Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-01-18
A MIRACLE OF THREE YEARS,
4 Comparison OF Democratic PPsdie
tions AMI Republican Psrfos mAncss
Ono Always Right aad the

tions AMI Republican Performances
Ono Always Right aad the
| Other Always wfoas
Hard times are with US, the coun.
try is distracted; very few things are
marketable at a price above the cost
of production; tens Of thousands are
out Of employment; the jails, peniten-
tiaries work houses and insane asy-
lums are full; the gold reserve at
Washington is sinking; the govern
ment is running at loss with a
deficit in every department; huge
debt hangs like an appalling cloud
over the country; taxes have assumed
the Importance of mortgage, and
50 per cent Of the public revenues are
likely to 60 delinquent; hungered and
half starved men are banding into
armies and marching toward WASH.
ington; the cry of distress is heard on
every hand; business Is paralyzed;
commerce is at a standstill; riots and
strikes prevail throughout the land;
schemes to remedy our ills wh.n put
into execution are smashed like box
cars in railroad wreck, and Wall
street looks in vain for an excuse to
account for the failure Of prosperity
to return since the repeal Of the silve,
purchase act"
The above paragraph was written
by W. H. Harvey for his famous little
book Coins Financial School," IL
1895 1t assumed to be correct rep.
resentation of the conditions OF that
time. The book was written to prove
that these were our conditions, and
that the only thing which would save
us from the impending disaster and
restore us to prosperity, would be the
election Of William Jennings Bryan,
and the subsequent adoption OF law
providing for the free and unlimited
coinage Of silver at ration of 10 to |
with gold The followers Of Mr. Bry-
an and Mr. Harvey told us that the
election of President Mckinley would
only darken the picture given above,
They assured us that Mr.. McKinley's
success at the polls would bring us a
panic which would cause the total de-
struction Of all prices, and that farm
ers would be selling their wheat for
twenty-five cents bushel
There can be no controversy over
the condition which confronted us in
1896 any more than there can be q
controversy over the prosperous con-
dition which confronts us now. r.
G. Dun & Co.. Weekly Review OF
Trade for the first week in October OF
1896 tells us that 1.-THE complete re.
port Of the failures in business for
the quarter which was then ending
showed an increase which was alarm.
ing In number, it was only 0 per
cent less than the panic quarter Of
1893 Manufacturing liabilities were
S32, 46s, 926, or 81 per cent greater than
In the same quarter Of 1898, while
trading liabilities were SIS, TAO, 2l7 and
other commercial liabilities were
S2,O67, 2sa To this must be added
81, 7l2,06O liabilities in fifty bank
failures, making exclusive Of railways
Ss5, 900, 200 In q single quarter. Com
parsons are given showing that in
twenty-five years, only once before
have defaulted liabilities been SC large
as they were in the quarter en- ding in
October, 1895
The Republicans in their campaign
that year did not deny that condl-
tions were dubious, but they asserted
that free silver at the ratio Of 10 to
would not correct these conditions.
President Mckinley in his speeches in
the fall OF 1896 said: at Is not an in
crease in the volume of money which
is the need OF the time, but an in
crease in the volume of business; not
open mints for the unlimited coinage
of the silver Of the world, but open
mills for the full and unrestricted
labor Of American workingmen
The condition which confronts us
to-day, certainly to the mind OF every
thinking man, proves that President
Mckinley was right h G. Dunn &
Co.'S Weekly Review Of Trade, cover
ing the same week in 1899 that this
report quotes above covered for 1896,
paints a picture so decidedly in con-
trast to the one OF 1885, that II seems
hard to believe that we are living In
the same century, Or that there could
have been 10 only three years time
such decided reversal OF conditions.
The first line Of Dunn's report In
1896 calls attention to the fact that
1.-THE number o. business failures is
alarming" The frst line Of his re-
port in 1899 for the same week calls
attention to the fact that business
continues to expand. He says:
prices are still advancing in almost
every line, supported by rising prices
OF materials, and works everywhere
are still crowded to their utmost ca
pacity, while at many points it is
found almost impossible to get
enough competent hands, The vol
ume Of business expressed in value
rises much more than prices, showing
a remarkable increase in the quantities
Of goods exchanged Failures for the
week have been only li5, as opposed
to over twice this number the year
before and several times this number
in 1894. The volume OF business
transactions this week would have
excited wonder last year and the