Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-08-30
EXPENSIvENEsS OF BRyANlSM.
Reasons Why the Nation Could Better Afford TO Give the Demo.
cratic Candidate Royal Pension han to
Suffer Him to Be President
Dividends to Labor, Wealth to Farmers, and
Rich Strike to Miners.

GO THE American business man
as W. ]. Bryan -four years ago de
fined him. including the Man
who is employed for wages" the "Mer
chant at the crossroads store" the
Farmer who goes forth in the morn
ing and tolls all day. and begins in the
spring and tolls all summer the Min
ers who go thousand feet into the
EARTH" the Attorney in the country
town." etc, the last four years of Re
publican. rule have wrought remark.
able benefits.
The Prosperity Chapter Interesting.
The Republican platform of 1896 pro-
fessed full assurance that the cleo
ton would bring victory to the Repub-
lican party and prosperity to the people
of the United States" How prosperity
followed in sequence to the Republican
victory in 1896 constitutes indeed a re-
markably interesting chapter of AmeH-
can histoiy-a chapter which must al
ways bring home to the hearts Of the
sneople, with grateful force,
n kath its victories
no less renowned than war.
Lest we forget" the causes and be-
come ungrateful for the prosperity which
during the last fouryears has become the
all important incident OF our happy ex-
istence as people. the reading in black
and white of the record of prosperity is
at this time very timely. Future success
must always be based OH the lessons OF
past experience. II the American people
are TO continue in the prosperity which
they have been enjoying the last four
years, il is by considering with serious
earnesfness the data Of such prosperity.
making thereon the one possible decision,
and expressing such decision with salu-
tary emphasis at the polls this next No
vember.
The MASSES" the Foundation.
In the remarkable speech four years
ago by which Mr.. Bryan sprang into
fame and into the nomination for the
presidency. he expressed the Democrat
ic idea that IL you make the masses pros
porous their prosperity win find its way
up and through every class and rest
upon IL"
Z. Literally indeed has this general ex-
preston of an old idp been fulfilled by
the Republican party under President
Mckinley.
1t is one thing to have a rather indeh-
mite idea as to what a desirable result
would be- II is another thing to success,
fully accomplish such result.
Both the Republican and the Demo-
cratic parties made their promises in
1896 to restore prosperity to the people.
The masses saw through the quackery Of
the Democratic plan Of being made pros
porous by the payment Of wages in 49,
cent dollars, so they turned down Bryan
and elected Mckinley President.
Mr.. Mckinley had somewhat facetious-
ly been termed '.the advance agent Of
prosperity" SO soon as he was elected
Democratic organs got themselves ready
for sncering interrogatories Of why
don't the show Gomez II came, however,
with such startling promptness as to pro-
duce the bewlderment OF despair among
the few whose own prosperity was de-
peadent on unrestful despair among the
masses The prosperity ''show" was soon
found to be no humbug. The people had
indeed not been deceived by the advance
agent" They were soon getting more
than they had really dared to expect.
The Unlocking of Money.
The first manifestation Of the prosper
fly movement was the unlocking Of vast
sums of money from boarding. and the
placing Of it on deposit at the banks. Tue
statements of banks during the autumn
aud winter months of 1867 showed
heavy and steady increases In deposits.
There were also striking gains in clear
ings indicating a greater rapidity in the
movements Of money. While the first
Republican measure positively conducive
10 the present prosperity was the Ding
ley tariff bill. which did not become a
law until July "a, 1897, yet general bust
ness waited not for its passage before
"discounting' the great Improvement in
general conditions which it was obvi-
Gus would soon ensue.
When 1897 began the gloom Of four
years OF Democratic hard times was still
hanging over the country, discouraging
enterprise and blighting such industries
as tried to exist. With the Inauguration
OF President Mckinley. the vast institu.
ton of business credit. on which is yitally
dependent the industrial prosperity of all
classes of people. began at once to re-
cover from the destructive effects OF the
four years of panic-breeding silver agita-
rion and from the general loss Of conf
dcnee caused by the fiscal blunders OF the
Cleveland administration.
The overwhelming defeat of Bryan the
preceding November had given the coun-
try the idea that free silver was dead"
issue, and that the Democratic party
would not have the inconceivable temer-
ity TO revive 1t four years later, and in
cidentally Bryan. whose chief god was
the silver idol.
The free trade policy of President
Cleveland had done harm in two ways
Primarily 1t had resulted in the closing
OF mills the country over, the driving out
OF employment Of thousands of American