The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-04-26
THEY TALK SILVER.
How the Republicans OF Sumner County
Spread the Light.

You fellows up here have got us fell
lows down in our county excited over
the silver question" said Milt Will
Jams of Summer county yesterday.
Yes. sir" he continued, 1.-THE silver
issue has struck US fellows with all
its force and every school house in the
country is lighted up at nights until
they look like beacon lights on the
prairie guiding the footsteps OF the
honest farmer into a harbor where he
thinks he can get at least cost price
for his wheat. corn, oats, hogs and
CATTLE"
Are they discussing it?'
Are they? Well ! should say they
are. They are not only discussing ii
but they are forming clubs everywhere.
This time the school houses are occu-
pied at night by the Republicans and
not by the PopuliStS as il was two years
ago. We have now a club of 30 in our
township. 1t is just two weeks old and
ii has caused a great change of senti-
ment. II is all the work of the Eagle.
We got it at the postoffice turing the
spring and we sat around listening to
the postmaster read what ii said. Some
of us Endorsed il and some did not and
, many were the hot arguments We have
had during the cold weather when the
ground was not fit to pillow. When the
circulars were sent out telling us how
to form silver clubs about twenty of us
got together and formed financial
schools such as the circulars suggest
ed. The next thing we did was TO
agree when a majority Of the schools.
after a months work. would declare BY
a majority vote, preference for mono
metalliSm or be-metalliSm the entire
school would adopt the result. We
gather at our school house every night
and select a teacher To preside at the
blackboard, and for two hours there is
crosS-fire of questions and answers
that throw a great deal of light on the
money question. Any person can ask
the teacher a question touching the
monetary system, and he gives the
answer if he can. II he cannot answer
il properly and satisfactorily any men,
her of the club is permitted 10 answer
ii. but the teacher for the night Is al
ways given the first chance. II any
body is able 10 answer. ii is discussed
by the entire club and is placed in the
calendar Of the next meeting and in the
meantime all the members look up
what authority they may have. Usual
iy the question is settled the first night
but sometimes a knotty question -
postponed from night 70 night until
logical answer is found for Il. This
discussion and inyestiga ton has thrown
a food Of light on the financial quss-
ton and | will wager that We have now
greater percentage OF men in our
township that can talk inteliiGently on
the money question than they have in
any township in America Our club
meeting are as attractive 10 the peO-
pie Of the township as thatre. for the
discussions are hot sometimes and calls
for A members best efforts ~ defend
his position. We allow Populists 10
attend the meeting bUt ;hsy are allow
Cd no vote or voice ~ the discussion
unless they discard their political faith
and become Republicans When Ne
take ths final vote on the issue between
monom etau.sm and bi-nletallsm We VIII
send the result u the Eagle. A. pres
eut l think that 81 per cent % The mem
bers are for bs-metsilisEn. which =
quite z gain since the club vas started.
II We favor hl-metailism in me first
vote and some other township fzvoTs
N 0nomeJ ia Flism We shall challenge 4 tpr
joint discussion With tgo q tae
sbles. members on each side.