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This newspaper page contains 18 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Scranton Tribune
Location
Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Oct 13, 1900
Page
2
Four years after William J. Bryan warned of national calamity if free silver was rejected, his current prophecies are judged reckless and unfulfilled. The article claims his 1896 predictions failed and lists later forecasts with data from official sources to prove the point.
The speech excerpts discuss the impact of the gold standard on prices and employment. Cites Newton Iowa farmers balance, price trends for corn wheat and oats since 1894, and wage changes under different administrations. Includes remarks from Bryan, Gompers, and various public addresses on labor and monetary policy.
The piece cites aggregate crop values rising from 1800 to 1807 and notes higher prices for corn, wheat, oats, and livestock. It compares silver prices under Cleveland and McKinley, arguing silver fell as agricultural prices rose, and warns of continued campaigning if defeated.
The report cites April 1900 unions detailing wage increases since 1896 across trades. Bricklayers and masons up to 24 percent, pattern makers and printers 80 percent, seamen 92 percent, and many others spanned 8 to 40 percent gains, with additional rises in 1897 and 1898 for several categories.
A list shows raises for multiple trades in 1898 including bicycle workers, boilermakers, iron shipbuilders, brewery workers, bookbinders, coal hoisting engineers, horseshoers, printers, street railway employees, trunk makers, upholsterers, bricklayers, stone masons, locomotive engineers, coremakers, electrical workers, mine workers, stationary engineers, leather workers, machinists, pattern makers, tobacco workers, wood workers, and carpenters with percentages from 10 to 25.
The piece cites Mr. Bryan's Madison Square Garden speech to argue the gold standard has increased money hoarding. It notes U S circulation rose from $1 514 903 142 on Aug 1 1898 to $2 002 425 946 on July 1 1900, a per capita rise from 21 18 to 26 78, claiming an 83 percent gain and contradicting Bryan’s prophecy of contraction.
The compendium contrasts Bryan’s claim that the gold standard dulls enterprise with figures from clearing houses and railroads. It shows U S clearing house totals rising from 1890 to 1896 and railroad freight tonnage increasing from 1896 to 1898, while transport rates fell from 0.82 to 0.76 dollars per hundred ton miles, arguing business activity remained strong.
The excerpt discusses the danger of a gold standard allegedly leading to beggaring millions, cites speeches by Bryan and Uryan, and contrasts predicted deposit losses with data showing rising savings deposits. It notes 1896 and 1899 bank figures, depositors and averages, and claims wage-earner savings exceed that of any other people.
The article quotes Mr. Bryan warning that the gold standard would ruin merchants and manufacturers. It notes 1899 had 9,497 business failures the lowest since 1880. Bank deposits rose from 1.66B in 1896 to 2.605B in 1899, suggesting improved conditions for business despite criticisms. It also compares historical liability totals and export values over recent years.
The text cites large export figures for various years including 1809 1900 and 1805 and notes a rise to 28 671 178 nearly doubled since earlier values It ends by declaring Mt Bryan a false prophet.
The piece argues the current financial policy drives gold abroad while propping up imports. It cites past flows under Bryan and Cleveland, contrasts with McKinley era imports, notes rising foreign borrowing, and highlights New York as a global financial center amid large European loans.
The passage notes a Lincoln speech of September 8 1890 by William Jennings Bryan and contrasts his prophecy with later Republican financial policy. It asserts the US now lends money to foreign nations including Russia and credits the gold standard for this shift, not free silver.
A Benton Harbor speech by Aly. Bryan on Oct 16 1890 argues the gold standard harms farmers who cannot meet mortgages. It cites Nebraska mortgage data under McKinley and notes rising agricultural land values, fewer farm mortgages, and lower loan rates, with many loans used to buy or improve farms.
A Bryan speech in Andersen Indiana on October 21 and Minneapolis on October 12 argues the United States has become the world's greatest creditor nation. It cites three year export excesses totaling 1 453 687 009 and compares 1790 to 1897. The Philadelphia Times quoted a Democratic headline praising U S credit status and bond prices.
The article lauds a 10 million pound English loan with over half purchased by American subscribers. It calls this a revolutionary shift in U S finance, noting U S bonds yield 1.5 to 2.5 percent while English bonds exceed 3.5 percent. It claims the nation has become a foremost creditor rather than a debtor.
The article notes Japan's 1897 shift to the gold standard after earlier silver ties, citing Count Matsukata Masa yoshi on stabilized exchange, safer credit, and stronger foreign trade. It adds Russia Peru Costa Rica and Ecuador moving to gold, while China households and customs are described in detail.
The article notes a Bryan speech in Indianapolis claiming gold deserts nations in war. It cites U S gold stocks rising from 599 million in 1896 to 1 025 billion in 1900 and foreign gold inflows during the Spanish American War totaling 120 million with a 104 million balance in favor, arguing the critique of Bryan as a false prophet.
The article describes formal visiting etiquette in China, noting that only intimate friends receive visits and gifts. wealthy hosts use ornate Pekin carts with attendants, while poorer hosts provide simpler transport. It mentions women never travel streets alone and recalls the dowager empress’s youth when she walked outside for a favored cake.
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