The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-12-21
THE FARMERS AND SILVER.
Representative Gathering Declares
a Against 1t.

A Representative Gathering Declares
a Against 1t.
Farmers of the United States have
been holding a national congress in
Atlanta. The body is supposed to be
.pade up of representative farmers
Ffrom all parts of the country. The
delegates, it is understood, represent
farmers of the kind that cultivate the
Gsoil and not of the kind, generally
speaking, that cultivate political jobs.
Therefore, their action on the silver
question may be accepted as fair ex-
preston of the views of representative
American farmers.
resolution was reported favorably
from the committee on resolutions on
the silver question. The dispatch does
not report the resolution in full, but
states that in substance it deprecates
the present condition of finance in this
country and calls upon the president to
take steps looking to the assembling of
congress of all nations willing to unite
in the equal use of both gold and silver.
The free silver delegates proposed to
amend the final clause SO as to read
willing to unite in the equal use of
both gold and silver at ratio not to ex
coed l6 to l." Upon vote by states the
amendnentwasre rejected by 1045-14 yeas
to PSI OLA nays. Less than one-third
OF the delegates, it will be seen, voted
for the amendment. Later in the day
aresolution declaring opposition TO any
further issue of bonds or interest-bear-
ing notes was voted down.
Taking these votes together, they sig
Nifty number of things in regard to the
attitude of the farmers congress: First,
that the delegates are practically agreed
upon the proposition that bimetaliic
standard is desirable if practicable;
second. that it is not practicable with
out international corporations; third,
that it would be folly for this country
to dictate a ratio in in.iting other ma
lions to join in a conference, and that
She question of ratio is one to be settled
ty the conference in view of existing
Sftacts and probabilities; fourth, that the
delegates are in favor of maintaining all
forms of our currency at par with gold
! coin under all circumstances. This is
plainly implied by the defeat of the res
oIutions opposing the issue of interest
bearing bonds and notes.
In action by national farmers con-
vention signifying all this there is not
much comfort for the Harvey sort OF
f.nanciers, while there is much TO con-
firm the statement of Secretary Car
Isle that ''the free coinage movement
has lost it's momentum and is no longer
formidable or aggressive" Regarding
the vote on the 16 to 1 amendment tht
dispatch says: "Georgia's delegation
was divided. The states known as the
silver states favored the amendment
and the east, the north and the soutf
voted almost solidly against it."
The vote of the southern delegates
will cause some surprise. 1t has beer
pretty generally supposed that south
erners, and especially southern farm
ers, were wild for free silver at 16 to 1
if not for free paper at a million or So
I to one The attitude of southern mer
in congress has contributed to produc,
this impression. In certain quarters
it has not been believed that southern
farmers were so much charmed by thu
voice of the cheap-money siren as wa:
represented. But 10 the friends O
sound money generally the Statement
that the southern Representatives a
Atlanta voted almost solidly agains
the l6 TO scheme will come as reyela
ton and relief.--Chicago Chronicle.