The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-12-13
Is A MODERN SAUL.
III HAS PUT the NATIONAL
BANKERS m OBSTACLES.
uis Name II Aldrsags asd Bis Fam
8sses - . speech He MsAs as At
neutrality-suspicious. Bsrsins Rad
Seales HAA

person Of one Aldredge. who made
funny speech 1t Atlanta
Whether this Aldredge is a vel
Young man and gave the bankers Il
benent OF his maiden effort. or is OF
OF ripe years who has been hiding b
i~ncandescent light under q canopy
extreme modesty. w know not. d.
We do know that he has emerged fro.
~obscurity and electrified . few simpl.
minded bankers with his Wit.
II is unfortunate. though, that he ha
20 much Of natural humor In his mins
that u~nconsciously he allowed il TO per
wade his entire speech. Some OF hi
most serious propositions were. in fac
the funniest parts Of his discourse.
Among other things. he brought on
he very remarkable fact. that the farm
er Is better on with wheat at so cent
ger bushd than he would be with whea
az u. Then he made II clear TO thos.
grave and wise bankers that diminishel
production IL the true road to nationa
prosperity. illustrating II by very co
gent references to the recent rise in TIL
price of cotton as . result Of a reduce,
crop.
These discoveries are Of such import
ance to mankind that Judge Aldredge
should have INDUCED in more ampli-
hcation. and carried them to their logi-
cal conclusion. II the farmer is better
on with 50-cent wheat than with dollar
wheat. then ascent wheat will MAKE
him still more prosperous. and when ii
gets down to nothing per bushel. the
cup Of his happiness will be full. The
failure OF the great humorist to eluci-
date this point leaves his magical ef-
fort . little incomplete.
Then with regard to the blessings
which have come from the partial
failure Of the cotton crop. From $780,
900 bales last year ii has fallen to $780,
600 or 1000. 900 this year. Now IL a loss
Of 5000. 900 bales Of cotton has 50 great
~ improved business conditions in the
south. what q food tide Of prosperity
would have rolled over that region IL
the loss had been 5000. 900 bales. And
II II had pleased Divine Providence to
destroy II all. the cotton planter would
be happier even than the farmer who
sells his wheat for nothing. The in
completeness OF the judges remarks
upon these points was unfortunate. IL
leaves the impression that his humor
10 rather mechanical. and that his logic.
while very good as far as it goes. breaks
on rather too soon. as II we're.
He might have very materially add
to the force Of his argument (,D il
he had made a little reference TO his
own salary. II be il still a Judge We
presume he draws . salary. He might
told those assembled %philanthro-
pists how exceedingly prosperous he
vas on the small stipend he was re-
how much more prosperous he
would be II he we're reduced one-ha,f.
Ind that II he could only be permitted
o serve the dear people for nothing.
lie would then occupy a position OF I'M !
'peakable bliss. Doubtless he would
ave used this illustration IL he had
bought Of It. But We must NOT be too
xacting. Even . newborn champion
4 sound 81 money cannot be expected
o think OF everything-and be funny
i the same time.
He also discovered that the gold
nations are "bimetallic.- be
ause they use silver a. token money !
long with their gold. while the silver !
countries r "monomets Tic"
the use silve alone. Hence he :
oncludes that the gold standard advo- /.
are the 'bimetallists," while the J
riends OF free coinage are really silver ]
nononetallists. !
He had probably been reading Mr..
s 1--WE unanswerable PROPOSE .
and being struck with a grea, J
idee." he couldn't rest until he laid II )
1efore an amazed and admiring world. :
But when a funny" man attempts
become argumentative. he nearly al =
rays fails: sometimes because he does :
Iot want to spoil his wit by keeping
90 close to the line Of true logic. and
because Of ignorance OF ma =
erial facts. Judge Aldredge seems to {
e ignorant Of the difference between
token money" and standard money
lie seems to be equally ignorant OF the :
act that silver standard" countries '
make no attempt to use gold and have
o need Of II. He seems to be totally =
unconscious that "bimetallism" differs !
adicaily from either the gold standard o
r the silver standard. He is not 50
g~norant. though. a not to be aware G
hat the only way he could defend the
old standard was by assuming the en- .
ire case: and % he cody tool II for "a
ranted that the moment We opened
ur mints to both metals alike, we o
rould land upon the silver basis. a
Perhaps the greatest Joke perpetrated I
'as the statement that he and the gold b
tandard men generally. are the friends l.
Z silver. and that the free coinage peo- Z
lie are its enemies. We have q sort a
{ misty recollection OF having heard r
such expressions a these 4
clipped dollar" "90-cent dollar" 40 II
ent dollar" -50-cent dollar" short a
egged dollar" dishonest dollar" o
swindling dollar" fraudulent dollar. u
buxzard dollar" and manv others and n