Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-07-21
The Talk of the Silver Men.

1t is evident that the silver men propose
to make vigorous fight for the white
metal when Congress meets next month.
General Warner, who is q leader OF the
American Bimetallic League, says that a
thorough canva IS Of Congress has been
made, and that the silver-purchase law
cannot be repealed except on condition
that new legislation satisfactory to the
silver advocates is put in its place. This
means free coinage of sil7er-the adoption
of the practice that India has just felt fore
ed to give up. 1t is possible that General
Warner may be mistaken concerning the
strength of the free-coinage men, but there
can be no doubt as to their intentions.
These men are to hold convention in
Chicago a week before the meeting OF
Congress, to consider what General War
ner calls the great conspiracy to destroy
silver as money. In the call for this con-
vention it il asserted that the present
financial disturbance is largely artificial;
that these artificial disturbances here and
the closing of the mints of India are parts
of great conspiracy to drive out silver,
change all debts to gold debts and estab-
lish the single gold standard finally aud
forever. General Warner says this Will
mean a never. ending rise of gold and fall
of prices, and will amount to an economic
revolution more disastrous to the welfare
of mankind, and especially to the produc-
ing and laboring classes, than any IN the
history of the world.
General Warner thinks that the situation
created bv the developments Of this great
Conspiracy and by the call for the extra
session demands wise counsel and deter
rnined action. To secure that KIND oil
counsel. he asks all Governors oil states
and all societies in sympathy with tne pnr-
noses of the convention to send delegates
70 II and he wants all Congressman and
state Legislators to take part in 1t. just
what shane the determined action Will as
snme we are not yet informed, although
there has been some wild talk in Colorado
and elsewhere among the silver mines
about setting up an independsnt govern
ment an a new financial basis, and about
the repudiation of Of all bonds and oblga-
tions held at the East. 1t ls also announ-
ced that large sums are being raised 10
send to Washington to influence leglslatlon
there, and it is not probable that the ae-
termined action" may take the shape oil
"wen- -heeledD lobby.
Be that as it may, 1t Is certain tnat Ine
silver men and their advocates are very
mnch in earnest, and that they will do all
tbav can in Congress and elsewhere to de-
feat what they regard as an attack on thelr
m material interests But one trouble WIN
them ia that the facts on which they base
their actions are not facts at all. There is
no conspiracy against silver, great or small.
The President and the Senators and hep-
resentatives who favor the repeal oil the
Law reouiring the Government to purchase
metal for which it has no use-these men
are not conspirators. They learned OF IN
action Of the Indian authorities Just as
General Warner did-from the newspapers.
Nor are the financial troubles oil the couh-
try artificial. The business men OF tne
United States are not fools intent on biting
off their own noses to spite somebody else.
They have not conspired to derange busic
ness and damage themselves because oi
enmity to the producers OF SILVER.
The fact is, the people OF this country
have NO desire to destroy silver as money.
They have shown o very general and per-
sistent desire to keep it on parity with
gold, and they still have that desire. And
the leading men of both parties agree
with the people in this respect, as is shown
by their National platforms. But multi
tudes of people of both parties are coming
to doubt the possibility Of freely circulat-
ing the two metals side by side. They are
learning by sad experience that the IN,
written laws o. trade are stronger than all
the laws that Congresses and Parliaments
can frame. They see that it is time to put
an end to the folly Of maintaining an ar
tificial market for product that the Gov
eminent does not need and cannot use;
And arguments based on falsehoods and
rant cannot blind them to the practical
teachings of experience.-Wellsboro Ag'-
fQtOr,