Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-06

released from the system. 1t went on until
agriculture. the basic Industry, revived. In
the midst OF sehes psAic all the wise men.
and chief among .them. the republican
Leaders. told us ahaNiit was lack Of con-
noence In the moneH of the country that
had brought on the HAnic. The democratic
administration, within sufficient number of
votes of both partieSin the two Houses be-
hind 1t, tooktEat Why of the situation and
demanded ana SeGurAd the passage of the
act repeating theipHfhasing clause of the
th ess5apasbhg the gold standard
or limited coinage of standard silver money
the country was Immediately after the pas
sage Of that act actually as it has been
since, and as 1t is now and as 1t Is des-
tined to remain for length of time be-
yend my power of computation on a gold
basis. / was not one of those who thought
the Legislation adopted wise, but. wise or
urwise, the result is an accomplished fact
plain, palpable and obvious to all men
who have common sense, and like many
another step in history 1t Is beyond recall
or hope of recall
Established by Grover Cleveland.
This accomplished fact was the fact of
a gold basis accomplished then not by the
republican party but by the logged per-
sistency and indomitable will of Grover
Cleveland. aided, 1t is true, by republican
legislators. who thought they saw In it the
final disruption of the democratic party.
That was IN the main their motive: Now
publican platform boasts that 1t was the
republican party which established the gold
basis. Moreover, they would now eat their
words ard their votes Of 1893 and tell US
that the panic was not brought about, as
they then said. by lack Of confidence In our
money and too much silver but forsooth.
by tariff act which was not passed until
more than g. year after to wit: In 1894.
when the panic-that is, the acute and
fright stage. of depression, was virtually
over. Do not misunderstood me, a panic
of course. is not succeeded all at once by
the golden hues of prosperity. Industrial
depression must follow 1t for a while as
depression must precede It, So depression
continued until when? AS I have said.
when the boil burst and the poison Is elm
mated from the body commercial the flesh
begins to heal. 1t cannot begin to heal one
minute earlier.
1.-The process OF recovery was aided by
many for us fortuitous circumstances. The
first Of these was famine in India-no In
dian wheat to compete in the European
| market with ours. Simultaneously with an
immense American crop of wheat and no
AZ to about 70 cents in a few weeks during
the Bryan-McKinley campaign while Cleve-
land was yet President. There Is not
nan within the sound Of my voice that
does not remember that. With 7O-cent
wheat farmers could pay the retailers the
debts due them and the retailers could buy
more goods; the retailers, with empty
shelves or shelves becoming empty by
sales, could order from the jobbers; the
jobbers who had been overstocked were en-
abIed then to order from the factories.
When the factories got orders then they
had a reason for making goods and they
proceeded to make them. and then the
wheels OF industry went round. The farm
er in the wheat country with lucent Wneat
could pay the baker, the butcher ara Inc
csndlestick maker and then they could pay
others and they in turn could buy more
goods This endless chain of human rela-
tionship in the world of commerce IS no
mysterious thing to anybody except pia'-
form-making politician.
Prosperity Without Free Silver.
But wheat going up had another effect.
When wheat went up during the campaign
while silver bullion, went down there was
thereby furnished seeming object lesson
Of the inaccuracy OF the contention or MI.
Bryan and his followers, Of whom I was
one that there was necessarily connec-
ton in price between the two. Western
and border state farmers in tie wheat belt
who had originally been republicans. any
how. and who had gone off from the re-
publican party because OF their bellef In
this very theory began to leave the Bryan
column and join the Mckinley column, first
by the dozen. Then by the score, then by
hundreds and then in shoals Thus 1t
came about that Mr.--ncKtnley was elected
going UP of wheat and the consequent in
| creased demands fer,other things leading to
| higher prices and. a better volume OF trade
| promised to their minds prosperity without
free silver. greater falsehood was never
uttered than that wheat. or nythfng else,
| went up because Mr.. Mckinley was elected.
| Things had struck rock bottom and had
| begun to revive before Mr.. Mckinley was
elected, and the first index of that fact was
| the rise in the price of wheat followed by
| the rise in price of our agricultural pro-
ducts sympathetically with 1t.
Then came the immense increase of gold
output that kept prices up here and else
| where. Not only is the boast that Mr. Nc
Kinley's election was responsible for high
prices not true, but it is very dangerous
| falsehood. The populists first taught the
people in certain sections of this country
| that prosperity was chiefly dependent on
| government. Some men preach the doctrine
with the hope that during periods of pros
| perity the average man will let even an ex-
| travagant, dishonest and unjust govern
| ment in which he is interested continue I'M
| interrupted. This is the chief, If not the
| sole hope of the republican party today.
Let the republican party beware, and let
| all men who love their country beware of
| carrying this doctrine of government-cre-
ated prosperity any further. If the idea Is
| once firmly imbedded in the human mind
| there will be saving its teachers from
the wrath to come=state socialism.
Policy Regarding Cuba.
II quote again from the republican plat
| form: We refused to palter longer with the
| miseries of Cuba. and declared war against
| Spain Bad history again. Democrats de-
manded the recognition of belligerent rights
| and independence for Cuba day in and day
| out. The republican Speaker constantly re-
| fused them even as much as parliamentary
recognition. The republican President was
thoroughly out of sympathy with their
wishes. Finally treachery and cruelty I'M
| precedented led to the blowing up of the
Maine and her crew.
Public opinion would no longer be re-
strained. Remember the Maine became a
| battle cry. 1t was not the miseries of Cuba
| at all that led the republican party to fall
| into line with the public demand and fight
| Spain Hearing the echo Of that cry OF
| Remember the Maine and amidst the univer-
| sal excitement and anger. the republican
| Speaker and the President both stood out OF
| the way. as well they might, and the former
advised armed Intervention. 1t is unpa-
triotic to pretend that even this, long delay
| ed as 1t was, was in any proper sense re-
| publican measure. as democrats voted for
| it as fully as republicans. Democrats en-
| Enthusiastically and unanimously gave the
Of ho init Sfota