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About Corvallis gazette. (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1900)
PROSPERITY EVERYWHERE. How Republican Policies Have Caused the Greatest Good to the Greatest Number. EXPENSIVENESS Reasons Why the Nation Could Better Afford to Give the Demo cratic Candidate a Royal Pension than to Suffer Him to Be President. Dividends to Labor, Wealth to Farmers, and Ph Strike to Miners. THE American business man, jf as W. J. Bryan four years ago de fined him. including the "Man Vho Is employed fur wages," the "Mer chant at the cross-roads store," the ''Farmer who goes forth !n the morn ing and tolls all day. and begins in the prlng and tolls all summer," the "Min ers who go a thousand feet into the earth," the "Attorney In the country town," etc., the Inst four years of Re publican rule have wrought remark able beneiits. The Prosperity Chapter Interesting. The Republican plalform of 1896 pro fessed "full assurance that the elec tion would bring victory to the Repub 4;'an parly and prosperity to the people Of the United Stales." How prosperity followed in sequence to the Republican ;Tictory in lHilti constitutes Indeed a re markably interesting chapter of Amerl can blstoty a chapter which must al ;vays bring home to the hearts of the American people, with grateful force, the truth that "peace hath its victories trio '.ess renowned than war." "Lest we forget" the causes, and be come ungrateful for the prosperity which during the last four years has become the ll Important incident of our happy ex istence as h people. The reading in Mack t white of the record of prosperity is !t this time very timely. Future success (must always be based on the lessons of rpast experience. If the American people aare to continue in the prosperity which jthey have been enjoying the last four (years, It is by considering with serious tamest ness the data of such prosperity, anaking thereon the one possible decision, (and expressing such decision with snlu Stnry emphasis at the polls this next No Wember. The "Masse" the Foundation. I In the remarkable speech four years go by which Mr. Bryan sprang into Ifame and into the nomination for the (presidency, ho expressed the "Deruocrat ffc idea that if you make the masses pros perous tlieir prosperity will find its way tip and through every class and rest iBnon It." Literally Indeed has this general ex pression of an old Idea been fulfilled by the Republican party under President pfcKialey. It is one thing to have a rather indefi nite Idea as to what a desirable result (would be. It is another thing to success fully accomplish such a result. Both the Republican and the Demo cratic parties made their promises in JJ898 to restore prosperity to the people. fcThe masses saw through the quackery of jf.be Democratic plan of being made pros- Serous by the payment of wages in 48 ent dollars, so they turned down Bryan land elected McKinley President. Mr. McKinley had somewhat facetious ly been termed "the advance agent of prosperity." So soon as he was elected Democratic organs got themselves ready (for sneering interrogatories of "Why jdon't the show come?" It came, however, Hvith such startling promptness as to pro- euoe the bewilderment of despair among he few whose own prosperity was de pendent en nnrestful despair among the basses. The prosperity "show" was soon f ound to be no humbug. The people had ndeed not been deceived by the "advance pgent." They were soon getting more jftban they had really dared to expect. The Unlocking of Money. ' The first manifestation of the prosper Ptj movement was the unlocking of vast urns of money from hoarding, and the placing of it on deposit at the hanks. The statements of hanks during the autumn nd winter months of 1896-7 showed fceavy and steady increases in deposits. There were also striking gains in clear digs indicating a greater rapidity in the movements of money. While the first ItepuLliean measure positively conducive So the present prosperity was the Ding ley tariff bill, which did not become a law until July 24, 1897, yet general busi ness waited not for its passage before 'discounting" the great improvement in general conditions which it was obvi aiit would soon ensue. When 1897 began the gloom of fonr years of Democratic hard times was still lit'nging over the country, discouraging enterprise and blighting such industries as tried to exist. With the inauguration f President McKiuley. the vast institu tion of business credit, on which is vitally dependent the industrial prosperity of all classes of people, began at once to re cover from the destructive effects of the four years of panic-breeding silver agita fiou, and from the general loss of confi dence caused by the fiscal blunders of the (Cleveland administration. The overwhelming defeat of Bryan the preceding November had given the coun try the idea that free silver was a "dead" Issue, and that the Democratic party would not have the inconceivable temer Ity to revive it four years later, and in cidentally Bryan, whose chief god waa she silver idol. The free trade policy of President Cleveland had done harm in two ways. 'Primarily it had resulted in the closing ef mills the country over, the driving out 0t employment of thousands of American OF DRYANISM. workmen, a general lowering of the wages of those still kept at work, and the loss of profitable markets to the farm ers who supply the workmen's "dinner pail." Secondly, the Wilson law, though In tended to be "a tariff for revenue only," was drawn np on such grossly erroneous fiscal estimates by Secretary Carlisle that it even failed to produce the revenue nec essary to pay the current expenses of the Government. Revenue Producing; Protection. The total deficiency caused by the four years' operation of the Democratic tariff law was $155,864,183. It was this lack of revenue which forced President Cleve land into the burdening of the country w ith $262,330,092 of new debt. The only way by which the Government could fully pay its current expenses was by drawing on its gold reserve. The only way by which President Cleveland could enforce his commendable resolve to protect the gold reserve, and thus prevent his admin istration from going out with the coun try hopelessly "busted" through free sil ver, was by the issuing of bonds. The Dingley act was, as expected, a success both as a revenue producing nad as a protective measnre. Within a few months from its passage all predictions were verified, and the receipts for. No vember aud December, 1897, and Janu ary, February and March, 1898, exceeded the monthly disbursements of the treas ury. The Circulation of Gold. An interesting phenomenon noticeable in 1897 was the appearance of gold in even the channels of common circulation. Anybody who wanted gold coin, perhaps for the novelty of seeing what had be come a rare sight, could go to a bank and exchange paper or silver for gold, and find that the banker made the ex change not reluctantly but very gladly. Bryan had pointed to the apparent scar city of gold coin, and to the difficulty that had been attendant on keeping up the gold reserve, as proof of his theory that the volume of gold was too small te form a sufficient basis for the money circula tion of the country. But after Bryan was given leisure to write up "The First Battle," gold ceased to be scarce, for It had come from hiding, and nobody es pecially wanted it. Since doubt had been so completely removed, and our own peo- ! pie as well as the whole world had been given so thoroughly to know that- all kinds of American money were just as good as gold, every bit, then why should gold be especially wanted when other kinds of money were not only just as good, but were more handy to carry? The Fnll Dinner Pail. In the autumn of 1897 there was an enormous crop of wheat in the United States. Other years, however, have seen bumper crops, but mighty poor prices and no prosperity. Kansas has seen corn through heavy crops become so cheap that it was tised for fuel. But in 1897 there was a demand for wheat, corn and other grains. The "full dinner pail" of the American workman was becoming a new factor in the ratio of demand to supply of farm products. The mills were again being opened through the passage of the Dingley bill. Capital was becoming more aggressive in enter prise and saw profits, not losses, in busi ness expansion. With the American workingman in such a position that his dinner pail had ta be filled first, the foreigner was put into an excited, impatient, worrisome mood. America, despite its enormous crop, contrary to precedents, was not selling liberally. Consequently prices went booming upward. The average price per bushel on the farm reached nearly 81 cents. In 1894 It had been 49 cents, in 1895 less than 51 cents, and in 1896 it was 73 cents. Foreign money and the money of the populated centers of the Bast began pour ing Into the great agricultural area of the Middle West. The farmers who had been barely able to keep the wolf from the door and pre vent loss of mortgaged homesteads, now felt themselves flushed with wealth. They began to spend money for clothing, food, farming tools, and to pay off their mort gages. A great debtor class, to whom Bryan bad vainly hinted the saving that could come to them by the cheating of their creditors through 42-cent dollars, fast became a creditor class. Accounts were started at conntry banks, and farm ers who bad been borrowers of money be came lenders of money. Of course this great prosperity of the farmer began at once to Increase the prosperity of the city laborer wbe had furnished the Initial cue given him through the victory of the Republican party. There are upwards of 3,500,000 farmers In the United States, as against 5.000,000 industrial workers. Farmers Make Work for Was; Earners These 8,500,000 farmers mads extraor dinarily heavy buyers of what the 0,000, 000 industrial workers produced. Ai a consequence great industries, which bid been stagnant under Democracy, became active and profitable. In competition for labor they were forced generally to raise wages. The enormous expansion In the value of exports from the United States, from $793,392,592 for ttie year ended June 30, 1895, to $1,394,186,371 for the year ended June 0, 1900, constitutes one of the most significant features of the prosperity movement. During the three years of Republican rule the balance of trade grew to be $1,483,537,094 favoring this country. This expansion deserves to be studied, not only because of its plain showing of millions and millions of dollars increased wealth to this country during the last four years, .but also because of its in structive relation to the many and di verse political theories which have been loose from, time to time among the Amer ican people, especially among some col lege professors who in rhe seclusion of their studies think too much, and inow by actual experience of the world too lit tle, and by men like Bryan, who think too little. The free trade school of thought theor izes on the equilibrium of international exchanges. It reasons that if one nation adopts a protective tariff, it will cut down imports, but that this will be balanced by loss in volume of exports on the clear enough principle that nations, like indi viduals, cannot long continue to buy from customers to whom they cannot sell. If exports of merchandise do not fall off with imports, the reasoning concludes, then there must at least be a balancing outward movement of gold which may disorder home money markets. Some free traders also indulge in the peculiar the orizing that by hindering imports we hin der property wealth from coming to us, and that by not also hindering it from being exported from us, we steadily grow poorer. Protection's Part in Prosperity. The prosperity experience of the last four years has shown that a protective tariff, wisely applied, can without ques tion be a means of enriching a great na tion like our own. The passage of the Dingley bill was the direct means of re storing prosperity to a large number of industries in this country, which, under the Wilson law, could not compete in t lie home markets with Europe. Given pro tection in their home market, these indus tries were enabled to pay attention to for eign markets. The protected iron and steel Industry gained so vastly in power and strength that it became the aston ishing wonder and dread of the industrial communities of the world. How Ameri can engines became used on the railroads Of England because they were better, cheaper and could be made quicker than English built engines; how an American firm got the contract over English firms for the Atbara bridge in the Soudan: how American air brakes, locomotives and rails were almost exclusively order ed for the greac new railroad of Siberia, were a few instances of many which sur prised and dazed the whole industrial world. Luxuries from the Other Side. The prosperity that came to our work ers in these protected industries was the means of spreading prosperity to all home workers, whether or not they belouged to pursuits or callings of the kind which needed to be protected. Nor did so much prosperity at home work to the harm of those other countries which must continue prosperous, if they are to continue to be our good customers. While American exports this last year were $1.394186,371, the largest in our history, and were more widely distributed throughout the world than ever before, yet in some directions there were great increases in imports. Our imports of manufacturers' materials this last year were valued at $302,264,106, which is about 40 per cent greater than for any preceding year in our history. By being protected in his opportunities to make at home the articles that ought to be made at home, the American indus trial worker has more than well utilized and justified such opportunity given him. He has done his work so increasingly well the last four years that all the nations of the world have become his customers. The whole outside world, instead of sell ing him the things he can just as well make himself, now sells him the material which his increased work requires and which it is not worth his own busy while to prepare, and the silks, the satins, the perfumes, the wines, the gloves, the jew elry; the artistic fancy notions, the toys, the tropical fruits, the tea. coffee, sugar, spices, etc., which he could not very well if ever afford to buy for himself, wife and children, before the Republican parly gave him prosperity. PROSPERITY IN IDAHO. Report of State Bureau of Immigra tion Labor Statistics Prove It. "There are few, if any. States in the Union where laboring men are better treated, get better wages and have more opportunities to acquire homes and se cure a competence than in Idaho. "The relations between laboring men and their employers in this State are un usually pleasant. With the single ex ception of one county in the State there have been no strikes for years in the State and no labor troubles ef any kind. In this county labor troubles are now in a fair way of being satisfactorily set tled. The mines are being worked by a good set of men, who are paid from $3 to $5 per day, and every citizen is satis fied with the conditions. In other parts of the State the relations between la borers and their employers are harmoni ous and pleaaant. "All labor organisations that are based on law and order are welcomed not only by the employers of labor, but by all classes of citizens, and all such organiza tions are in a flourishing condition. Near ly all, if not all, of the labor unions have a hospital fund and many of them have halls where the meetings of the union are held, while in some Instances there are libraries In connection with the unions that contain the best books on literary, philosophical and scientific subjects. As a class the laboring men of Idaho are eeher, Industrious, frugal, well educated and Intelligent." Prosperity for Miners. Coke, a product of coal, is used exclu sively In manufacturing. Its consumption Is one ef the best evidences of the pros perity and increase of our manufactur ing Industries. In the year 1800, under McKinley, prosperity and "the opening of the fac torial," was a great yoar for cok. More new ooke ovens wore established than ever before and the product waa greater. The price more than double, end even then tbe demand caused by the growth of the Iron and iteel Industrie of the coun try could not be supplied. Is 1894 coke wai selling at si per ton, early in ivw it touched (3 a too. . PROSPERITY FOR ZINC MINERS. Fonr Tears of McKinley and Protec tion Have Knriched Missouri. McKinley prosperity and the protective tariff on zinc and lead ores have, in four years, added millions of wealth to Mis souri and Kansas. They have made a comparatively little strip of territory in southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas the greatest zinc mining section in the world, producing seven-eighths of the American zinc ore and about one-fourth of the entire world's supply. Fr years this district, which centers abo;t Joplin, Mo., and Galena. Kan., consisted of several little mining camps struggling along and yielding very little proOtiet. Mining was done in a crude ari primitive way, and lack of capital to IXperate in a manner befitting a country 1 IV L., 1 L. ...... r- bu ui. uiiiiiitii.v uicssscu uy uniuic v as a check to development and a barrier to progress. Three years ago a change began. The factories of the East, which had been alarmed over the Wilson bill and shut down their plants entirely or in part, had their confidence restored and resumed operations to their full capacity. This created a demand for more zinc, which is used extensively in many industries. New uses for zinc for various purposes were constantly being found, and additional de mands for ziuc ore were thereby created. As a consequence, the attention of Eastern and foreign capital became at tracted to America's great undeveloped zinc fields, whose only need was financial aid. Money, which had been tied up by cautious capitalists, sought investment. Vonderfnl were the changes wrought. Mines, mining leases and mineral lands doubled and quadrupled in value, crude and antiquated methods of mining gave way to modern methods. The old hand windlass and horse hoisterwere supplant ed by modern machinery. Old abandoned mines which had been left with their tim bers to rot and tools to rust were opened up again and new mining camps sprang up all over the district. An era of pros perity had dawned and the increased de mand for zinc had advanced the price to a point undreamed of four years before. The following table is concise history: ZINC IN MISSOURI. Quantity Average price produced paid per Total Tear. lu tons. ton at mine. value. 1890 100,248 S22.51 S2.236.583 1891 123,752 21.60 2,873,053 1892 131.488 21.76 2,862.475 1893 108,591 20.57 2.245.02S 1894 89,150 15.00 1,337,910 1895 101,294 16.86 1,707,065 1896 92,754 19.75 1.831,856 1897 93,143 19.62 1.706,947 1898.. 139,668 20.96 2,927,321 1S99 181,430 82.93 6.974,624 A few of the above figures are particu larly instructive. In 1892, at the close of the Harrison administration, the Joplin zinc field produced 131,488 tons, the av erage price of which at the mine was $21.76 per ton and the total value of which was $2,864,475. In 1894, under the Wilson bill depression, the produc- ! tion of this same field had fallen to 89,150 tons, with an average price at the mine of $15 per ton. a total value of $1,337,910. l'n 1898 the quickening influence of Mc Kinley prosperitj Wftt fairly Under way, the production rose to 180.0CJS tens, with an average price ftt the mine ef $20,00 per ton and a total value of $2,627,321, Last year, 1880, the full tide of prosper ity promised by the Republican party was flowing in on the Joplin and Kansas district and the production reached high water mark in'18t,430 tans, with an av erage value at the mines of $32.93 per ton and a total value Of $5,974,624, or over four times as much as it was in 1894. The year 1900 figures, when all in, will show a still further increase. Yet it is probable that the Missouri section of this prosperous region will utterly ig nore this wonderful object lesson and vote for Bryan, free trade and rotten money. Vote to again close up the fac tories and bring disaster to their country. Windfall to Railroad Labor. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 1899. gross railroad receipts were larger by $266,149,623 than for the year ended June 30, 1S95. Such increase mostly rep resents larger dividends (in the form of increased wages) to labor. Similarly there was a gain over 1895 of $28,858, 458 in net earnings. This has gone part ly into the strengthening of cash ac counts, but the greater part of it into increased dividends to stockholders. It must not be forgotten in this connection that railroad securities are owned very largely by people of all classes. Tbey are recommended to widows for safe in vestment, 'fhey form the basis, next to government bonds, for the investments of insurance companies, and for the trust funds of charitable and philanthropic in stitutions. In 1898 there was paid in compensation to employes of railroads the total sum of $495,055,610, as against $445,508,261 in 1895, a gain of $49,547,357. When in ad dition we consider the increased wages indirectly paid in new construction of track aud bridges, in new cars, etc., which absorbed the greater part of the increases in gross earnings, it will be more evident what a windfall just one year of pros perity has been to the people who work on the railroads. The number of new miles of road built during the year ended June 30, 1899, waa 4,500, as against only 1,650 for the cor responding period ended in 1895. Of course this is significant, not merely be cause it has meant increased work and more money paid in wages, but because it increased the facilities of commerce, and because it made it that much easier for the farmer to get his products into the city to fill the dinner pail of the city workman. Prosperity on the Pacific Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, m an interview the other day, said: "Anything produced in the United States will now permanently find Its way into all parts of the celestial empire. Our trade relations there in the future are secured. The trade In cotton goods has been very heavy in Manchuria and other northern provinces. Our interests gener ally, our dairy, poultry and other products from the farms of the United States, now bare assurance of permanent mar kets In all the provinces throughout the Chinese Empire where such things are in demand, and this demand is growing and will continue to grow. "The work of Secretary Hay In this regard supplements and compliments the work of our army and navy. A year ago no nation would have listened to a propo sition of this kind (the open door policy), but the whole world listens to the UniteVi States cow. The 'white man's burden' came with the islands. Secretary Ha'y's work brings the reward for lifting the burden. Some idea of tbe vastness of the interests involved may be gained from j the fart tnat xrl'flte ten' years tro onr exports from the Pacific coast to all coun tries aggregated $26,000,000 and five years ago $4,000,000, the steady increase in Paciiic coast exports has raised the aggregate to $78,000,000 a year ago." Prosperity Dividends to Farmers. Last year's prosperity dividends paid by the Republican party to the farmers of the United States amounted to up wards of one billion dollars. The value of ten staple crops showed for 1899 a to tal increased Value of $323,000,000 over 1S95. Add to this increase an advance of $633,000,000 during the same period in the value of live stock, and the balance sheet shows disbursements of a round billion. This does not include the special profits from better prices for fruit, but ter, cheese, eggs, vegetables and lastly, but not leastfy, wool. Following are comparisons of values of the principal crops: -1 1S95. 1899. Crop. Total value. Total value. Corn $544, 983,534 $629,210,110 Wheat 237,938,998 819954,2BU Oats 163,655,008 198,167,975 Rye ll,ttU4,82 12,214,118 Barley 29,812,413 29,594.254 Potatoes 78,984,901 .89,328,832 Cotton 210,388,096 832.000.C00 Hay 893,185,615 411,926,187 Tobacco 85,574,220 45,000.000 Flax 12,000,000 24,000,000 Total $1,767,939,671 $2,09:).US0,7 Prosperity Among Miners. The prosperity of the American miner the last four years has been remarkable. The activity of the mills and of the rail roads has boomed the price of coal, cop per, zinc and other metals. These have yielded far better returns in wages to those "who go a thousand feet into the earth," than they would have done had Mr. Bryan been elected President in 1898. The opening up of the mints to the free coinage of silver would never have really boomed the price of Bilver, for the silver of the whole world would have poured into America, tbe nations of the earth being only too glad for us to pull their chestnuts out of the fire for them. In the mining of gold In a gold stand ard country, miners have profited far more than they would have ever profited by the mining of silver in a silver stand ard country. The lone, poor prospector, and the "grub staker" have had a chance to "come in" on the production of gold, whereas silver mining has always been under the control of wealthy syndicates, and of individuals like Mr. Clark of Mon tana, whose wealth enabled him to buy a Democratic Legislature to elect him Senator, and to contribute $100,000 to the present fund to elect Bryan Presi dent. Story of the Clearings. The best gauge of the volume of busi ness of the country is the bank clearing statistics. They prove, as no other fig ures can, the trade moyement. Never in the history of the country have they shown such a vast aggregate of business, such an immense increase as during the years of the McKinley administration. The following Ggures are from Brad street's and are accepted as official. The comparison is made with the year 1894, as that is the year the Democratic pol icy of handling the finances of the coun try was In full sway. The grand total of the bank clearings of the United States, as given by Brad Street's, for the first six months of 1894. were $22,085,071,196. For the first six months of 1900 they were $42,857,201, 316, an increase of $20,772,130,120. For the month of June, 1894, the grand total was $3,576,315,339. For the month of June, 1900, it was $0,621,068,707, an in crease of $3,044,753,468. Better Prices for Farmers. The following table shows the current market price of different staple crops on June 1, 1896, and June 1. 1900: June 1, June 1, Adv. 1896. 1900. p. c. $0.27 $0.37 37 .57 .64 18 .17 .21 23 .81 , .58 01 . .28 .40 43 .28 .40 43 9.25 11.50 24 .82 l.SO 119 .14 .18 M .06 .08 20 3.26 812 68 3.55 4.32 22 8.25 4.97 83 7.40 7.50 1 .07 .09 20 .16 .20 76 82.50 180.00 454 .07 .12 72 .80 1.20 BO .09 .10 8 Farm products. Corn Wheat Oats Rye Barley Potatoes Hay Flaxseed Butter Cheese Live hogs Live cattle .... Sheep Cloverseed Cotton Wool Broom corn . . . Hops Millet seed .... Eggs Corn, Cattle and Contentment. "Gentlemen," shouted an orator In Kansas in 1899, "from the beginning of Indiana to the end of Nebraska there is nothing but corn, cattle and content ment." And he added a little later: "The joyful sound of the mortgagor paying off his in debtedness has even pierced the dense ears of the money changers of the Blast." Nothing can exceed the breesy joy, the piano and top-buggy buying enthusiasm of the Kansan in the year of his pros perity under tbe gold standard. Cigars Smoke I Over Prosperltr. Probably nothing demonstrates prosper ity more clearly than tbe consumption of cigars. W. C; Hollister of Chicago, who printa the blue labels for tbe Cigarmakere' In ternational Union and is required to make affidavit. to the number turned out, has made the following report to President 6. W. Perkins of the union of the labels printed during recent years: 1895, 47, 815.000; 1896, 46,440,000; 1897, 46,546, 600; 1898, 46,609,200; 1899, 56,140,000. During the first six months of 1900 the number jumped to 36,855,000. Men can not afford to boy cigars unless tbey are prosperous and earning good wages. Money Earned and Spent, In 1899 the savings banks deposits of the United States advanced to $2,230, 866,954. That brought them up to more than the combined savings banka depos its of any two other nations in the world; and to half the deposits of Austria, Hun gary, Bavaria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Prussia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Australasia, Canada, Cape Colony, India, Natal and the Crown colo nies all put together, their combined de posits being, la 1899, but $4,593,949,450. Nebraska's Prosperity. The Secretary of State of Nebraska has compiled a list showing that the excess of mortgages paid off and released during ' 1898 over those filed for the same period amounted to more than $50,000,000. The most of these were paid in cash, the foreclosures were comparatively few. It will be hard for Mr. Bryan to con vince the farmers of his own Stat that they or not prosperous. PROSPERITY AND GLORY. Air Marching Through Georgia. McKinley and Roosevelt, inru of golden deeds. Men whose loyal energy now the nation needs: Men whose resolution ail tbe vrorld unitel heeds, Bringing prosperity and glory! CHORUS. Hurrah! Hurrah! In henor we are bound. Hurrah! Hurrah! Our money all Is sound; Honest golden dollars ringing all the world around. Bringing prosperity and g ory! Builders in onr history, men of real worth. Men whose names are honored over all the teeming earth; E'en among the bravest since the nation had its birth. Bringing prosperity ami glory! a Hold to truth and justice, to Integrity and right, Hold to fearless principles, to honest dol lars bright; Hold your country's credit ever spotless with your might, Bringing prosperity and glory! Keep the fruits of victory stalnieas ever more, Keep your banners flying on Manila's dis tant shore; Keep our noble President within the White House door, Bringing prosperity and glory! Cherish deeds of valor wreathed In mem ories sublime. Cherish grand achievements wrought la Oriental clime; Cherish honest duty calling; now's the golden time, Bringing prosperity and glory! C. P. R. PROSPERITY FOR WAGE-EARNERS rriiycB ii y tne nisiory ui ine Acocriou Federation of Labor. That the laboring men of the country are in a more prosperous condition than ever known before is proven beyond any chance of contradiction by the statistics of the American Federation of Labor, sent out over the signature of the presi dent, Mr. Samuel Gompers, w'ho is a Democrat. We compare the disastrous years of the Wilson bill and Democratic rule 1893, 1894 and 1895-with 1899, under Mc Kinley and prosperity. Ta 1893 the American Federation of Labor met at Chicago. There were 95 delegates present, 38 national trade un ions represented, 18 local trade unions, 15 city central unions and one State branch. The receipts for the year wer $20,864.62, and the expenditures $21,383. In 1894 the American Federation of Labor met at Denver, Cok. There were 77 delegates present, 30 national trade unions represented, 12 local trade unions, 11 city central unions and three State branches. The receipts for the year were $15,346.43, and the expenditures $17, 302.08. In 1895 the American Federation of Labor met at New York City. There were 96 delegates present. 34 national trade unions represented, 23 local trade unions, 15 city central unions and three State branches. The receipts were $13, 751.75, and the expenditures $15,612.42. In 1899 tbe American Federation of Labor met at Detroit. There were 189 delegates present. 56 national trades'uu ions, 65 local trade unions, 31 ee-tral unions and five State branches. The re ceipts were $36,757.13, and the expendi tures $30,599.22. i Surely labor prospers when the mem bers of this great organized body can contribute to the caue, as shown by the above receipts, over $1(1.000 more in 1899 than they did in 18!)3. and several thou sands more than double what they did iu each of the years 1893. 1894 aud 1895. Uuder date of Aug. 9, 1900, Mr. Gomp ers stated the number of independent unions to be 1,154, city central unions 191. State branches 14. It is evident from these figures that when the American Federation of Labor meets in December next there will be a showing of progress made and increase of membership, ail accomplished under labor's prosperous conditions, such as uo labor organization has ever before made. Larger Exports of Farm Products. The agricultural reports show that our sale of agricultural products abroad dur ing the past three years, 1897-1891), were more than $500,000,000 greater than in the preceding three years, 1894-1896. Exports of butter were worth, in 1895, $915,533; in 1899, $3,263,951. There were 425,352,187 pounds of ba con exported in 1896 aud 562,651.480 pounds in 1899. This was an inc. ease of 137,000,000 pounds. The following are some interesting com parative wool prices, furnished by a prominent Boston commission house: JANUARY. Year. Fine. Medium. Course. 1885 17 20 10 1S96 18 ai IB 1897 18 21 18 1898 !tt 80 2 1889 26 20 2-t 1800 S5 80 28 During Harrison's administration there was an approximate gain of $154,000,000 in the value of live stock. During Cleve land's administration there was an ap proximate losa of $820,000,000. During the first three years of McKinley 's ad ministration an approximate gain of $557,000,000. Adlat Stevenson's Prosperity. The city of Bloomington, III., which Is the home of the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Adlai R. Stevenson, but recently sold its bonds on a basis which makes tbe interest paid by the city on the loan only 3.40 per cent. Tbia rate la lower than any municipality in Lb United States couid get in 1896. As a citizen of Bloomington, Mr. Ste venson will be able to save some money in taxes, because of the good credit and prosperity that has come to his town as a share in the beneficial results of Re publican policies during the last four years. The remarkable appreciation in tbe credits of American municipalities since McKinley's election in 1S36, mean ing great savings to taxpayers, has been one of the most interesting features of the great prosperity that has come te the; people of this country. No Room for Calamity Howling. Large sums of money are being offered in the financial columns of the Chicago daily papers to loan at 3'$ per cent osj . ity property, 4 per ceut on farm prop erty. When money is offered st these rates it ' behooves the calamity howlers to take a back seat. Such interest rates indicate such prosperous times as the country has never seen before. Men Wanted in the Mills. Many manufacturers of woolen and cotton goods in Connecticut state that lots of looms are idle because men to work them cannot be found. Wages bare advanced in cotton mills from 12 U 'M per cent. . . J.
