Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-10-15
Redemption Of PLEDGES.

Republicans have been charged with
not redeeming their pledges. This is
! a grave charge and the truth of it has
sometimes been admitted. But the
worst charge against our opponents
| in 1894 was that they did redeem
their pledges. They agreed to rip up
the tariff. They performed their
promise amid the wall OF suffering hui
| mainly The roads We're filed with
| tramps and the workingman had to
appeal for charity instead of en-
ployment. 1t is true that Mr.. Cleve-
| land did not approve the Wilson act.
| 1t was not because it was too bad,
but because it was not bad enough.
| There was not enough of free trade
| in it to suit his taste, and so he re-
fused to sign the bill and allowed it
| to become a law by the ten days linz
itation provided in the constitu-
| ton.
Return of Prosperity.
In 1896 the party of sound money
and protection was recalled to power.
We had held out great hopes of an
| Improvement in conditions If our par
| ty should be again permitted to conc
| troll the national policy But the hale
| was not told. 1t took time to repeal
the Wilson law. 1t took time to emp
| ty our warehouses of the foreign
goods that had been hastily imported
during the months of delay during
| which the Dingiey bill hung suspended
| between the two houses of congress.
But prosperity came again and was
! at first denied and then reluctantly
admitted. Under the broadly nation
al policy of our party the prosperity
did not come in spots. 1t was generaa
and complete. The consequences ali
most stagger human belief
| From 1889 to 1897 we had good years
and bad years, high tariffs and low
ones, prosperity and adversely, and the
custom house reports during that pc.
Rod of 107 years show that the net
balance of trade in favor of the Uni
ted States for the whole period de-
Quoting adverse balances from those
| favorable, only amounted to $3S3,000,e
| 00O
Effect of Dinsley Bill.
Under the Dingley act, the balance
of trade each year in our favor has
exceeded the net balance in those
| hundred and seven years; and the tos
tai balance in our favor during those
| six years reaches the incomprehensia
| Die sum OF S3,4Zi ~ ,l32.
The balance in our favor for
| 1898 was in round numbers .$615, 600, 000
| 1899 was in round numbers 529000,000
| 1900 was in round numbers 544,000,000
| 1901 was in round numbers 664 000, 600
| 1902 was in round numbers 47S.000,000
| 1903 was in round numbers 1894 100000
These figures are worthy of pro-
found study.
| The Question of Money.
| Our opponents in 1896 wanted pow
er so as to increase the currency OF
the country by the free coinage of sik
yer dollars at the ratio of sixteen tt
one.
In 1896 our circulation per capita
was $21.15, being total of $780,.
434,9
In 1908 it is s29.6O per capita, and
amounts to $2,70S, 693 ,662. We did
not remonetize silver but did relnon.
etize the farmer and the laborer.
Protection and Progress.
If you cut down a tree one hundred
and twentyseven years old and count
the rings OF annual growth, you will
| find that they are unequal Some
years thin circle will denote the
growth of a. ~. ~. 1890.
| progress of the year, whilst another
will show a prolific season by thicko
| er growth. So ii you will go back
over our national history, examining
| only the years of growth when peace
| has reigned and conditions ought to
be normal, you will find the years al
| protection are the years of progress,
And the feeblest growth is shown in
| those which mark the last experiment
of tariff reform" in the direction Of
| free trade.
| 1t seems that it ought not to be neU
essary to recall those recent demon.
! strations of the correctness of thu
protective policy. But the memory
of man is short. He is always in
hurry. Present evil is always more
impressive than present good Past
| benefits and even past injuries are
soon forgotten.
Signs of the Times.
Let me give you striking illustra-
tion of varying conditions from the his
tory of a great democratic daily in the
| city of New York. The World SUBJ
scribed $4,000 to Mr.. Cleveland's cam,
paign fund in 1892. In 1897 it subscribe
ed 100000 loaves Of bread to feed
the unemployed in New York, who hal
been thrown out of work by the sui
pension OF production following the de-
cision of the people to try once more
the free trade policy in the United
States In 1894 the same journal sub
scribed for Sl,0O0000 of the U. S.
bonds issued by Mr.. Cleveland to pay
the current expenses of the govern
ment. In 1903 the same paper has in
protection times given $z,000,000 to
endow a college of journalism.
Take these four transactions and
there is volume of history in them.
Each one illustrates the conditions of
the times. Each gives warning against
the abandonment of the protective poll.
cy.
Costly Dream.
Democracy is beautiful dream. But
it costs too much. The country cannoy
afford it, 1t was in power from 1S4d
1861. History even repeats itself. Dur,
ing these sixteen years the balance OF
trade was against us every year bul
two, and the net adverse balance fog
the period was $431 900, 900. And,
though that period included the pani6
of 1857, it also included the gold dis,