Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-03-23
SILVER ADVOCATES. I
They Have Lost None Of Their Pa
thence or Courage.



yisws q csnsrsssnsa iron Msfihwfsi-0 Out
spoken, Breezy and Unconventional.
WASHINGTON. March o. lSpecial-l =
The Republican representatives from the
far northwest (if there be far northwest
IN these days Of steam and electricity con-
stitutc class apart, with marked charac-
teristics distinguishing them from their CO.
partisars of the east They are far more
outspoken,s breezy and unconventional,
often breaking out in that racy humor
which seems natural product of the great
mountains and prairies. In none do these
qualities appear more pleasing than in Mr..
Picker, the big and healthy brunette who
helps represent South Dakota and has re-
Gently made it interesting for the commit
tee on Indian affairs. He overfows with
good nature and understands his business,
but If an artist wanted model for an
Apoilo Belyidere he would not "scuip'' Mr..
Picker.
Indians, Negroes and Silver.
"we are on the right track in this Indian
business" said he. land the best proof OF it
is that the Indians have ceased to decrease,
il they are not actually increasing, and the
more Indians we have now the fewer H.
dian wars we have. The present policy IS
to break up their tribal relations, separate
and give them allotments of land, teach
them to work and read, and so on. Bat it
takes 50 long awfully long. What slow
job this thing of civilizing race Isl Why,
we AnglO-Saxons have been 1900 years or
more in learning enough to run republic
= .e- hus ls.or al
it, which looks little doubtful just now,
in Colorado, for instance. And our negroes
the kernel of the trouble with them in this
country is right here: They have been
brought from a barbarOus shore and put
under the requirements Of the very highest
civilization and a complex and wealthy So
ciety and have not had time to grow up to
it. Why, negro in this country is sublect
to five hundred times as much temptation
as in Africa and Ia not more than five
times stronger to resist it. The result Is q
moral minus" a
'And how will your set vote on silver for
the rest of this congress!"
'.All for it, l believe. l shouldn't vote
against free coinage. but they will not let
it come up in that shape. have tried to
get in an amendment for the free coinage
of the American product and would prefer
that. AS to the rest, let me see. There IS
Meiklejohn of Nebraska-he is young and
able, ambitious, of course, and admits a
doubt on the subject; thinks the last word
has not been said by good deal AT pres
ent he prefers not to commit himself posi-
lively. Much the same may be said OF
Haines and Mercer of the same state Mr.
Haines is the dark complexioned man, with
the heavy black whiskers. to which LATE
Pence referred in some derision. But |
think these men who admit doubt and
are studying the question will eventually
vote for more silver.
Thinks Silver Is Gaining.
"Mr. johnson of North Dakota is anti
silver, strong. He is a sort of exception--a
man of Norwegian parentage, but much
darker than Scandinavians generally. OF
course all west of us to the Pacific are
strong for silver. especially Mr.. Hartman
of Montana and Judge Sweet of Idaho, but
they are all about alike. Wilson and Doc
little of Washington are an amusing pair
in one respect--Doolittle, am told, weighs
Just twice as much rs Wilson. Mr.. Curtis
of Kansas is another very interesting char
acter. He has some Indian blood and
shows it and is a very pleasant gentleman
indeed. think silver is gaining. The ar
guments for it have never been answered.
Maybe they can be, but they haven't been
yet The main argument of the other side
contradicts itself.
Here it is as get at it: By invention
and increased production commodities have
declined in price some 40 per cent since 1873
coin price at that. BY the same processes
silver has declined about the same. There
fore, they conclude, silver is not good
money. Ii that is not a complete non seoul
tur, the books on logic should be burned.
have been anxious to see the Bland seign-
forage bill become law. i am satisfied it
would work well and give a much needed
and healthy shove to business. AS to the
prophecies of evil, why, they have been max
lug them ever since the Bland-Allson act
of 1873, and the result has always been the
other way-our gold stock has increased
Just as our silver has. They said silver was
the cause Of the trouble last summer, and
that the repeal of the Sherman act would
make everything lovely, but we all knew it
wouldn't, and it didn't. Let's be guided
BY experience and common sense"
II Told You So."
All the silver men take pleasure in quot
ing the figures recently put out by the bu-
reau of statistics to the effect that the bal
ance of trade in our favor for the eight
months ending with February was $685.
600, 600 against $50 100000 last year; that in
the same months the imports of gold eX-
ceeded the exports by So, 1000, 600 and the
exports of silver exceeded the imports by
SIS, 100000. These figures certainly do put
the calamity howlers," as silver men now