Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-16

Der for manufacturing, agricultural and
mining purposes. (Applause.) They say
this man Sparks is q fraud; . crank, q des-
pot, q tyrant and all that sort Of thing.
Now,t don't wonder that, having
entered the department and found on ev-
cry side evidences of fraud that had been
practiced undeea Republican administra-
ton he should have gone to an un-
warranted extreme in rigor and exactitude
Of the interpretation Of the laws, and rul-
ings which had been made under q Repub-
lican administration. But for all that.
this man is nothing like SO much OF q fraud
as that lean chap they call Carl Schurz,
whom the Republicans had in the Interior
Department in 1877. At that time his
spies and informers infested every camp in
this country and seized our cord-wood un-
der instructions from that gentleman. Our
cord-wood at Butte was seized-I had some
myself and I know it. ~(Laughter.) Now,
I am not here as the apologist OF Mr..
Sparks, in whatsoever he has committed
wrong or has done anything to
our own interests. We might have had a
much better man than Mr.. Sparks as Com.
missioner OF the land office, and we might
lave had one infinitely worse. (Applause.)
But let me ask you in all seriousness, have
any saw-mills, whose owners have beeu
complying with the law, been closed down
in this Territory? "a voice-No.) Has
anybody who has been complying with the
law been prevented from cutting timber on
the public domain? Has any mine in Mon
tana been closed down? Has the title of
any man in Montana to any farm been i'm
paired or endangered in the least? Has any
man who has been honestly complying with
the law and trying to procure a title to his
land, and who has been willing to pay for
it, been hiadered or prevented from doing
50? Let US deal fairly with this question.
Now, upon the other hand, may not his in.
vestigations of frauds in the Land Depart
ment have largely prevented Wholesale
land grabbing by corporations and monop-
olists who have been endeavoring to get
control of millions of acres of land in this
western country which rightfully belong to
actual settlers?"
Mr.. Clark then. called attention to the
large number OF fraudulent entries of land
under former administrations and the et-
forts of the present land department to
protect the interests OF the home seekers of
the country. He referred to the policy OF
Republican administrations in giving away
the public domain Of the country; stated
the fact that nearly 5O,OOO.O 600 acres OF
those lands had already been restored to
the government, and then asked: "Is this
government to be censured for Furnishing
fraud and protecting the actual settler who
desires to make a home for himself upon
which to rear his family?" The shouts OF
"No, No." from !. 800 threats showed that
the farmers of Deer Lodge Valley fully re-
allied what a being lone for the agricul.
tural interests OF the Territory by the
present administration.
Mr.. Clark then turned to the discussion
of the silver question. There is no man in
Montana better informed upon this subject
than Mr.. Clark. Being the heaviest
silver producer and the largest investor in
silver mines in the West he has made the
question a study. He had already told
his audience that he entertained no fears
that his mills would be shut down Tor want
OF wood, or that the country would suffer,
because Sparks was Land Commissioner,
and he now assured it that the silver in
terests would not be crushed by the same
powers. Speaking of this matter the gen.
tleman said:
Now, we do admit that President Cleve-
land and Mr.. Manning are rot in favor of
the free and unlimited coinage of silver.
Neither was Mr.. Hayes nor his sec. etary;
neither was President Garfield nor his Sec
rotary; neither was President Arthur nor
his secretary; neither will any one be, per-
haps, who can control influence enough to
be elected to that high Office. It is a well.
known fact hat the monied ihstitu-
tions OF the East control presidential
elections, and that they are ar
rayed against the silver interests of the
west. But we must not forget, as has been
stated to you here to-day, that it was the
Republican party in 1873 that demonetis.
ed silver; we must not forget that the ma.
jOrity ct the friends OF silver in the senate
OF the United States are Democra we must
remember that the House of Representa-.
tives, which is overwhelmingly Democratic,
is almost unanimous in it's friendship to
silver. The recent decline in this metal is
well understood in commercial and inan.
cial relations between Great Britain and
her Indian colonies; it resulted from a tenn
porary disturbance in the laws of trade
which could not befOrseeno or averted. Hap.
PLY these disturbances have ceased, the
equilibrium has been restored, silver has
risen in value and will yet take it's place in
the monetary systems OF the world, when
no power on earth can dethrone it. (Ap.
plause } 1t is used as a medium o~fexchange
among almost two thousand millions of PEG.
pie. and no metal has yet ever been discov-
cred that will take it's pace.
The annual production of gold in the
world is about 500, 900, 600. OF this
more than $50, 600, 900 is used in the arts
and manufactures, leaving but SIC, OOO,-
0 to go into use as money. The produc.
ton OF gold is decreasing rapidly every year.
The consumption of gold in the arts and
manufacturers is increasing in about the
same proportion. We must remember
that the population of this worldis ~increas.
ing rapidly, and it's commerce and indns-
tries expanding, SO that more money will
be required to do the business OF the world.
This being the case it is easily seen that the
time will soon come when gold will be too
scarce to serve longer rs a unit of value,
and silver will take it's place. (AppIause.)
Let me cite to you in this connection an
example OF the craftsmanship and financial
ability OF one of the lights OF the Republic
can party-the views of a man in that
party who has been regarded as one of the
greatest, if not the greatest financier-I al
Jude to Senator John Sherman. This as
tute politician, the interests of whose
constituency would demand from
him loyalty to silver, being from
the State of Ohio, but who has
been always it's uncompromising
foe, and who today is seeking a wider con-
s%tituency in the presidency OF the United
States, said the other day in Louisville.
Kentucky, that we must make the silver
dollar an honest dollar by putting in it a
dollars worth Of silver. At that time sill
yer was worth 81 cents an ounce; to-day it
is worth 97X cents per ounce. If the ideas
OF Mr.. Sherman could have been carried
into execution, every twenty silver dollars
coined under that rule would tod ~ be