Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-02-17

a day, and as the expenditures of the
Government only average about that
sum during the year, there is good
reason to expect that the Treasury
will soon begin to grow surplus.
There is no report yet from those
silver statesmen who went to Japan
last summer to try to find material to
prove that that country acted un-
wisely in adopting the gold standard.
Perhaps they are holding back theiI
valuable information until the cam
paign of 1900.
Sound-money men. whatever Their
past party affiliations, will cordially
cooperate this fall in the nomination.
and election of men of their views on
the currency question. This is made
absolutely necessary by the fact that
the POpuliStS SilveriteS. and Demo
Gratis are preparing to cooperate in
the coming campaign for members OF
Congress.
Bank clearings last month in Z
cities of the United State showed a
gain of 80 per cent over January, 1897
and 30 per cent over January. 1896, 81
per cent over January, 1895 and As per
CChU ONCi 1901. w utu III II
considered that the bank statistics of
the country are the most accurate test
of business conditions, it will be
seen that the assertions of the Demo
Garlic orators and the newspapers in
the campaign of 1896 was entirely un-
founded and that the statements OF
the men who made them cannot be
trusted in the campaign upon which
tbnV 9rp now a hprt aptaripCr
More than dozen countries entered
solemn protest at Washington during
the discussion of the Dingley bill
against the enactment of that measure
intimating broadly that if it's protec-
tive duties were adopted it would COM
pei action by those countries which
would be to the disadvantage of our
expectations to them. That this was
mere empty threat is shown by de-
velOpmentS since that time. The
Dingley law was enacted without any
reference to the protests in question
and it now develops that these coun-
tries have bought more from US since
the enactment of the Dingley law
than they did in the corresponding
months Of the preceding year under
the Wilson law. The figures for JAN
| uary are not yet completed in detail
but for he five months of the Dingley
law ending December 81 1897, the eX-
portatiOnS Of the countries which pro-
tested against the Dingley bill were
So, PIT ,04o in excess of those of the
corresponding five months under the
Wilson law in the preceding year.
Germany's recent action in eXclud-
ing American fruits from her markets
upon the pretense that they bring in
to the country insects injurious to
the fruit interests is looked upon by
the officials of the Department of
Agriculture at Washington as simply
another instance of the hostility of
that country to American products.
The excuse for this action is, from in
veStigatiOnS made, without any fOun-
datiOn. 1t is very evident that the
German animuS is to be directed
against American products wherever
opportunity offers, and if opportunity
does not offer, one will be made. This
action on the part of the PrusSian
officials is similar to the action taken
sometime since affecting American
meats. Strenuous efforts have been
made by this Government to have
but Indifferent success has been met
with. 1t seems time that Germany
as we'll as all other countries which
seek to discriminate against Ameri-
can goods in particular should be
given to understand that this Govern
ment will not admit of such procedure
and it is probable that unless Germany
in this case promptly recedeS from
sharply retaliate, as he is empowered
to do under the present tariff law.
Here is table which every farmer
will want to paste in his hat for refer
ence. 1t shows the sales to other
parts of the world of products of agri-
culture by the farmers of the United
States during the last year of Presi-
dent Harrison's administration. the
four years of Cleveland's, and the
first year of McKinley's. 1t will be
observed that the years 1892 and 1897
far exceed any year during Cleve1and's
term, despite the insiStence of Dem
OcratS that low tariff cultivateS our
fereign trade. During the last year
of President Harrison's term, the eX-
portatiO1 of products of agriculture
were larger than in any proceeding
year in the history of the country,
while during the four years of Cleve-
land they fell off from 100 to $50 mill
ion per annum, increasing again in
the first year of Mckinley protection
to a larger sum than ever before in
the history of the country. The
figures are from official statements of
the Bureau of Statistics of the Trea-
sury Department, and are worth re-
Numbering and keeping for reference.
They are as follows:
EXPLORATION OF PRODUCTS OF AGRICULTURE.