8 'Cbc Conservative.
A SOUTHERNER'S Ol'INION OF IIKYAN.
. "I suppose there is 110 danger of Bry-
au's electiou , " said an eminent Southern
banker to a friend in this city a few
days ago. "What's that ? " replied the
interlocutor , "I thought you Southern
people were all in favor of his election. "
"So we are on the social question but
we expect you in the North to prevent
him from coming in , " was the rejoinder.
This conversation actually took place a
day or two ago in a New York hotel ,
and we print it because it is typical of
the state of feeling in the business community -
munity of the Southern states. The
great mass of the bankers , manufactur
ers , and traders of the Southern cities
and larger towns the class who have
saved something and who have got
ahead in the world are just as much
opposed to Bryanism , to the free coinage
of silver at 16 to 1 , and to business dis
turbance of every kind as the same
classes in the North. They are entang
led , however , in the meshes of what
they call the social question , or the ne
gro question , in such a way that they
cannot separate themselves from the
democratic party. Whatever bears that
party's brand they must accept and rat
ify. This is to them the paramount is
sue. They perceive the incongruousness -
ness of their action in denying political
rights to the negroes and demanding
them for the Filipinos and the Porto
Ricans. What they are most afraid of
is negro equality , but next to that they
dread the election of Bryan , because
they believe that it would introduce an
element of uncertainty in business.
There is one Southern state , however ,
where business interests are not domi
nated by the social question. That
state is Maryland. Her railroad men ,
bankers , merchants and manufacturers
feel at liberty to act and vote without
particular reference to negro equality.
The gold democrats of Maryland
have accordingly organized a
campaign of their own which
they confidently believe will re
sult in. giving the electoral vote of the
state to McKinley. And yet they are
not more enamored of McKinley's pol
icy in the Philippines than the gold
democrats of New York are. New
York Evening Post.
THE FRIGE OF STARCH.
EDITOU CONSERVATIVE :
I am frequently asked the facts in re
gard to the price of starch , and under
stand that it is being stated in political
speeches that the price of Argo starch
has been doubled under the present
ownership of the factory.
I believe it to be a fact that the one
pound package , which has commonly
sold for five cents , is in some cases re
tailed for ten cents at present. But it is
the retailer that makes this price , and
the manufacturer , whether a big or lit
tle corporation , a firm or individual ,
cannot help it , and neither can the
jobber.
When the retailer bought the one
pound package for four cents , he sold it
at five cents and made twenty-five per
cent profit. But when asked to pay 4
cents , it seems that for some reason
many retailers advanced their selling
price to ten cents. It may be that this
was because they could see no "handy"
stopping point between five and ten
cents ; but undoubtedly in some instan
ces it has been done deliberately with a
political motive , to pervert a just ad
vance , required by market conditions ,
into an unwarranted extortion.
Some jobbers appear also to be pur
suing this unfair course. A Nebraska
Oity jobber recently met , in a western
town , a traveling salesman from a whole
sale house in another of the river towns ,
whom he heard speaking quite bitterly
of the National Starch Company , which
he called a "trust" and charged it with
baving advanced starch without justifi
cation to 5 cents. Fortunately the
Nebraska Oity man was able to correct
this assertion , being prepared to take
orders to any extent at 4J .
This kind of thing is not business , and
it is hard to see how it can do any
body any lasting good politically.
As to the present price of starch
being unreasonable or extortionate , no
body familiar with costs would make
such a statement.
The Argo factory is grinding corn to
day that cost 35 8-10 cents per bushel at
the elevator. In one very recent year ,
the average cost of corn for the entire
year was 19 8-10 cents , and in another
it was just 20 cents.
The boxes in which Argo starch is
packed cost at present 12 cents each ; a
short time ago they cost 8 cents.
The box-nails now being used cost
$3.55 per keg ; the lot before cost $2 per
keg.
keg.These
These are only fair samples of the
way prices of raw material have ad
vanced , as any one in any manufactur
ing business knows very well.
Very respectfully ,
A. T. RICHARDSON.
Nebraska Oity , October 6 , 1900.
CHINESE RESOURCES IN IRON AND
COAL.
Ohina has everything , from a material
standpoint , that could be wished. It
has people by the hundred million , food ,
peace , plenty , and , above all else , the
two great requisites for natural suprem
acy today iron and coal.
Already England is beginning to look
with terrified apprehension at the rapid
decrease of her coal and iron , for she
knows that in the bitter competition for
trade that nation will fare badly which
has to import its machinery as pig iron
and its power as coal. Ohina has the
unlimited possibilities of fertile lands ,
resourceful and painstaking people , and
great supplies of the raw materials , out
of which prosperity is-built. The ques
tion that confronts the other nations is , '
will Ohina be able to build up such an '
overmastering prosperity that ours will
be dwarfed into insignificance ? Cer
tainly , if the same difference in natural
resources existed between Germany and
England as does between China and
England the British statesmen would be
confronted by as gloomy a future as
could be imagined. But the iron and
coal and cheap labor of Ohina are not of
the same international value as they
would be if they were found in Eng
land. From the foundation of the
world iron and coal have existed , and
for hundreds of generations men used
sharpened sticks and chipped flints ,
until the resourcefulness of some genius
moved into the larger field for metal
weapons. ,
From the beginning of the world the
ocean rolled its wild expanse between
the distant shores , and the wind blew
where it listed , and the mariners waited
in port praying to the God of winds ,
Eolus , or any other God , for a favoring
gale , until some one learned to tack
against the wind , and , behold , the vast
possibilities of sailing in any direction
at will.
And so today in Ohina the establish
ment of great iron and steel works at
Hanyang , the Chicago of Ohina , does
not mean any great revolution in the
iron industry of the world , for the
Ohinese are following in the steps of the
more advanced nations , and following a
great way off.
The works are situated at one of the
greatest .natural centres of commerce in
the world. Within a few tens of miles
lie coal and iron and limestone. On all
sides are to be found thousands of
patient and capable laborers. Strikes
are unknown , the market is enormous
and the works are operated at a loss.
No nation and no man can at one miu-
ute't notice take up the method of life
of another nation or man and hope by a
single bound to reach where another has
painfully climbed.
The Ohinese may , and they probably
will , develop their coal and iron to a
high degree , but it will be generations
before there will be any cause for alarm
for those nations that have anything
like similar natural resources. Richmond
mend Times.
BRYAN'S PLATFORM.
My platform is like Joseph's coat ,
A crazy-quilt to get a vote.
The wildest hobby I will mount ,
If I can call it paramount.
Come ye to me who nurse a sore ,
And I will cure you evermore.
On one thing only I'm intent
I want to bo your President.
Abraham Qruber , New York.
