t should be roll of honor
and the names upon 1t those of men who
have done their duty by their country"
Rev. Mr.. Strong spoke of the fact that
many miilionaires are drawing pensions
| from the government The needy should
| receive them when entitled to them, but
not those who are able to take care of
themselves. There should be some man,
| he said, with courage enough to cry out
against this extravaganza.
| Suppose the receipts are made suffi-
cient to meet the expenses, another ques-
| tion," he said, (which is still with us is
will we ever have as table medium of ex-
| change? Money to be stable must have
| the intrinsic value that Is stamped upon
| It's face" The experiment of making a
| cheap money pass current with money
worth the amount stamped on its face,
| he said, has been tried more than 100 times
since the days of the old Roman empire,
and more than 100 times it has been a
| failure The man, who suffers most from
the circulation of fiat money, he said, is
the poor man, the laboring man and the
| farmer. He supposed a committee of ex-
perts would be selected to discuss some
way by which the value of all money
could be kept at par, and this he said
must be done If confidence is to be re-
stored.
Rev. Mr.. Strong said he had been trou-
bled considerably with the question of
trusts and corporations. The tendency in
these days, he said, ia to combine, and
he cited Instances to show how expenses
had been reduced by combinations of
railroads and other corporations. There
were, of course, many evils connected
with such aggregations of capital he
said, but we can have legislation which
will do away with those evils, so that
the results would be Increased produce
ton and decreased cost to the consumer.
The agitation between labor and capi-
tai he said, is often sad to contemplate.
In many sections the farmer and the
laboring man were so situated, he said.
that they never have opportunities of
posting themselves on the economic ques-
tons of the day. The consequence is
some agitator comes along with a pan
acea for all their ills, is elected to some
office. and in the end decelves them, or.
al best, does them no good. Labor and
capital should be to each other as hus-
band and wife. This may be an optimis-
Nl.,