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Show Why Any Solicitude? THERE is much speculation throughout the country over the probable outcome of the elections in the eastern states. How will New York go? How will New Jersey? How Massachusetts? How Ohio? How Kansas and Iowa? We confess to a belief that it will not much matter how any or all of them may. The politicians are making a great deal of noise; the newspapers are furiously discussing principles and candidates; but as we diagnose the sickness, they are all quarrelling over symptoms and not over the disease. There is a mighty depression on the country. Do any of them pretend to know the cause? The Democrats say it is the tariff; the Republicans are pointing out that the present tariff is nine per cent less than was the DIngley tariff under which the country seemed to prosper. pros-per. Both parties are crying out "Down with the Trusts," when it is a clear case that with the trus suddenly smashed there would be labor riots that would spread chaos over the country. Both parties affect great solicitude over "the poor working man," though this country is importing coal and iron and a multitude of other staple articles ar-ticles in ever increasing volume, and not one of them, politician or newspaper, dares to tell the truth; that by legislation our government reduced the cost of Chinese products GO per cent, increased the cost of our own products, when measured in Oriental money, GO per cent; opened all our ports to Chinese products, and closed every port of tho Orient against our exports. Not one dares tell those facts or to demand a remedy. In this cata-gory cata-gory may be placed President Taft and both par ties ijjhwS. houses of congress, Then from field, factfe U i mine the net profits of the nation will this V ;' quite 2,000 millions of dollars, more than e iio profits of "France, the Netherlands, Germar V V and Austria combined. , WI135 54 there be a depression all over this great cfeTon such a showing? Simply because money has ceased to bo a measure of values, or any sufficient medium of - exchange. Because less than fifty, yes, less than twenty men in New York City, control the gold in circulation and make good or bad conditions at will. And not a political speaker or writer in the east dares to tell this truth or olfer a remedy. There would be good times in every state if ' left to manage its own affairs and if there could be removed from the minds of business men, the fear of what may happen in New York City. They tell us how much money there is in circulation. cir-culation. Something like $35 per capita. That is but a pleasing fiction. Deduct what is held in one or another form of deposit, and that amount would shrink quite two-thirds. Then we are sending away annually quite $600,000,000 in gold or its equivalent and no effort is being made to reduce that tremendous amount. Why should earnest men be very much inter- ested or solicitous over the possible results of the election? What would be said of a business man who would conduct his business as our government does its business? ', What would be thought of a business man who possessed property worth a hundred times more than all his debts combined, who would let his fences all fall down, waste his harvests, and close his factories because of want of money, and because be-cause he could raise no more money on what he was owing? |