The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-12-02
THE SILVER QUESTION.

be submitted to that bOQ& an IecelVl
early consideration. Several bills5haw
been prepared with the utinest cagsS it !
saia, and are in the hands ~ able nd il
~auential members, and will be p5fssenteS
and referred during the very earliest day
OF the session. How carefully these bill
have been drafted, or how far they 60 to
/ yards gpssftins lthl P1e1sIPs t demands land =. o
portant industry, will not be made public
until they have been regularly submitted
This matter will undoubtedly engros. thu
attention OF Congress and the committees
ior a considerable length OF time. Like al
other important national questions it has
!, two sides, both Of which will be represented
on the floors OF Congress by the ables'
STATESMEN, whose servicesffor sympathies
and prejudices can be influenced or secured
for and against the measure.
4. This is o9e. OF those questions which calls
for the services of Legislators possessing
intellects sufficiently broad and deep: to
enable them to grasp the subject, and con-
slider it from a National standpoint, and
to penetrate. into the deep bowels OF the
mountains in the silver-producing States
and Territories, and form an approximate
estimate of the immense value of the in
terests involved in this great controversy.
Untold millions of wealth, as yet unde-
veloped, and thousands of millions already
discovered, may be made valuable or
rendered comparatively worthless by the
| action Of Congress at the coming session.
This of itself ought to be. sufficient to
secure proper Legislation; that is, such
favorable action as will effectually protect
| and foster silver. mining. The question
seems SO plain and simple that it is diff
cult to conceive. what, if any. reasons exist
for opposing such legislation. Surely, the
country will not STAND by idly and permit
a small ring of SPECTATORS and stock-job-
bers to destroy the silver-producing inter
ests to crafty their sordid desires
to enrich themselves at the expense of.the
toiling thousands who depend upon it for
daily labor, to earn their daily bread, to-
gether with. the millions of others whose
welfare and happiness depend upon other
industries and business enterprises through
out the land. e.
Unfhvorable legislation would most
assuredly depreciate the market; value OF
this. precious. metal to such an extent as
to render mining utterly proftless. This
would cause all the mines to close down ia
the sacrifice of the immense amount of
wealth invested in them, and besides that
throw thousands OF industrious working.
men out OF employment What would be
the effect OF such Il suicidal policy? The
Western Territories and the Pacific States
would become almost .depopulated; the
large thriving cities AMI towns in the min
ing regions fall into ruin and decay, and
the immense army OF working men COM
PEELED to seek employment elsewhere, or
live off of the charity OF other Communities.
No greater disaster could befall any coun-
try than that. which would certainly follow
legislation inimical to the silver producing
interests =. -
Who would be benefited by such action
gold bugs. Who are they, that they
should command so much power as is re-
quired to influence Congress? The gold bugs
cannot consist OF anything else than a
clique or, as some say, n ring OF heartless,
despera'e spectators, to be found only in
the large money centers in the. Eastern and
Middle States They cannot possibly rep
resent any other interests than those OF
banking and money changing. Among
them, however, arc to be found specula-
tors who ply their unconscionable voca-
tions upon the most gigantic scale. They
are the men who, by raising Or lowering the
prices Of stocks at Their pleasure, irretriev-
ably ruin thousands daily. They estimate
their illgotten gains by the. millions, and
now hope, by crushing the great silver in
terest, to increase their fortunes to- tens OF
millions. This they expect to accomplish
by employing the identical means SO sue
cessfully resorted to by them in
procuring. land granting and SUBJ
sides before the National, State. and
Territorial Legislatures.
Congressional lobbying is the means they
will resort to, in order to carry their point.
Hundreds OF expert professional lobbyists
are already engaged in their service and it
will require active, u~ntiring efforts by those
whose interests are threatened with de-
struction, to defeat them. The Importance
OF guarding against the power of the lobby
seems to have excited the attention OF the
Bi-metaellic, Coinage. Association, and in
some portions OF the country, depending
upon the mining industry, auxiliary socie-
ties have been organized, and they are.bus-
lily engaged in collecting funds and circu-
latihg documentary information, for the
purpose of protecting and fostering their
interests. In Colorado they are accepting
members who subscribe as low as one dol
lar to the fund, and. committees have been
appointed to canvass counties. townships, /
cities and towns for that purpose and they
have met with great success. 1t has been
said that the Prince. OF Sheol can only be
defeated by using his own weapons against
him; hence il money is to be used in an at
tempt to secure legislation damaging
to, or todefeat such as may be intended to
promote. the silver mining industry, the
only way, unfortunately, to counterfeit it
is to employ the same instrumentality.
interests are. at stake in this
matter as much, if not more: so, as any
other silver-producing State or Territory.
What has she lone towards Strengthening
the arms OF the bi-metallic champions or
to defeat the gold bugs in. their ruinous
Echo W what!
Procrastinationi is the thief of time. This
is a trueism with which every man, woman
and child is familiar. 1t is too late to lock
The stable door after the horse is stolen.
Why then do not our people arouse from
their lethargy and byextraordinary efforts
more than atone for their supinepess in the
II Colorado, Arizona. and New Mex
leo regard. the signs OF the times to be so
as to solicit contributions from all
their citizens, why should Mountains, neglect
4 duty OF SO much Importance? Organize,
organize, organize! SO that when the conn
try resounds with the joyful acclamations
Of the people over the defeat of the gold
bugs and heartless spectators, and. the
passage OF u bi-metaEic currency bill by
Congress, Montana shall enjoy her full
share of credit for the glorious triumph.
TuD oo|%1o,oo,, =, coee:o, - o. >.-