The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-08-08
INTERESTING
CONTEST.
THE PEOPLE VOTE FOR FREE
SILVER 2,052 TO 1888.
The United States Should Furnish
Their Own Money, Says The
New York Mercury.

It was regarded all over the United State.
rs Il very daring, even foolhardy. undertak-
ing, when The Mercury announced that it
proposed to test the sense Of the people OF
New York City and Brooklyn upon the ques-
! tioD:
Shall the United States Government open
its mints to the free coinage of silver without
waiting for agreement with Great Britain or
any other European nation, and at ratio Of
| IL to l?
/ Such staiwart advocates OF the rehabiita-
ton OF 81 '' as the Atlanta Constitution in
the SoutI and the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER in
the West thought that the result Of such a
ballot must be disastrous tc the cause of free
silver
But the editors Of these Journals. and or
other newspapers throughout the country,
did not know the people of New York and
failed to appreciate their understanding Of
the evils that have been brought upon them
through The demonetization Of silver.
Mp one can read the letters which have
been published daily in The Mercury. under
the Leading, what the Meters Say" with
out becoming deeply impressed with The
way in which the workingmcn have graspcd
the situation, and the intelligence which they
have shown iu advocating free silver coinage
as the first thing to be accomplished for their
relief.
Tie Mercury has not solicited single vote
upon this question.
The votes. which have been scnt /. by tens
and flltics, and in some cases by hundreds.
have been gathered together by men who
we're Interested in the cause. subscribers to
The Mercury, who saved each days paper so
lS n bp # fri H.,
ballot printed therein.
The best testimony 10 this statement is the
following, from Mr.. +. L. Hathaway, Of
Clinton, n. u:
The ballots for free coinage in your con-
test are astoniShingly numerous considering
The fact that you have not rcsorted to the
usual methods to get votes. II some one in
each OF the country towns of New York had
taken even the little trouble have gone to
in asking people TO vote, your total in this
State alone would easily have been greater
than it will now be for all the States in the
Union. Sixty-flve qualified voters in this
town have personally written their ballots
for free coinage, and the same have been fo--
wardrd to you. Every man is voter and an
trss. I THINK / may Wen say weII done, Cllh-
ton ard add that eX-Collector MaSone did
not speak rightly for Clinton, at least, when
he told The Mercury that the Democrats IN
Northern NV York take no lntcteSt Ill tho
silver question.
But by far tic larger proportion Of the
votes have come in one at a time III an envci-
one. with wo-ccnt stamp on the envelope,
sometimes accompanied by letter: but gen
orally not.
So :ar as space would permit we have pub
lshcd these letters from day to day. follow
ing the announcement Of the vote, but when
so many were received some had to be lett
out.
The Mercury believed that it voiced the
demands of the people in advocating the free
coinage of silver. but it did not know 1t
until this ballot was taken.
The result is astonishing when it is re-
membcred that no effort was made to induce
people to vote. 1t is more astonishing that
SO lew people voted in the negative.
Here is the result OF five weeks voting on
the silver question:
Question: Shall the United States Govern.
ment open its mints to the free coinage OF
silver without waiting for agreement with
Great Britain or any other European nation.
,,5 , rotio of 16 tO ,