The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-06-21
WHEAT AND SILVER,

a VA VA0 GOR40AA&0s& ASSAVB WhHNA
is unanswerable. OF course, everybody viii
understand that it is from the PEN Of Col.
Van Horn, and that il does not express the
views of the Journal management. IL must
be embarrassing for this great plutoCratiO
journal to have man upon It's editorial
staff who, in q single editorial, will present
an argument against the republican party
which the entire press Of the party cannot
answer in a year; and yet Col. Van Horn
seems to be in such position that his artis
oles cannot we'll be declined. Republican
readers, especially wheat growers, are rec
commended 10 read and digest. .-EDIToR.l
In late issue OF the Topeka Capital,
the following appeared:
The Wichita Beacon lays the low price of
wheat to Che demonstration Of silver, but
silver was even more "demonetized" in 1876
than il is to-day, and wheat then sold in
Chicago as high as $l.761S, and the lowest
price of the year was $1,O111SS, or IN 1889 or
1890, when il sold for $1.0S. We had free
silver coinage in 1861, when wheat sold in
Chicago Rs low as IS cents, and in 1852,
when the average price the year through was
only IS cents, the average price for spring
wheat that year being only 4S11S cents. The
trouble with wheat is not the financial sys-
tenn, but the fact that in spite Of the low
price 70,000, 600 bushels Of the last crop are
still unoslled for by consumers. There is
more wheat produced than the people of She
world demand for food; and il is hardly sup
possible that their demand would be larger
if the price were higher.
In this matter the Wichita Beacon is
right, and the CapitGI wrong. 1t is ad-
mltted by the highest authorities the
world over that since silver was demone-
tized, gold has largely advanced in value,
as compared with commodities generally,
but there are special and particular rea-
sons why this has been so with respect
to wheat and cotton, and why the de-
monetizstion Of silver has disastrously
affected and must continue to disas-
triously affect the values of these two
great American staples. These reasons
have been SO often stated that replti-
ton Of them would seem unnecessary.
1t will, however, be necessary to restste
them so long as the facts continue to be
denied.
It is we'll known chat both wheat and
cotton are largely imported into Europe
from India and other silver using coun-
tries. The cost of such importstions
from those countries largely determines
the values Of these staples in England
and on the continent, and the prices for
American wheat in those markets, and
as the value Of our entire American crop
is mainly determined by the value Of
our exported surplus, it follows that the
cost Of wheat and cotton from India and
other silver-using countries, laid down
in Europe, determines, in a general way,
the price which every Wheat-rRiser in
the western states and every cotton
planter in the south receives for his
product Every business man will read
lily appreciate the truth Of these propo-
Bitions.
Now, how does the price Of silver enter
into the question: 1t is in this simple
way. All the importstions from silver
using countries are paid for in silver. II
silver costs $129 an ounce, which was
the old value in this country before
demonstration, and it requires an ounce