The Van Buren press., 1899-02-25

and shrinking values. The Republican
party promised that II they were in
trusted with power all this would De
changed. and that prosperity should
succeed existing conditions. Mr.. Me-
Kinley and the gold press now assure
the country that we have prosperity
There Is quite a boom in stock specuia
tions IN Wall street. bat Wall street Is
nos the country. a. we believe. A great
famine and a short crop OF wheat all
over the world. except in the United
States. naturally raised the price Of
wheat while these conditions lasted. and
the benefcent effects Of this temporary
advance In the price Of single article.
which WAS 50 marked IN the short period
it continued. Is likely To stimulate =
desire for a return to that condition
permanently and an extension Of it TO
all other products. This il our pur-
pose. and was our purpose in 1898, when
TIE Republican party denounced any
effort to increase prices rs crime
dow do you account for the activity
In busiuess7
There has been necessarily an in
creased demand for labor within the last
few months, az the resaIt Of the with
draNal Of large numbers Of American
citizens from the ordinary walks Of life
10 be employed In the army whose
places had to be filed. There has also
been an increased activity in and de-
mand for all products which were nec-
essary to the maintenance and support
Of large army. But all these cOndi-
tiOns are ia the very nature OF things
temporary. and all Of us know that they
must pass away with the end OF the
conditions which brought them into
life. Making due allowance for the In
hnsnee Of these three causes on the
present condition Of the country there
is today as mach dissatisfaction aud al
much cause for It as there was In 1898.
No relief was or is 10 be expected under
Republican management, except snch
as comes by famine abroad and war at
home. A condition Of constantly fall
ing general prices is everywhere recog
nized a. condition Of distress and hard
times, and speculation excitement In
Wall street does not change this. We
believe that small volume of money
forces prices down hence We have urged
the coinage Of our silver as well ~ Of
our g0ld-nDt only to check this grind
ing fall IN prizes. buf to - enofr stead
lily advancing prices
Then yOu think the Chicago plat
form is gaining ground?
4 most certainly do In the cleo
tions of last year th- principles # that
platform Were not the Ieaiing aad *
elusive issues in ali sections Of ia
country These were partially oDscurrd
in many states and districts The aaes-
tiDn Of Dimetallism. the Republican ef-
fort to retire the oreenbacks and - con-
fer upon the national banks the absoI1fe
control Of the volume Of paper m5ne5
and to surrender the country to he
trusts. were. in many sections. for the
time being. lost sight Of in fhe exit
meat of the war and its resulting qu-s-
ti0ns and In others they were side
tracked by efforts to substitute local is.
sues in their stead The result was
great loss Of interest and large falling
off In the vote. with apparently un-
favorable results in the Democratic
party. In Colorado. where national Is
snes were at the front and dominant,
the interest in the election was intense
the vote large and our majority over
whelming. In states where it was
stated, whether traly or not. that there
WAS au intention on the part Of the
Democratic managers to siaetraek the
great issue. with the purpose Of nlti-
mately bringing the party in national
convention back TO the practice of shuf-
fling and evasion, so long persisted in by
the Republicans. the interest was not
great. the vote was not full and the re-
suits were not conclusive. There was,
however. one great and valuable result
all reasonable men are now satisfied
that straddling and lodging are not
popular. The next Democratic Nation
ri Convention will speak ont again in
the same clear. uneqnivocal terms. and
in the same manner and on the same
lines that it did in 1896 OF this there
is no doubt, the assertions Of the Re-
publican gold press with whom the wish
Is father to the thought, to the contrary
Notwithstanding. -