Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-14
WAVE OF PROSPERITY.
Advocates of Cheap Money
Admit 1T is Here.

{huN al oh z NlohtS
Admit it is Here.
Philadelphia Press.
The wave of prosperity which began to
rise as soon as it became known that Nc
Kinley had been elected president in 1896
and the fear Of free silver coinage was dis
sipated has reached such proportions that
even the most strenuous advocate of free
silver cannot deny its presence. The news
papers that two years ago were the most
earnest in claiming that no return of bust
ness activity was possible without the free
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to / Of
gold are as ready to acknowledge it and
rejoice over it as the advocates Of a gold
standard.
There has been no more earnest and able
supporters of what has come to be known
as Organism than the Atlanta Constitution.
1t was largely through the efforts of that
newspaper that free silverism gained the
popularity it did in the south. The low
price of cotton, the general depression in
the farming interests of that neighborhood
and the loss Of business activity were
ascribed to the lack OF an adequate cur
rency and this lack was claimed to be ow-
ing to the decentralization of silver. BY
theoretically and persistently preaching this
creed the Constitution sowed the seed for
a rank growth of Organism in the south and
the adoption of a free silver platform at
Chicago in 1896.
Bryan was, however, defeated and the
free coinage of silver went down with him.
But while the policy which the Constitu-
ton claimed could alone bring prosperity
was not adopted that newspaper freely ad-
mits that prosperity has returned. 1t said
a few days ago:
THE outlook is wonderfully bright. 1t is
time to clear the decks for business. Re-
member that this coming boom will be
general. The south will be in it. Georgia
VIII be at the front. Atlanta will be near
the head of the procession. Get ready for
the best Thanksgiving day and the brightest
Christmas that have been seen in some
years. There will be a jubilee winter ahead
OF us. Hats off to our welcome visitor,
Prosperity"
This is a frank acknowledgment by the
leadlng Bryan organ in the south that free
silver Is not necessary to prosperity. But
the Constitution is not alone in admitting
the situation. The Denver Times, published
In the hotbed of free sllverism and among
the free silver camps, comedies that Colo
RADIO is wonderfully prosperous and that
this situation is due to the large increase
In the gold production of the state. AS
Georgia In the south and Colorado in the
west were the chief centers of the free
silver Juror in 1895 their acknowledged
prosperity now may be taken as an index
OF business conditions In other states which
advocated free coinage. Among the sound
money newspapers the Louisville Courier
Journal can be selected as an index of the
opinion prevailing among the single stand
ard advocates. It says:
THE wealth of the country having been
immensely increased there is a wonderful
subsistence of all political agitation. The
currency question has been buried, and the
operations of the tariff have been so OBJ
scured by the new war revenue legislation
that no disturbance to business is likely to
come from its discussion. Under the cir
cumstances with peace at home the indica-
tions point to such uneXampled prosperity
that 1t will wipe out the remembrance OF the
four lean years that have preceded this"
Plenty of statements as to the condition
of prosperity present and 10 come could be
reprinted from republican newspapers all
over the country, but those selected are the
ones from which such an acknowledgements
would be least expected. With the largest
wheat crop ever grown and one of the
largest corn crops, with the yield of gold
surprising that Of any previous year and
with the impulse given by the successful
termination of the war, the American peo-
pie are destined to see the prosperity, al
ready begun, develop and broaden into such
an era Of good times as the world has never
known