Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-03-14
FREE COINAGE OF SILVER.
Let the Democratic Party Carry
Out Its Pledge.--An Edsefield
Farmer Reviews Demo-
cratic Legislation.
Augusta Chronicle.

Augusta chronicle.
EDGEF1ELD, S. c., March 5.-Ed-
itors Chronicle: My communica-
tion will be one of inquiry more
than anything else, especially as l
am a plain backwoods farmer OF
Edgefeld.
But when we look at the politi-
cal and social status of our coun-
try, verify, "it is a condition and
not a theory that confronts U.s."
When wheat is selling in the Wes-
tern markets for Scots. per bushel,
and thousands starving right in
the midst of plenty, cotton selling
at Tets. per pound, and the people
of the South not able to buy cloth
ing, tile Secretary of the Treas
ury of the United States issuing
millions more of debt; is it q
wonder that you are 80 often
asked what is the cause of hard
times?
Previous to Mr.. Cleveland's Sec
ond administration he certainly at
trihuted it to the tariff (and no
doubt it worked its share) for if
there was any one measure that he
should have called Congress to-
gether in extraordinary session to
consider it was "Tariff Reform"
but ere the ides of May were upon
us, you could see from the daily
pressthat Congress was to be con-
vened, and for what purpose? To
legislate upon the tariff? No!,No!!
The President in his message to
Congress did not mention tariff
reform, or if he did, it was of mi
nor Importance; but 1t was to leg
islate on money.
Would the President try and
make the average citizen believe
that the tight times took place be-
tween the day of his inaugural
and the. time he convened Congress
in extraordinary session? 1t GER
tainly would look 90, but Mr.. Edi-
tor, these tight times have been
coming for years past, the farmers
have felt them for a long time
and for something better, the sub
treasury plan was advanced, but
they were 'laughed to scorn."
Gradually, however, these tight
times kept advancing until they
permeated every class of the busi-
ness world, the pressure was 80
great that there was the general
cry that we needed legislation on
the money question, (the very thing
the farmers had asked for, but in
different shape) and what was
the result? That in less than six
months after Mr.. Cleveland was
inaugurated he had Congress as
sembled to legislate on the money
question to relieve the "tightness
Of the times
Unconditional repeal Of the
Sherman act was the fiat sent
forth. This Infamous law, they
said, was the cause of all of our
woes. After about hundred days
of hard Congressional fighting the
Sherman act was repealed. Now,
they said we would see the country
prosper as never before. | was
forcibly reminded of the debate of
the futures bill in the last Con-
gress. Just kill the Hatch bill,
and you will zee cotton, wheat, and
other farm products 60 right up,
the bill was killed and cotton went
right down. The Sherman act was
repealed, but did the easy times
come, did money become plentiful?
Wh3 would doubt for a moment
that the Secretary of the Treasury
thought, after the passage of the
repeal bill, he would be forced to
issue bonds? The result, sir, proves
how wide of the mark they were.
From Southerner's stand point,
when the President convened Coll-
gress on the financial question he
struck the right measure but the
wrong key, as subsequent events
proved.
Silver naturally occupies it's
place as standard of value in the
commercial world. Since the time
Abraham weighed out the stipula-
ted amount of silver to Ephraim to
pay for the last resting place Of
his beloved wife, silver has occu-
pied it's place in the commercial
world as a measure of value. The
Creator of all things deemed it a
a fit medium of exchange and we
i