Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-10

hateful men who want to make poor peo-
pie pay for things when Congress could just
as well make them free as not. Now, there
Is free coal. Why, we girls could have had
| as many candied violets for Lent as ever II
there had been free coal, so that we need
not have used our allowance for coal for
the poor people whom we found. / can't
see how any sane person can insist on hav-
ing coal that isn't free to everybody, when
all you have to do is to hunt up. place
| where coal grows and just dig it out of the
| ground"
Hurrnh for Free Everything.
"Now feel just that way about free sill
ver." 1t was Nora who SHE'D her castor
into the arena again. Il don't pretend to
understand 1t at all. but it sounds nice.
Why. l want to know, shouldn't we have
| free everything? This is a free country, and
We have been saying so ever since the 8
| o'clock tea in Boston harbor. l think that
We ought to have free wool, free iron, free
| sugar"
| oh, yes; free sugar; 1 had forgotten
that broke in Mary. Papa says that I'M
less there is more sugar in sight than he
has seen yet there is a good deal of legis-
| lation that won't get through this Congress-
He seems to think that the men who have
free silver mines are not free enough about
sugar, though I'm sure l cannot see the
analogy. Papa says that there are great
many things that do not understand"
| For my part, l want free silver" as
| serted Louise. Just think what it would
mean to us girls. Why we could have
| solid silver toilet sets, and slver-mounted
| things without end And think about how
| much the wedding presents we have to give
| cost us. Why, positively, we could give
whole dinner sets of silver to each other
when We get married, and never think of
/ the cost, if silver is free
But, Louise" asked Bobbie anxiously;
| IF silver gets so very common, would we
| care to have our things made out of it any
| more than We do now Of tin?"
You are such a ninny. OF course silver
Will never get common like tin; it costs
| more money. 1t will just be free. Can't
| you see?'
| Bobbie did not see. but that made no diff
! ference to Louise, who went on calculating
NOW. you must see that it would be great
| boon to poor people to have free silver. They
could have silver knives, and forks, and
silver spoons. l told Mrs. Curran, the other
day. that 1t was positively dangerous to
give her baby medicine in an iron spoon.
Our family physician says that silver is
the only thing fit to put medicine in Mrs
Curran smiled a little. and said: Yes
| miss" but l don't believe she comprehend
| ed, for the next time that l went there she
was still using the iron spoon. l call it very
careless. l don't why they neglect to
buy such things. OF course, clothes wear
out, and one has constantly to keep buying
something to eat, but good silver ought to
last a lifetime. Mamma has some silver
| spoons and things that are over hundred
| years DID,
Louise" began Bobbie again: you don't
do you? Can people get 1t when they have
nothing to buy it with? | remember when
l took that awful course in political econo-
my that there was something somewhere in
1t about the laws of supply and demand,
and that all values must be based on that
If silver is to be so awful plenty, will not
that make it dreadful cheap? And even
then, how can people get 1t when they have
nothing to exchange for it?"
BObbie is So Foolish.
Now, Bobbie that Is like you, exactly
You never are satisfied to do as other peo-
| pie do until you are told all the why's The
gold bugs keep saying that just to con-
| fuse the voters about their duty. They are
always saying TO the populsts: Suppose
you get free silver, how will 1t help you IL
| you have not the corn or wheat or horses,
| or something to exchange for it% And then
| they ask them In the severest tones imagin-
able: If you have anything to sell, do you
not get, in good money, every cent Your
| stuff is worth right now" l do not think IT
| Is right or kind to twit the poor populists
| with their poverty, and keep them all the
| time talking about II the way some of them
| do. everybody knows that the populists
| would not come to Congress IL IL was not
| that they are poor and need the salary
You Know they talk just awful about every
BODY else but themselves, and for my part.
L thlnk that man who has made a fail
ure of everything he has ever done ought
to make real good Congressman, because
ne mas his own experience always before
| him. Don't you remember that sweet thing
| in the school reader by Patrick Henry? I
| have but one lamp by which my feet are
| guided, and that is the lamp of experience
| | know no way of judging of the future but
| by the past L really do not think IL is
right of you, Bobbie; You and Mr. Reed and
the other gold bugs to insist on asking
troublesome questions. My plan is to meet
Things When must. l say give free sill
Yer, and then We will talk over some of the
| other questions that seem to bother YOU |
must insist that it is not right to jnterrunt
| or obstruct the reform movements Just for
! little things like that" Bobbie looked re-
signed at the unexpected onslaught from
Louise but not convinced; however she Of
Tered no further comment 1t was Nora
who next evinced an interest in the ques-
! tlon 50 laSt arriving at logical solution
Now, what l would like to know" She
SAID, as she planted her chin in her hand i'm
q way that would show both off to advan-
| taSe, rs the meaning of silver seiynioraga ;,
| that is the question before the country inst
row, and not free silver 1t is new kind
| OF metal TO me, and If 1t is any prettier
IMAM silver for toilet sets, l mean to make
| life burden to papa until he gets mo
| full set of ii. l do hope it will match the
gown have planned for Easter, for then
| l can have my new prayerbook bound in
Il think coming the silver seirniorape
| means coming vacuum" ventured Eohhie
| hestatingly, Il heard papa say that was
What the silver men We're trying to do
| sou my DIS well talk about COIN
| ing silver moonbeamS as silver seigniorare
and that If 1t was not so hard on the
country he would be perfectly willing for
| the OBJECT lesson to go on. He saws 81
Yer man is wiser in his own conceit than
| seven men that can give a reason"
| Jennie looked at Bobbie in perfect sur
prise. Why, how you talk Seems to me
anybody ought to be able to understand the
meaning or silver seigniorage' now, / rot
at II without the least trouble in the world
just from my knowledge of Latin. Senior
| Is Latin for old Don't you remember. al,
that about senix, senicis, and the rest Of
| it? Then they just add the age and there
you have 1t. 'seigniorage' old age Nov,
! did not work it out beautifully, all by nv
| self, too? Not a soul told me anytbinp
| about it, And then the whole seven of
them gasped in silent amazement and awe
at the daring creature who could alone and
| unaided tackle such a stupendous question
| All but Elaine who had been perfectly si
| lent during this amazing coloquy. ..You
| have certainly accomplished wonders lem
| nie,' she assured her, but you have allied
| to tell us what connection there is between
silver and seigniorage."
| Flushed with gratifed pride Jennie flung
her sewing aside and plunged into the sub
| ject anew. Now, you are Just like mana
he says the conclusions l reach so rapidIv
would astonsh the nation, and he has nor n
| bit of doubt in the world that when women
get to voting and get into the cabinet thar
| I'll be made Secretary of the Treasury.
won't that be perfectly lovely? Then | can
| stand third in the receiving line with the
/ ID..A@ ft.,f 70 20 tl,.As- 30