The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-12
THE TWO GREAT QUESTIONS.
Western Republicanism and More
Money, or Western Democracy
and Protected Plutocracy

Over these two interests will the next
great political battles be fought. On the
money question the East is united, the
West divided. The East owns the
money and the West the debts The
East owns the manufactures and is
solid for protection which policy il
maintains. The producers of the West
for the most part are compelled to take
their chances unprotected in the free
and open markets of the world, the
unprotected prices for which products
must be expended in the highly pro-
tected manufactured articles of the
East. In congress the manufacturer
and the banker are always found voting
for monometalic measures and for high
protection, but the moment a wester
miner or western farmer votes for
bimetalism or free coinage in the interest
Of a greater volume and better prices he
is run out of the party by the cry of
"Class legislation and repudiationr'
OF late we have been permitting con-
siderable discussion of the subject of
free coinage, etc., in the columns of the
EAGLE without offering any editorial
comments. The people Of the state, at
least the Republican party of Kansas,
have not, probably, entirely forgotten
the EAGLES discussion of these and
like matters of one and two years ago in
connection with a Rebellion" nor are
some of the leading politicians of the
state insensible of about how far the gen
eral war made by this paper reached
The EAGLE is not placing chip on its
shoulder now. In standing by the in
| terests of the west it would be honest
and fair with the east. DR.. E. P. Miller,
who has said the most in these
columns against tbs free coinage of
silver is, as we plainly stated once
before, New York city man, an edu-
Gated capitalist and an experienced
interests in Kansas, but it should not be
lost sight of by our western readers that
he talks from an essentially Wall street
or money owner and loaner's stand
point. He owns some fine, productive
farms in Kansas, but if he were in the
United States senate he'would be found
voting with Edmunds for the manufac-
turing east rather than with Plumb for
the farming west. He opposes the free
coinage of silver, which is natural He
favors the highest possible tariff. High
priced manufactured goods and high
priced money-these two things make
up the manufacturers paradise. High
priced manufactured goods and high
priced money mean low-priced food. 1t
will be observed that Mr.. Miller
assumes always that to which all mono
metalists hold and that is that gold is
now the standard and everything else
has got to be measured by it, and that
silver has therefore deprecated. That is
the fundamental error, or rather, we
should say, the fundamental falsehood,
underlying the whole monometallic
structure. The extra value which gold |
holds over its former parity has been
given it by law, while from silver has
been taken part of its value by law.
But notwithstanding this silver today is |
worth relatively more as compared with |
the conditions of things existing in
1873. when it was demonetzed in this |
country and in Germany, than it was
then compared with any other product |
of the world except gold. 1t will buy
more wheat at it's present merchantable
value than it would then, and so of corn,
beef, and every other thing which the
world produces, except gold only. Now
the monometalists, having had gold |
made the standard and thereby enor-
mously enhanced in value, to the conse-
quent depreciation of property, COM
plain that those who believe in bimetal-
ism want to put silver up by law to an
equal value with gold. The reason of
this is that they realize that the process
would result in slight depreciation of
gold, whereby in its decline it would
meet the upward movement of silver and
thereby parity be established.
A tremendous struggle is going on in
the world now for the possession of the
limited stock of available gold. While
that struggle is going on thepeople of the
United States are waiting. They dare
not enter upon new enterprises, and if
they do enter upon them it will be with
fear and trembling, thinking of the pos
sibility of such another struggle. which
would disturb business, depreciate the
value of property and hurt everything
except credits. The man who advocates
a gold standard under present circunl-
stances consciously or unconsciously is
doing that which is destructive TO the
interests of property, to labor, TO enter
prise and general solvencv.
The West and South will in the next
force the free coinage of silver.
In the absence of a presidential veto we
believe free coinage inevitable. Time
alone must demonstrate the wisdom
or the folly of it. For one the EAGLE