Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-19
IS no REpUBLIcAg PRosprRITy


Five years ago the republican party
resumed control Of the administration of
national affairs after four years of demo
cratic rule, during which the country
had experienced one of the severest in
dustrial and commercial depressions in
its history. When the republican party
was restored to power hundreds of mills
and factories were idle and hundreds Of
thousands of people were without en-
ployment. Both our foreign and domes-
tic commerce had made little If any
progress in the preceding four years.
There had been financial distrust and
an indisposition on the part Of capital
to invest in new enterprises. The great
transportation interest was Improbable
as a whole. The agricultural producers
were not making money. The wages of
labor were lower than they had been
for a number Of years. The consump-
ton of the products of the farm and
factory had materially declined.
The republican party promised to rem
edy this unhappy condition. 1t made
provision for doing so as soon as posi-
BILE. Indeed, Immediately after the cleo
ton of 1896 the business situation began
to improve and there was a steadily
rising tide of prosperity. The industries
of the country became active and con-
tinuc so. The demand for skilled labor
grew until it exceeded the supply and
wages increased. Our foreign and do
nestle grew with unprece-
dented rapidity. Transportation and
agricultural production became profit
able. The consuming power Of the
people was greatly increased.
The country is still prosperous. All
Industries are in active operation, the
great iron and steel industry, which
perhaps best reflects the general pros
perity, having business which assures at
least another year of undlminished ac-
tivity. The great transportation interest
is making good earnings, which promise
for the current year, if crops are ia
vorable, to equal If not exceed the high
water mark of last year. There Is little
idle labor in the country and in some
portions the demand is in excess of the
supply. The March bulletin of the New
York department of labor states that
during the fourth quarter of 1901 only
4.6 per emf Of the members of labor or
CARNATIONS in the state were idle as
compared with SO per cent for the same
organizations in the corresponding
period of the previous year, when the
idleness was less than 1t had been in
any of the preceding years. Undoubt-
eddy the percentage has since been re-
duced and the labor situation in New
York may fairly be accepted as an index
for the entire country.
One of the most striking results of
the prosperity under republican policy
during the last five years is the statis-
tics of savings banks. Equally valu-
able evidence Of the benefit of this
policy to the agricultural producers is
the great amour of mortgage indebt-
edness paid of. aggregating hundreds
of millions of dollars. In short, there
is not an industrial or commercial in
terest that has not shared in the re-
markable prosperity which has pre-
vailed since the republican party re-
turned to power five years ago and labor
in this country is as a whole better Off
today than at any previous time in u
history. Demagogues may sheer as they
will at republican prosperity" but it is
a most substantial fact, attested not only
by indisputable statistics, but by the uni
versal personal experience of the Amerl-
can people. The financial, industrial
and commercial progress of the United
States during the last five years is with
out a parallel in the history Of any
other country.