The Republican journal., 1898-03-24
Our Washington Letter.

WASHINGTON, D. c., March p, 1898.
The developments of the opening week OF
the second year of President Mckinley's
administration must have been very graft
flying to the President and his immediate
supporters; certainly they were gratifying
to his friends and members of his party
generally. That they can but be CRAFTY
ing to American citizens irrespective of
party is equally apparent The fourth OF
March was celebrated by newspapers in
every part of the country, among them
many of Democratic faith, by publication
of editorial utterances reviewing the first
year of President McKinley's administra-
ton and expressing great satisfaction
with his course in all important matters,
and with the developments of the year
in carrying out the pledges of the party
This was Immediately followed by the
remarkable rally to his support in Wash
ington when the announcement was made
that Spain had demanded the recall of
Consul General Lee and that the Presi-
dent had refused to accede to that demand.
The scenes in Washington when this an
nouncement was made must have been
gratifying to every true American, ire
spective of party relations. Democrats
and Populists Wed with each other in
readiness and anxiety to honor the
President and commend his manly course
IN this matter and the very men who a
few weeks ago We're publicly criticising
his course in the Cuban matter were
among the first to support the PROPOSE
ton to vote men and money for national
defense under his direction.
And there is good reason for the gen
eral satisfaction which is expressed with
the President course in the various mat
tiers which have been entrusted to him,
and with his firm attitude in the crisis
which Immediately followed the opening
of his second year in the White House.
| Students of American political history re-
call no administration which has in its
first year made such progress in redeem
ing party pledges as has that of President
Mckinley. There were two great issues
in the campaign; tariff and currency; the
one has been completely fulfilled, the
other is now receiving special attention
The pledge of a revision of the tariff
has heen fully carried out BY calling a
special session of Congress Immediately
after the inauguration of the President and
prompt passage Of a tariff bill, which in
spite of the adverse conditions under
which it went into operation is now sup
plying sufficient revenue to meet the cur
rent expenses reducing importations and
so encouraging manufacturers thai the
effect is felt in increased wages, in increas-
ed employment and consequently in in
creased demand for the products Of the
farm and factory With this has come
advanced prices of products and reduc-
which the masses must buy. Cotton
goods, articles of steel and iron, boots and
shoes and various other articles of cloth
ing are quoted at lower prices than a
year ago, despite the constant assurance
of the opponents 9th protective system
that its adoption would result in higher
prices to consumers. In only a single ar
ticle of farm produce has there been re-
duction in price. That article is cotton
In oil 9th aJfi y
marked advance.
And just here it is well enough to say a
word about cotton. The silver shouters
raised great hue and cry about the fall
in the price of cotton and charged it up to
the fall in silver, which in turn they
charged to the silver legislation of the
world. 1t is the last effort to make use of
those lying tables which they paraded be-
fore the farmers of the country two years
ago and four years ago, in their attempts
to make them believe that there was some
mysterious relation between the price of
farm products and the price of silver The
Adtt 10 tLtte lily lhii VI WV PilCC VI COtloU
is due, not to silver or anything relating
thereto, but to an enormous increase in
production. The United States, as every
body knows, produces the bulk of the
cotton of the world. The cotton crop of
last year, which is just now being put up
on the market, was four times as large as
that of the year proceeding the Act of 10
The crop of 1873 was 2,974,351 bales;
that of 1897 is, according to the best esti
mates, about II, 500, 600 bales. The in
crease in production of cotton in other
parts of the world has been equally great
during the 25 years in question. So there
is now produced in the world four times
as much cotton as there was in 1872. The
increase in the population of the world in
the years since 1872 has been about 25 per
cent, according to the best statistics,
while the increase in cotton production
has been, as above shown 800 per cent
Not only SO, but the cost of production
has been very much cheapened, SO much
so that Secretary Hester of the New Or
leans Cotton Exchange, assumes that the
orOn of last wear althonpl, sold at an ax