The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-12
MERRILL ON SILVER
A Talk By . Nan Who Understands
the Question.
ON THE RACK
DUBOIS
The Charge Is Made That He is
Slightly OFF Color In This
Matter-Review of the
Whole Question.


west in behalf of the restoration OF
silver and the other interests Of the
country. He is never on the fence. and
is never an advocate OF any halfway
measures. At present he is enthusiast
tic in the work of silver education
through the Salt Lake convention and
by Coins Financial School" He was
in the city to-day. and submitted to an
interview on the silver question in gen. /
eraL expressed his views Of the pres
emit status of the great question as fol-
lows:
twenty-five years ago last Febru-
airy the congress of the United States
passed a bill closing the mints of the |
country to the coinage of the silver
dollar and taking away the legal ten
| der power of about one half OF the
coined money of the country. and de-
| stroying its power as a money Of final
payment on all certificates of indebted
ness which are to be paid in money: By
| that act silver was changed from being
/ a primary money to commodltys anu
| there is no difference between the gov
ernment's promise to pay 80 In money
governments stamp upon a silver DOL
lar Since that act was passed silver
has gradually deprecated, ana the
value of all the. products OF the country
silver has fallen from 81. 20 per ounce to
about go cents, wheat from $1.25 to
| about SO cents per bushel, cotton from
IL cents or IL cents to less than cents,
and the value of the farms, homes
| and most, of. the real property. or the
country will not to-day bring more
than one-half of what 1T would when
| silver was demonetized. This act was
| passed by a combination of those VINO
owned the notes, mortgages, BONDS ana
1 mt 0
owners, through their combination be-
ing able to raise all the money required
for the purpose, have prevented res
toration of silver to its place as money
and believe that by their thorough or
l ganization and unlimited means tney
| can continue to do So.
TT must be borne in mind that with
| the depreciation of the entire property
of the country to less than one-half
its value, the fixed incomes and the
Indebtedness of the people and the
country, which is to be paid in money,
instead of depreciating, have by this
. means been doubled in value.
: I'VE have now had in this country
nearly two years since the last sup
port was taken from under silver by
the repeal of the Sherman act. and In
that time more of the property of tht
people has been confiscated and more
. | of our people reduced to want and e
the verge of starvation than ever &C
Il
| country 1t would seem to be eviden
to all that silver governs in value tn
e prices of the commodities and propert.
T. of the country. When, few week
Is ago, on account OF the valuable innu
IL ence upon silver by the expected pay
IL ment of the war indemnity to Japal
r in silver, silver appreciated from
Is cents to 81 cents per ounce, all proc
ucts and the property OF the countr
at once advanced proportionately. tn
49, M before
American people is, How can the con
is fiscation of the property OF the peopl
H. and their hurried reduction to stat
c. of poverty be stopped? There ca
IN be but one answer. The money
rs final payment. for all our debt
amounting to 100000 600, 900. must
prevented from further appreciation
W and this can only be done by an II
crease of the primary money OF u
country. The restoration of silver III
C. ly to its place as money is the only wa
nd by which to restore prosperity to OF
ct | people. The tenant farmers of II
at United States increased for the
N. years between 1880 and 1890 over
per cent, until in 1890 there were
ed per cent of the farmers of this countl
on | that were tenants, most of them upt
rn the farms that they had once owns
but had lost through the increas'
value of the mortgages upon thel
ills and the decreased value OF their pro
/ esAD@eD~--~
allism.
"How can the resumption of silver
Au- its place as money of redemption
accomplished? Only by a thorough
ucation of the voters upon the fina
Go. | cial question so thar a majority "
on. go to the polls in November, 1895, al
cast their votes for true bimetallism
this country, regardless of party lin
tn This work of education must
ay, commenced at once. and II can only
hxv thnpnrrUh
/ complete organization on the part
those who will receive the most INN
date benefit from the restoration
silver 1t would seem as though
/. the true friends of silver would
the necessity of immediate organizatl
D to in this educational campaign, and
ray. would seem incredible that Senator
bois of Idaho should say, as ne
the | reported as saying In an interview p
lished in the Standard of April "a Ia
that he believes that the organizat
a.. | Of free silver clubs in the West Is
tsiv most an injury rather than a help
the cause, 'as IL causes great dea
talk in the East about the silver b
ons getting together to push their
,ver terests, and while such statements
~. ridiculously untrue, they hurt just
ali same. We are all free silver men
Ma here anyway, regardless of party.
and silver clubs cannot make US
, on | stronger friends or the white me
turn whie theI Va e.'.4 ee...a .ar,a he
will AS the only silver clubs at present ]
doe. posed to be organized in the West
such as will be in aid of the campo
lake now being entered upon to accomp
'Ttah the education of the voters OF the
tire country upon the financial a
.ral. ton by placing In the nan1 ,a, oi .r
the voter copy OF some WIZ I'M ~
oun- Financial School, comprehenf
plain. easily understood and unanss
able. this expression would seem 10
Senator Dubois on record as oppo
This organization of the mineral ST
any for this purpose. which Is the
eness means by which true bimetaliism
% ever be accomplished The reason
en-. that there win be talk In the
Au- by goio nnen az" 20 the west were
only the silver nen v,,sh ,heir inter