Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-08-23
STATISTICS VS.. IMAGINATION.
A Compilation Ci the Achievements o! Repub.
lcan Pri ciples Since sc.

( The Republican national committee
\ has Nix big presses at work ia New
I York, night ana day. printing the cam
/ paign text book. The book opens with
/ the statement that four great facts
seem to Justify the Republican rarty
Ill asking the voters WI the United
( States TO continue il in control OF the
affairs Of the government: First. the
pr1mptness With which ID has fulfilled
tha pledges of its platform IuIl which
I it successfully appealed to thr propi"
! in 1886: second. the prosperity which
has come ~ Am classes nf our citizens
with ana as result ~ the fulfill m-lt
of those pledges, third. the evidence
which that prosperity furnishes II the
fallacy Of the principles Offered hy the
opposing parties ia 1896 ana still sup
ported by them; ana fourth. the adj
NantageS To- our country. our commerce
and our people in the extension Of area.
commerce ana international influence
which have unexpectedly come AS an
incident Of the fulhilmeut ~ enc of the
important pledges of the platform Of
1926. and with it The opportunity for
benetiting the people Of the territory
affected"
The matter following this assertion
is a presentation of statistical evidence
M the prosperity which has come tn
the four great classes Of Citizens-thc
business element. the manufacturers
the farmers and the Workiugmen
Among the facts cited in evidence Of
business Improvement under the Ne
knley administration are: The reduC-
lion in failures from $S46.Q00. 600 in 1893
ana $226 600 900 in 1896 To 500 600 900 in
1899; the increase Of clearing house re-
turns from So 000 00A in 1896 to $50. 900. y
600 in 1899: an increase of 80 900. 000
tons Of freight carried by the railways
III 1S9S ~ compared with 1924, aud an
increase az more than $2.Oo0, 600 600 "
bank deposits in 1899 as compared with
1884, This great business activity.
coupled with heavy exports and light
imports. which are shown To have Al
ways accompanied the protective sys-
TEN, has resulted in an enormous in
crease of the money in circulation. de-
spite the assertions constantly made III
1896 that there could Toe no material in
crease in the circulating medium with
out imitation by means Of free coinage
If silver. Notwithstanding the rejec-
ton of that proposition, the money in
circulation in the United States in
creased from 81, 500. 43i ,96G at the date of
Mr., Brydn's 1896 nomination to 81. 0s2.
42a, 1876 at the date Of his nomination iii
1900. while the gold and gold certificates
in circulation. which in July. 1896, were
but Si97 900 600, We're in July, 1900, SSl5,-
$4,000. the per capita Of circulation
thus increasing from $2110 at the date
Of the Chicago convention of 1896 to
$3.50 at the date of the Kansas City
convention Of 1900
OF the manufacturers the book shows
their prosperity from the enormous in
crease in the amount of raw materials
which they require for use in manu-
featuring ana the equally striking in
crease of the exports of their finished
products. The importations of raw
materials for use in manufacturing.
which in the Democratic year 1894
amounted to only $13S go, 1876 and
formed only 81 per cent. of the total
importations, We're in the year 1900
$500 '2Gfl06 and formed So per cent. Of
the total importations. while the ~
portations of finished manufactures.
which in 1894 amounted to but S1S3.72S.
''o e'Alt 4'i iIich Il per cent. OF the total
exports. were in 1900 $432. 2S4. 3G6 ana
formed 81 per cent. of the total ex-
ports.
The evidence Of agricultural pros
perlty under protection and sound
money as compared with conditions
under low tariff and currency agitation
IS even more strongly marked. The
growth in consumption OF farm prod
ucts among our own people under III
creased industrial activity and in
creased earnings is plainly shown in
the higher prices obtained by farmers
and in the remarkable increase in the
value of their crops and farm animals
The consumption of wheat in the
United States. which had ranged in the
vicinity Of six bushels per capita IN
der the activities Of the protective
tariff years, fell as low as three and
one-half bushels per capita under the
low tariff and the business and manu-
featuring depression which accom-
panied it. but returned again to prac-
tically six bushels per capita in 1899
Home consumption in other lines of
farm products is equally affected by
or adversely in the great
business ana industrial interests Of the