The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-09-24
PROsPeRlTYISTne ISSUE
BY Walter j. Ballard.

| lib 10 u year. Inc luTp
est supply Of gold ever held by single
nation Is s59S 900. 900. held by Russia wher
preparing to establish gold standard.
Census of manufactures:
| 1860. 1890.
Establishments IS 5io3a9 355.41;
Capital ........... $685. 0S6,909 6,525, 156, 4St
Salaried officials
clerks ........ 397,l74 461,O ,OOs
| Salaries ........... 4O4,230.2I4 391 ,9SS, 20;
| Wage earners.... 5316.S02 4251, 81;
Total wages..... 2,32S 69l ,254 1891 22S,321
Miscellaneous ex-
penses ......... 1,O2s,o35,611 63l,225,93;
| Cost OF material
used ............. 7,sis1i4,755 5.162. ,O7t
Value of produce 1904 2S7. 49S 9,372, ,437, ,2S5
The chief end of the Democratic party
seems to be the erection of dark toned
backgrounds. composed Of vague theoriz-
Ing. which, when completed serve to
throw Republican clear-cut action into
| bold relief.
The Democrats had best let the "Pros-
perity' argument alone. They may find
that 1t Is loaded. The people can't be
fooled on this subject. at least, and II
their attention Is too frequently directed
to 1t they may begin voting the Republic
can ticket. The thing for Democrats to
do is to keep on denying that there is
any prosperity. They will then be on
| conservative and eminently Democratic
ground.
Exports of manufactured articles ready
| for consumption in July were $l5 1S7, 1913,
against GIG in the same month last
year. This is a large gain and indicates
a steady increase abroad in the popular
ity of American manufactures.-St. Louis
Globe Democrat.
And the figures knock out a whole big
volume of pessimstic Free Trade critl-
cism, the tenor of which was that our
foreign trade was going to the dogs, all
on account of Protection. And this Of
course In utter disregard of the fact that
our exports Of late years have been larg
er than ever before.--Troy Times.
"a protective tariff insures the farmer
against the disaster that would other
wise attend a short crop, because the
people can afford to pay the enhanced
price. That Is why the farmer got nearly
twice as much for his short corn crop
of last year as he did for the good crop
of 1896. I showed in this chamber two
years ago that the farmers of the coun-
try lost $10,0OO,OOO.OOO because Of low tar
iff agitation and operation. Since the
Dingley law went into effect they have
gained in increased prices and enhanced
values much more than this amount.
They have paid off mortgages to the
amount of many millions: they have
bought millions of dollars worth of new
machinery and implements; they have
improved their property, and many farm
values are today double what they were
in 1895 and 1886. "--Senator Gallinger
The crop reports indicate a big yield
of grain throughout the world, with the
United States, of course, far in the lead.
But, while the aggregate worlds harvest
Will be large. In number of European
and Asiatic countries there will be de-
fcit between supply and demand. This
assures heavy exports of American grain
and flour to meet the foreign shortage.
The American farmer will produce this
year 1000, 100000 bushels more corn than
he did in 1901. This means, at a low av-
erage price, the addition of about $780,
100000 to the wealth of the country, of
which of course each corn producer will
get his proportionate share. Corn is the
king crop of the United States, and the
king Is royalty generous this year.
Traffic in iron and steel originating in
Southern producing territory during the
first seven months of this year amounted
to 1,131,275 tons, compared with S57,75O
tons for the corresponding period OF 1901
How does this Bryanite utterance of
1896 sound now, in these later days? "If
Mckinley and the Republican party are
successful and put in power for the next
four years. wages will be decreased.
Hard times will come upon us and over
down and the price of gold will go up.
Mortgages on our farms will be fore
closed by the money lenders. Shops and
factories will be closed. We will export
no goods and we will import from for
eign lands the goods which we use. Thus
will ruin, want, and misery be with us"
There is about $574, 600, 600 in gold in the
United States treasury. That beats the
American record, and almost the worlds
record. Doesn't it seem funny to think
of how the Democratic party was talking
few years ago of the appalling scarcity
of gold?
AS Secretary Shaw says the great is
sue in the present campaign is, "rhey are
working now" The voters will see to
1t. too. that everybody who wants work
is kept at work.
Boots and shoes to tho value of s4.694,-
545 were bought abroad last year by the
United Kingdom. We got s. 1866 of the
money.
During the half year to the end of
June, 1901, there arrived at San Francisco
13,3l5,o22 bushels of wheat. For the half
year to the end of June, 1902, the total re-
ceipts We're 17.125,773 bushels, being gain
of 2S6 per cent. over the receipts of the
preceding year.
The great railroad corpora tions evil
IDENTIFY believed that the prosperous con-
dition of the country Is to continue. for
they are increasing their equipment of
freight cars and engines. The Pennsyl-
vana railroad, which has four large
shops for building its own engines. cannot
turn them out fast enough and will have
four hundred heavy freight locomotives
built by outside firms. the Baldwin Loco
motive works having received an order
for go of the engines. Larger freight
cars are to be built by the thousands. and
millions of dollars will be spent In i'm
proving the road, so as to handle freight
In larger quantities and more exped-
tiously.
The far-sighted capitalists who man.
age the great railroad systems of the
country are counting upon continuation
of the protective policy in national af-
fairs. which has brought about a cond-
ton" of prosperity uneXampled in the