The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-20
The Chronicle Must Take Its MedI-

Q
cine.
The Augusta Chronicle IS very free when
discussing the silver question in calling
its opponents unfair" ignorant" and
charging them with exhibiting amazing
assurance" and with being amusing 1t
seems 10 think that when using these
terms Il is arguing the question II has in
hand. Il is mistaken. II is only squirm-
ing. and trying 10 avoid taking its meii-
cine. II must take its medicine. however.
and the sooner 81 does 50 the quicker t.
will be out Of its agony.
Now. to the point at issue. Some time
ago the Morning News quoted. in gold.
the prices OF corn and oats and pork for
1873 and for 1924. to show that the prices
Of important farm products have not fall
len-the silverites claiming that prices OF
all farm products have fallen in conse-
quence of the decentralization Of silver in
1873. We stated that the prices we quoted
were from the statistical abstract Of the
United States for 1894. but in each in
stance We stated that We quoted in sold.
This was important, because IN 1873 gold
was at a very considerable premium. The
Chronicle undertook 10 create the impress
sion that our quotations were wrong, by
quoting the prices OF the same articles for
the same years from the same authority.
II ignored our statement that the prices
we quoted were gold prices. We do not
know whether it did this ignorantly or
with the intention Of being unfair We
asked it whether the prices It quoted were
gold prices or currency prices. The ques-
tion, we think. was perfectly fair one.
because we had several times distinctly
stated that our quotations were gold
prices. Did the Chronicle answer this
question frankly? The answer it made
was. IN substance, TASK the government"
Did that answer show a knowledge Of the
matter 1t was considering or disposition
TO be fair2 Fair-ninded readers will draw
their own conclusions.
We called the Chronicles attention to
its unfairness, and suggested that, as it
pretended to be anxious to get the truth
before the people. 1t ought to say whether
it ignorantly or knowingly quoted cur
rency prices against gold prices in its
effort 10 show we were in the wrong
The answer we received was very much
like all the other answers we had re-
ceived-answers similar to those which
about all the silverite papers resort to
when their statements are shown to be
incorrect The Chronicles answer, how
ever. contained the following;
Let the News answer why it assumes
that figures quoted by us are on a differ
ent basis from those quoted by it from
the same authority"
Well the foregoing extract is rich 1t
amounts to an admission Of ignorance,
the very kind of ignorance that the
Chronicle is so fond of attrbuting to its
opponents. OF course we will tell the
Chronicle all about it, We assume moth
ing. We know. We were aware. of
course, that the prices for 1873, quoted in
the statistical abstract for 1894, were cur
rency prices, and therefore the prices
quoted by us for that year were reduced
to a gold basis, and we distinctly stated
they were gold prices. Relying on the
Chronicles claim for fairness we wanted
it to acknowledge that 1t had made a mis-
take, and quoted currency prices against
our gold quoted prices, and therefore had
done us an injustice. Fearing that the
Chronicle would still question our right
to say that the prices quoted for 1873 in
the statistical abstract were currency
prices we wrote to the chief of the bureau
Of statistics. asking him whether the
prices quoted for 1873 for corn. oats, etc,
were gold or currency prices. We re-
ceived the following answer:
In reply to the inquiry of the Morning
News of Savannah, l have to state that
the prices of corn, oats, etc. published
in the statistical abstract, 1884, are, for
the year 1873, currency values.
]. A. Whitney,
Acting Chief of Bureau.
Here is a chance now for the Chronicle
to show whether it is disposed to be fair
or not. Let it frankly acknowledge its
mistake.