The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-10-11
A PLEA FOB KANSAS.
Address by Hon. W, A. PETER in the
United States Senate August "a 1893
"A Strong Argument for Silver Coin


"A Strong Argument for Silver Coin
age.
No member Of this body, Mr.. President,
has keener appreciation Of the need for
acting promptly in response to the preSi.
dents call than have, and were it not that
the people whom have the honor In part
TO represent have commissioned me to pre-
senttheir views upon the pending question I
should not at this time ask the attention Of
the senate, and will thank senator's IL they
will give me their attention.
In what am going to say today wish
senator's to understand that represent at
least million and half Of voters who be-
ieve Just as do, and they have right to
heheard here through one whois authorized
10 speak for them.
AT the outset wish to say that ann not
interested personally in mining, nor are the
people of Kansas. Seventy-dve per cent Of
the men whom I represent here are farm
ers. I had rather have one good Kansas
farm today than an equal number of acres
In the best mineral region in the world.
Kansas farmers and the farmers Of the or-
tire country are always prepared with some.
thing TO live upon.
A little while ago, passing through the
mountains In the mining regions, / saw
that upon the closing Of the mines there
were thousands and thousands Of men
clustering In the cities out Of employment.
A few days afterward saw that they were
marching to Denver and that the whole
populace there were aroused. stopped
one night in July last In the city Of Lead
vile, almost at the top Of the Rocky noun
tains. In the morning the sidewalks were
covered with frost, so cold IL was-in a
drear, rocky, barren region-barren Of ev-
erything except silver and gold and iron.
Those men, thrown out OF employment,
have no place to go, no place to rest their
heads, no farming land to occupy their
time, no deep, rich soil out Of which to raise
wheat and corn and other articles OF sub.
sistence They must go out upon the cold
charities of q heartless world-no, not
heartless-but they are thrown out upon
the charity of a sympathizing world. That
Il better word The farmer Is always at
rest 80 far AZ something to eat Is concerned.
While we In Kansas produce az much
wheat, as much corn and as many cattle
and horses in single year as win outweigh
In value the output ofalI the mines In the
country, while we have no special interest
In mining, we have great interest in the
subject Of money, and am receiving let
ters every day from the people Of that
splendid agricultural region saying: "Give
us money! Give us money! Twenty-Five
and twenty-five cent wheat we cannot live
upon except to feed ourselves" Il Is
money the people want.
In that respect, Mr.. President, we are
broad enough to understand that the peo-
pie of the entire country are just as much
interested in this matter as the men who
live among the silver mines, just as much
interested % those pioneers who have en-
tered the Businesses of the Rocky noun
tains and wrought out every year since
they have been there, as the senator from
Idaho [Mr. Duboisl told US the other day,
millions upon millions Of gold, which our
eastern friends are clamoring for. One Of
the most astonishing feats Of modern civil
fzation Is the course Of progress in that
stony and rugged region. The only won
der is that men and women have ever un-
dertaken to live there. Were It not for the
mining interest, were it not for the mineral
stores which are there, nothing Of the kind
would ever have been accomplished.
While we, the people in the states con-
tiguous to the mining regions, are interest
ed directly because It makes market for
US, still we are broad enough tounderstand
that the whole country Is interested.
have never heard any senator upon this
floor or any representative Of a mining TO
giOn, whose people are directly interested
In the mining Of silver and gold, urge upon
the attention Of the senate that it Is their
peculiar interest, and that therefore they