The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1895-04-19
KATE FrELp's Washington saws

NATE Il lELU w dSulnStUn says.
Sweeping republican victories in
the West were to be expected. The
people are thoroughly disgusted
with the present condition of the
country, and just as they punished
the party in power for the McKin-
ley bill, do they now turn and rend
democracy. Few stop to think.
If all did, it would be discovered
that hard times are confined TO no
country. They prevail in Austral-
ia and in Europe, and Canada is in
sorry plight
The trouble with the world is
not caused by domination of any
particular party. The crisis is
financial rather than political, and
wiseacres have seen the handwrit-
ing on the wall for years. Silver
ties declare that the trouble began
with the Generalization of the
white metal in 1878, and predict
that we shall go from bad to worse
until the constitution is respected
by the coming of both gold and
silver. Capitalists point to the
Bearing failure, caused by unwise
investments in the Argentine Re-
public, as the original cause of pro-
longed panic, and the agitation of
silverites as the reason why conf
dence is not restored. The avidity
with which capital has seized Unit
ed States bonds payable in coin,
not gold, would seem to upset this
last theory, but it prevails in up
per circles nevertheless.
Free traders assert that make
believe reform tariff is at the bottom
ofour miseries; protectionists main
tain that the Wilson bill bankrupt
ed the treasury and brought us to a
slough of despond. Henry George
announces that our salvation de-
pends upon his single tax, and pop.
ulists, the disgruntled failing" of
both political parties, declare that
they alone know the way out of the
wilderness.
MONEY is a medium of exchange.
Instead Of exchanging one piece of
property for another, money is used
as the medium of that exchange.
So it is that when one parts with q
piece of property for money, he
gets that for which he can ex-
change for other property. Friends
of the gold dollar, claim for it sup
eriority as q medium OF exchange.
Silver's friends believe that dis
elimination between their metal
and the gold dollar is more than
the nation can stand, from a 6nan-
cial stand point. They will be
satisfied With free coinage at ratio
Of 16 to |. The Presidential cam
paign will be fought along these
lines. No party can avoid the is
sue. It is coming as surely as the
gray dawn of morning.
FREE coinage of silver means that
the mints will be thrown open to
coin all the silver that is presented
into money free of charge, just the
same as gold enjoys the privilege at
the present time. Whoever brings
it to the mint will have the
stamp ofthe government put on it,
and it will become money, or
medium of exchange. Free coin.
age of silver means that govern
ment purchases would stop; the
government would purchase no
more and pile It up. Silver, when
coined, would be handed back as
money to those who presented it,
and would put itself into circula-
tion. There would be an unlimited
demand, and if all of it were coin.
ed we would not have too much
money.
IN Dayton, Rhea county, Ten.
nesee, there are at the present time
confined at the county jail, eight
Seyenthday Adventists, including
the principal Of the academy and
bis assistant. II seems absolutely
incredible that in this age Of en-.
lightment, in the free United Stat