Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-05-09
The Currency Problem.

office, railway train or home, and
men are talking and thinking on this
important topic. The chief interest
centers on silver, its past, present
and future place in the nations cur
rency, and the opinion is widespread
that the national election contest OF
1896 will be fought out largely If not
entirely on the line Of the treatment
to be accorded to the white metal.
Prophecy at this date is, OF course,
liable to error and while from the At
lantic to the Pacific the nation is at
present talking and reading about
silver; while orators and newspapers
are lining up for and against free and
unlimited coinage, it is entirely pos
sible that such change shall come
about by next summer that the ques-
ton will be a secondary one in the
campaign.
Now, however, it is very much in
evidence. No one but a newspaper
man with pile Of exchanges heaped
on his desk each day realizes hew ex-
tcnsive is the discussion. Coins
Financial SCHOOL, a pamphlet written
by a Chicago Populist, is the text
book of a vast majority OF the free
| silver advocates. 1t has circulated
throughout the west and south and
is now going over the Alleghenies
into the Atlantic and New England
states It is written in consum-
ately skilliul manner for reaching the
common people. 1t presents its
statements in SO plain and attractive
a style that they are frequently re-
ceived without question by those who
are ordinarily critical. 1t gives
answers to many questions which the
average man has heretofore asked in
vain and in these answers clear and
sensible arguments, facts and illogi-
cal deductions, reliable statistics and
unreliable figuring are so adroitly
mingled as to deceive those who
would hesitate to accept the argu-
ments in any other form. About 200
writers Of newspaper editorials, pam
phlets and magazine articles are at
present busy answering Coin and II
education on the silver question is
not made thorough for every Ameri-
can citizen it is only because he can
not or will not read
Ont Of all this discussion has come
intense feeling and tendency to
make new divisions among the peo-
pie. Party lines are to 4 great ex-
tent forgotten in the arguments; Sec
tonalism cuts little figure and the
| agressiyeness of the silver advocates
| is such Us to threaten the capture of
the Democratic party Qnotwithstand-
ing the efforts Of the president and
| his faction to stem the tide), to cause
division of sentiment in the Repub-
lican ranks and to appeal strongly to
the Populists, despite the outspoken
declarations Of that party for pure
and irrcdeemablc fiat currency.
Silver men are quick to declare all
who oppose them "gold-bugs." Their
opponents are as eager to call the
| white metal advocates "silver
franks" and to affirm that they are
| in favor OF a dishonest dollar want
to 'repudiate theiI debts" and gener-
ally to act a par. unbecoming citizens
OF this republic. The truth is that
the extremists are unfair In such
assertions. The great mass of those
who believe in free silver are neither
selfish nor dishonest. They are not
trying to shirk obligations nor are
they criminals actual nor potential,
They are honest men who think they
sec a panacea for social, financial and
political ills in this new theory,
Many Of their premises like some Of
the statements Of Coin are sound
irrefutable and the men themselves
are sincere in their argument On
the other hand their opponents also
are honest and believe that the evils
resultant from a carrying out Of free
coinage would be worse than those
we now undergo.
The truth is that the people of the
nation look back upon the past two
years with their panic, their bond
issues, their falling prices and de-
moralized business and feel that
something must be done. at can't
be any worse" Is A frequent express
sion and both parties are anxious and
longing to find way out Of the
difficulty. With prices Of real estate
at low ebb, with other property de-
preciated, with demands from credi-
tors which debtors cannot meet,
with the national treasury showing a