Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-10-12

| Europe, destroy confidence there and
bring about the very financial panic
which is so much feared at the present
moment.
"The serious and continued depres-
sion in Europe continued Mr.. Loom
is, "even in normal times, would be a
cause of embarrassment to this coun-
try, and were it coupled with the de-
struction of confidence, and the blow
to commercial growth and expansion
which the election of Mr. Bryan will
effect, would certainly be the means of
entgulfng this country in commercial
disaster"
Communication and transit are now
so swift easy and cheap, and the
| great cardinal interests of the world
so interviewer and mutually independ-
ent that a shock at one point is i'm
medately felt and transmitted
throughout the entire complex system
In short, deep seated financial disturb
ance can no longer be localized. 1t is
certain to be worldwide in it's effects
The election of Mr.. Bryan would
have a demoralizing effect in every
great city and center in the civilized
world. Even if we were able to resist
TIE shock ourselves, it is likely, in the
course of a few months, we should be
hopelessly involved in. the European
crisis, which Democratic victory, in
the opinion of the most competent OBJ
servers, is certain to precipitate.
THE PERSONAL ISSUE.
The real issue of this campaign is
the welfare and prosperity of the Am
ericap people. The essence of all dis
cusssion at the present time, so far as
the individual voter is concerned, is:
"Shall | vote to convert a condition Of
prosperity into one of adversely? Shall
I vote to change an era of good bus-
ness into one of bankruptcy?"
The country, generally speaking, is
more prosperous now than it ever has
been. Money is accumulating rapidly
in the savings banks in every state in
the UniCn. Hundreds of mortgages
are being paid off monthly. In the
state of Ohio there were erected last
year about $4,000 new buildings, rep
resenting an outlay of some $11,0OO,-
600. Nine-tsnths of these new struc-
lures were dwelling houses. These
facts indicate prosperity. Other signs
are not wanting. The banks of the
East are lending vast sums of money
to Europe. We have become a credi-
cor nation. Our export business is
growing by leaps and bounds, records
are smashed monthly. Confidence pre-
walls, but for the moment it is held in
suspense, as it were.
There is disposition now on the
part of investors to refrain from en-
barking in new enterprises till the re-
suit Of the presidential election is
known. If President Mckinley is re-
elected, there is ample reason to be-
lieyethat good times will continue.
Capital will be invested; labor will be
employed at higher wages in many
lines because the demand will increase.
But, on the other hand if Mr.. Bryan
is elected, lack Of confidence and gem
eral feeling of doubt and uncertainty
will be swiftly engendered. There will
be well-grounded fears of a widely dis
turbing currency and tariff agitation.
We all know what that means Every
one who recalls recent history and
who has felt the stress of hard times
knows that want of confidence and
continued agitation of the tariff and
currency question produce feeling of
distress dread and uncertainty, which
is fatal to commercial and industrial
progress, and which in the end spells
disaster and bankruptcy.
All of these economic questions have
been settled for the time by the Re-
publican party and our present unex-
ampled, splendid prosperity had its
foundation and growth in that adjust
ment. Every man who is earning
wages, every man who has money to
invest, every man who conducts a bus
iness enterprise, must know that If
Bryan is elected the country will be
given over to at least four years OF
costly fruitless and ruinous agitation
OF economic measures. The man who
votes for Bryan votes to commit finan-
cial suicide. He votes to reduce his
income and to limit his business op-
portunities.
read few days ago the opinion OF
Mathew Marshall, who is perhaps the
keenest observer of and foremost writ
er on financial topics of the day, He