The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-09-25
JOHNSON AS A PANIC PROMOTER
GENERAL DICK MARSHAlS
THE FACTS REFUTIN0
HIS STATEMENTS.
Hon. Tom l.. Johnson:

riS . a. EMeNl y.
Hon. Tom l.. Johnson:
Sir-At the opening meeting OF your
campaign at Akron you said. accord
ing to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
''The business of the country is on the
verge of ruin" II this were true, II
would be dangerously mischievous to
say it. II ii is false. 1t was criminal
to say 1t. II warrants the suspicion
that "the wish is father to the
thought" and tends TO prompt the be-
lief that your desire to win Is so
strong, and that you believe that
panic and ruin and disaster to bust
ness would so aid your success and
possible election, that you are willing
to help along so dire a public
calamity. and that IL by feeding on
the misery OF the people your party
could even hope to win thereby. you
are willing to shout. The business of
the ccunIry is on the verge Of ruin"
What matters II to you IL your say
ing The business of the country is
on the verge of ruin" does start runs
on banks, alarms capital. closes mines
ployment. sets business men to worry
ing and workingmen in search OF
work, since you hope It may help to
elect you governor of Ohio?
Do you see the verge OF ruin" In
only s47.090.595 exports OF gold for
the fiscal year ending June 80. 1903.
against nearly three times as much.
or s112, .947 in 1896. the last Dem
ocratic year of the last Democratic
administration
Do you find any kind OF support for
your attack upon the country's well
fare in that while the balance Of trade
in our favor was less the last fiscal
year by sS4. .O26. $50. than II was q year
ago. yet our actual buying ability was
nearly s40.0O0.O00 greater than in the
preceding year as shown by the in
crease OF our importations by S122.-
2es.17s?
Do you see the proof of your prom
ised panic in the fact that the balance
of merchandise trade In favor of the
| United States in the past fiscal year
was 1894. 1853. or nearly four times
our merchandise trade balance the last
Democratic year. having been only
| s102. .s72. .264 in 1896? This. too. though
the fiscal year ending June 80. 1903.
showed an increase In our merchan-
disc imports OF s245 1896. .443. an amount
that II would have been utterly i'm
| possible to import and pay for In
Democratic times. although 1t was
4 done with ease the past year. Is this
| fact any evidence of those business
| troubles about which you talk?
Is there any ground for your deter
mination to create trouble. or for your
gard to our new possessions. in the
fact that during the past fiscal year our
commerce with Porto Rico. Hawaii,
the Philippines and Alaska aggregated
fully one hundred million dollars and
Is growing right along, as against next
to nothing before We began to expand
beyond the seas?
Do you desire to thrust the country
back into the condition of the first
year Of Mr.. Cleveland's second Dem
ocratic term. when the balance of trade
was against the United States by $1S.-
735.72S. as compared with the balance
in our favor of s394.372. .I63 in the fis-
cal year ending June 30, 1903?
| Can it be that your Verge of ruin
words are based by you upon the won-
derful increase of our exports of mer-
chandise, which were in all S1,419,991.
29O in the fiscal year just ended, and
were also s537 1884 .252 greater than was
the case In 1896. the last Democratic
year?
Our gold imports during the past
fiscal year were si6 6.9S2. .027. all in the
course of regular business. while even
the immense borrowing of the last
Democratic administration to pay cur
rent expenses under Democratic free
trade brought in only s33,525.O65 in
1896. the last year OF that last Demo
cratic administration. Then why dc
you now preach a panic that would
push the country back into the disas
trous conditions which prevailed
throughout the entire period wher
your party was last in power?
Why do you predict a panic in the
face of the fact that our foreign com
msrce (exports and imports) for the
fiscal year just ended June 80. 1903)
was the largest in the history o.
American trade. amounting to $2.445.
610.417. an increase OF $752.279, ,34'
over 1896. the last Democratic year o
the last Democratic administration?
Do you think that the business o.
the country is on the verge OF ruin.
when the increase OF our interna
trade for the past year has been 81
Il al
: of from the expected shrinkage o
$4,000 900 in the war taxes which con
gress repealed?
Have you any just grounds for de
nouncing the country's condition be
cause the receipts of the United State
: for the fiscal year just ended show
I surplus over the expenditures of $52
710.936. in spite OF the abolished wa
taxes. and OF s34.9S5. 1872 increase 4
. expenditures for the year?
/. TO you find any just occasion 70
: your attacks upon the public credi
e and the general welfare. in the pos
, session by the United States treasur
r for its ordinary uses on June 80. 100:
of 1921. .5i5.0l2 being an increase O
9.357. .657 over the correspondent
close of the fiscal year IL months be
fore?
) What basis do you find for you
T misunderstanding predictions of evil 1
= the fact that at the close Of the fiscs
: year. June 30. 1908. the United State
L treasury held in gold alone s63l. .639
. s9s.-more gold than the Roman en-
: pire possessed in its palmiest days an
: more than is now possessed by Gres
S Britain or any other government uro
!, earth?