The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-09-13
PEOPLE NOT FOOLS.
Silly Claim That Republicans Caus.
ed Prosperity Is Derlded.

Silly Claim That Republicans Caus-
ed Prosperity Is Derlded.
Who was it said the United States
had population of so many millions,
s.mostly fools?"
The National Republican Committee,
at any rate, shares in the opinion, to
judge from the Chairman Text Book il
has just issued.
One expects partisan grouping of
facts and statistics in such volume.
but when all the ills that preceded and
attended the panic Of lS93 are laid at
the door of Mr.. Cleveland and the dem.
ocrats, while all the attributes and ben.
Efficient gifts of the Almighty are claim.
ed for Mr.. Mckinley the book becomes
ridiculous.
Despite the opinion of cynics, the
American people are not fools; and this
perversion of facts is SO gross as to ex-
cite the derision Of intelligent and fair
minded republicans. They know that
following the repeal Of the Sherman law
there was a gradual recovery from the
effects OF the panic, and the pent-up
energies of years found vent in every
field of activity. They know also that
record breaking crops at home coinci.
dent with drought and famine abroad
made high prices for breadstuffs in the
worlds markets and keen demand for
the surplus of our farms. But the text
book assures the farmer that the higher
prices for his products we're due to the
duties on agricultural products under
the Dingley law, and tells him that
idle men, tramps and souphouses, ia.
miliar sights under democratic rule,
could furnish but poor markets for farm
products"
lnaslnuch as our imports of farm pro-
ducts average about two millions year,
while our exports run into hundreds of
millions. it would seem rather difficult
to adduce any hard facts to "fool the
farmer" on this subject, so the com.
pliers of the text book remark that
"many instances might be cited" but
that "a single example will be all that
is required" and proceed to state that
the Dingley law, by restoring the duties
on eggs to cents dozen, checked the
importation of "this article of foreign
production!y
The is that in the three years
preca Dresent one our crops Of
WI Rargest ever known, and
u @ but sa9. .Qoe. G
less thsR sla5, 10, etis nm n N
McKinle, and the Dingley law make
the rains fall at home and cause the
drought and famine abroad? If they
caused that expansion to $l45, ,OOO, 900
they must be equally responsible for
the contraction to $73,O0O,OOO- tor our
exports of wheat in the fiscal year just
ended. A few years ago our yearly ex-
ports of pig copper were $4,000. 600.
Last year they were $56,OOO.OOO 1t
will scarcely be claimed that the Re-
publican Administration caused the ex-
pansion of electric enterprises in foreign
countries which made the increased de-
mand for the product of our mines.
And yet this is done indirectly by in
Guiding the figures for copper ingots
and other almost crude natural pro-
ducts in the volume of ''manufactures'
exported. The. growth in our foreign
trade resulting from the general develop
ment of commerce and increase Of pop
ulation-for which the republicans can
claim no more credit than the democrats
Is all ascribed to the Mckinley admin.
istration.
It's needless TO pursue the theme.
Political prejudices in this country are
not SO intense as to blind even partisans
to the absurdity Of these and hundred
similar statements packed into the 43O
pages of the text book. Party mana
gers should really give the people credit
for little intelligence. New York
Herald.
The rumblings from New York are