The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-10-08

Now as IN 1900 and again IN 1900,
the farmers are objects Of Mr., Bryan's
special sollcltude He assures them,
greatly to their surprise that they are
oppressed and suffering, that their con.
dItlon is going from bad 10 weRso and
that their only escape from the awful
fate which threatens them lies In bis
election TO the presidency. All this
sort Of talk Il simply an empty echo
OF speech delivered BY Mr.. Bryan Ia
Syracuse, n, X, Aug. 20, iSO0 In the
course Of which he said;
"You can talk 10 the farmer from
now until election day, but you VIII
never convince him that gold stand
ard has brought anything but ruin ard
distress 10 the farmer"
There Is nothing In Mr. Bryan's CAM
paign methods quito 10 amazing as
bis persistent insults 70 tho inteIlI-
gence Of the American farmers. He
appears TO believe that they are too
stupid to understand tho simplest busl-
ness conditions and that therefore they
can be folled by u tricky misrcpre.
sentatlon OF facts No other candidate
for president ever dared to act upon
the insolent assumption that the farm.
ers are fools. and no other candidate
was ever 80 crushingly ccnsured BY
the vote OF the great agricultural states
as Bryan was In 1906 and 1000,
The "ruin aud distress" which tho
gold standard has brought to tho farm.
eru are clearly disclosed IN official sta.
tlstics complied by the United States
bureau of labor Comparing tho fg.
ures for 1906, when the people definite
ly declared for the gold standard and
against Bryanlsm. with those for 1907,
II appears that the price Of farm prod.
ucts has increased 1910 per cent In
the same period tho prices Of food
have Increased only 4067 per cent the
prices OF cloth and clothing only 3s.77
per cent. the prices OF fuel and light
ing only 20.43 per cent tho prices OF
metals aud implements only b3.04 per
cent. the prices Of lumber and build.
Ing materials only bT2s per cent tbs
prices OF house furnishing goods only
20.00 per cent and tho prices OF drugs
and chemicals only 1885 per cent
These agurea tell their own story,
and a regiment Of Bryans cannot 70.
flute It. They show that tie farmers
have protted more largely from the
advance in the prices Of staple commod-
tiles in the last twelve years than
any other class Of business men. A
given quantity Of bis products for
which the farmer received 500 In
1906 was worth Sl75.l0 to him in 1907.
His produce would purchase 24.50 per
cent more food, 261s per cent more
clothing. I4.41 per cent more imple-
ments. 4704 per cent more chemicals
and $3.50 per cent more house fur
nlshlngs In 1907 than II would IN 1899.
The value Of the less principal farm
crops Of the United States rose from
$1,s00. .900427 In 1895 to S2,l43,5I2,0sS
In 1900 to $3,95sOO00O0 In 1907. In
other words. the specific declaration Of
the people for the gold standard has
been followed by rising lido OF pros
perity in agricultural industry abso-
lutely undreamed OF In the old days OF
financial uncertainty, unstable credits
and reckless agitation for cheap money.
Mr. Bryan Is entirely familiar with
these facts, but he lacks the courage
to acknowledge them, Ho knows
that since the people condemned his
attempt to betray the national credit
and debase the national currency the
farmers have prospered as never be-
fore, and II the teachings Of expert
ence were Of the slightest value to him
he would know, too, that his effort this
year to brand them as whining mendI-
cants will be rebuked as Indignantly as
were bis simllnr efforts In 1890 and
1900