The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-03
When Ii Ebbs Times Are Bad and
When 1t Is on the Flood the COun-
try Is in Good Shape.
TALK WITH THE TREASURER
WHAT MIR. ROBERTS SAYS ABOUT
THE REMARKABLE SHOWING.
An Indication that the Nation Is En-.
joying an Era of Prosperity
Never Before ParalIeIed.
Special to the Indianapolis journal.

Special to the indianapolis journal.
WASHINGTON, May 2.-Oficials of tle
Treasury Department are much gratifie1
over the unprecedented magnificent show
ing which has been made by the gold fund
OF the department during the past few
weeks There has been such a steady climb
in the sum total OF this fund that the Off
Gals of the department congra tulate them
selves upon holding the largest gold reserve
that any nation on earth can boast of.
In speaking of the subject to-day United
States Treasurer Roberts said: THE goll
fund In the treasury now amounts to s501,-
469,i6S This is made up follows: The
reserve fund, S5O.00O,Ooo; held against gold
certificates. s2S3, Al. 1883, and In the general
fund, $6s.027. .479. This total includes both
coin and bullion, and the average fund held
during the past month has been the highest
in the history of the government. The
highest figure ever attained by the fund
was reached onsApril "a of this year, when
the total reached TO the $500, 3.1l9 mark
The diminution since then has been little
less than a million of dollars, and OF
course. there is virtually no significance in
the drop When ii is considered that six
CT seven years ago this fund amounted to IA
sum less than 800. .000,O 900 the exact amount
can be better appreciated. When the furd
was ebbing at that time IL was found neces-
sary by the national administration to issue
Londs to stay the inroads which were being
made upon IL. due to demands from the
money centers, and II was not without IN
volving the government in considerable debt
that the fund was maintained at the lowest
figure permissible
nr1 no faa Of
the earth which holds so much gold in its
treasury as the United States now has In
its Golfers. Russia, England. France and
other great money powers of Europe have
from time TO time held amounts of COM
mensurate value in their treasures, but at
the present time we have any and all Of
them beaten by large margin.
What is to be deduced from these re-
markable figures? In the first place they
show that the revenues of the government
are being paid largely in gold, and that
that metal is becoming more and more the
currency of the Nation the amount in
creases and is made part of the assets OF
the government Here is a lesson to the
free silver advocates. The cry has all along
been that there was no enough gold in the
world 10 justify all nations in adopting the
tify the gold standard law and prove that
there is q sufficiency of the yellow metal TO
comply with all the demands of national
and international business.
THE figures likewise show that this cour-
try holds by far the largest gold fund in
the world. while al the time import
irg a good proportion of the metal from
abroad. 1t is true that the bulk of the
the Klondike and Alaska generally, but at
the same time Australia contributes her
share to our treasury. The figures show
that during the year ending June 80, 1900,
81, ,7S9 ,3O6 in gold was imported from Aus
trala, while during the eight months end
ing Feb. 2S, 1901, the of $17.5ss. S66 came
into the country from that source. Thus
X is shown that the fund is not made UP
exclusively of our ow1 product, but that
gcodly share has come from abroad.
THE most forceful lesson which is taught
Ivy the reserve, however, is the fact that
the country is enjoying an unusually mark
ed degree of prosperity. The gold fund has
come to be regarded as the barometer of
rational business conditions When it ebbs
business generally is found TO be in bad
shape, and when 1t is on the flood it will
be found upon investigation that the coun-
try is i'm good shape. Such is the reading at
the present time. The more gold the more
prosperity, and in view Of the fact that
the fund has reached its highest point, it
is pretty safe to assume that the business
conditions now prevailing occupy an uE-
paralleled position in the industrial history
u the country. At present there is nothing
to indicate that there will be a dminution
:r this fund. From present indications, in
deed. il is likely to maintain it's high figure
for an indefinite period"