The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-01-20
Mexican Affair Esp ciaIIy.
Has Been al all
ure.
H!lIESTABR0OKISV!E
SAd dress Made Last October
Isl Again Attra citing At
tention.

q
speech before the Mckinley club Q
that city which contained, an 'arraigl
ment9 of the general course Of the Wi
son administration that is again a
ting attention because of recer
asyelopments. The subject Of Mr.. FL
g proo k'sI remarks was Get Togethes
and they were az fnlln''''-:
geneous people. 1T is seldom 20
meet a man whose, popularity Q
wardrobe, haircut, or parts of speec
betray his geography. We loo
alike, we dress alike, we talk alike
and some OF these days we are goin
to think alike. And the time for Re
publicans Ito begin to think alike ]
now this very minute. The occasion
-the necessity Is here. Our countr
isg at skies and seVens-instde an
out.
Il Except for the lamentable but luz
ratiye& traffic in war goods the Unite
States 1s In the grip OF as profoun
q business depression as we have e.
~ perienced since 1896. Mr.. McAdoo II
IA recent speech said that prosperit,
Il had returned. OF course prosperit
could not return" If 1t never ha
been absent. But it is true that
81 sort Of fearful prosperity is upon US
prosperity had returned-temporaril'
y OF least, and perhaps with ven
y geance.s In the October Review OF Re
views there Is a non.partisan articl
by Charles F. Speare which ever,
SAmerican ought to read. Let M
quote to you little Of It:
I'm the history Of American
business no chapter reads more
like a fairy tale than dealing with
the events Of the past year. No
more rapid or complete transition
from state OF dependence to one
OF independence, or from the pau
per to prince condition, has ever
occurred in any country.
Agar ago the United States
was worried by Its debts to Eu-
rope, and Z. apparently had no
means ofspaying. The amount
was from $3o0, 0O0.o 900 to $40O,0oo,-
900. England sent commissioners
over here to tell -us how it must
bespaid. The main argument was
3s to pay in gold and pay quickly.
American dollars were at heavy
discount, 81 being required at one
time to Offset an English pound,
against,a normal $4.86. Industries
were closing. The numbers of
4unemploy taxed the organized
efforts Of all charity bodies. Saw
ings banks were losing deposits at
anfalarming rate. Mortgages were
being foreclosed on scale almost
unknown in the East. The stock
IA exchanges were silent There
were several hundred thousand
idle cars on the sidetracks OF
III American railroads, and a proper
tionate number OF idle engines.
Money was tight and the banks
in New York were much under
their legal reserve requirements.
Gold coin and gold certificates
3 were being boarded. Mines were
shut down. Building operations
were at a standstill. Even auto
mobile sales dropped abruptly"
This is a truthful portrayal OF al
actual condition which we are a
prone to forget as q conva1escent i
to forget his recent sufferings. I
means that prosperity had vanished
with seemingly no prospect OF return
ItSmeans that between the election
sof al Democratic administration an
the outbreak Of the European Wa
the richest nation in the world hat
Virtually gone bankrupt. Our lone
some President, set like solitaire Il
IS circle Of incompetents-and islant
of Theory entirely surrounded by the
0rists=-was dazed and .bewildered a
the devastation wrought by govern
mental policies which seem to mis- ID
Edactic mind so logical in the abstract
gHefregarded the phenomenon, in al
sincerity, as psycholo gtcal-a state o
mind. Il But this explanation did no
appeasef the hunger Of the hundred
f3ot thousands out OF employment, witt
were standing in the bread line, O
living from hand to mouth with moth
ing mi either of them, They, werI
like the young doctor tor whom tn
cadayerous waitress had mhrmured-
Boiled tongue, stewed Kidneys, trie'
liver Hang your symptoms" in
terrupted the doctor, what l want !
aomething to eat"
Such being the unhappy plight G
our country, the first growl OF tn
dogs of war was like the watch dog
honest sbark-a cheerful voice In tn
might. War was an explanation tina
oughtBto satisfy everybody. We iwer
HCAfIpuA sufferers III al GuEOpGhl
war Business had seen It coming
BySa sort of provision or clairvoyancl
peculiar to business 1t had known&wa
Wasfsoon TO break out and had forth
with commenced to suffer IN ehee
sympathy as 1t were. The nRtiona
TREASURY which q Republican admins
trations always leaves full to over
flowing, was already vacuum. Some
body had to cough mp and; 40 the;
SayS In the comic opera, our, Golfer
were empty. But here was chanc,
| to}leyyt an emergency. tax and call 1t I,
\ war tax. ItBWas an arrant subtertug
which fooled nobody. 30 far from
causing sour distress the Europeai
warts all that has saved us from &c
ing to protest. The figures given b!
M speare prove this beyond gain
ut iBB nseryatiye to place the
deliveries gof munitions. Z trans
ports oloth hing etc. since the war
began ats s400 600, 600 20 $3.50. 900.
900! This s. about Whit the UNI,
ted States PAYS Europe annually. !
on tourists credit aIieRl remit
! tancess and strsigh 3