Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-07-11

TALK AND SENTIMENT w. LOGIC
AND FACTS.

TALK AND SENTIMENT w. L0GI(
AND FACTS.
Only Hard Times ana Hard Worn
Will Result From Adoption o,
tho Free Silver Idea-A Question
No FREQ Silverite Has Answered
The free-coinage.of .silver agitation
disturbs me. The discussion OF it
faces me at every turn. Many Of my
friends in whom I have the utmost
confidence are most ardent advocates
OF free silver, and my desire, before I
had examined closely into the ques-
ton, was to be q free silver man also.
! would could stand with my silver
friends; but cannot. The loudest
talk, the most activity, the deepest
earnestness, are arrayed on their side,
but the logic and the facts, as they APP
pear before me, are against them.
l am neither farmer nor banker.
] earn my bread by work--which, by
the way. is very scarce just now and
II is BY closest economy that am able
to get along at ell. In this condition
Of affairs ! feel that I am ''ripe for q
change" Of some sort, and ! am only
too eager to become an advocate Of
anything that will better matters, and
! would be free silver man il / could
see wherein ! could get any benefit
from it. But I can see only harder
times, harder work to live, through
the adoption Of the free coinage idea.
/ have wrestled. over the question
with the brilliant Bran of Nebraska,
with Senator Stewart, with Jerry
Simpson. with Congressman Britton,
and others, to see if they could point
q way for me to join with them with
out leaving any doubts in my mind as
to what the result Of the adoption OF
their idea would be. They have failed
to convince me because they have
failed to give logical answer to one
question have asked Of them.
The assertion of the silver side is
that the injection Of free silver at the
ratio Of 10 to ! into our circulating
medium will increase the price OF
commodities in other words, that
food and other household necessaries
that can now be purchased for fifty
cents will under the proposed new or.
der cost, dollar to the consumer.
That brings me to my question. which
no free silver advocate has as yet an.
swered. It is this:
"Will not free coinage Of silver at
the existing ratio increase the cost OF
commodities, and therefore decrease
the purchasing power Of wages?"
II seems to me that my question is
fair and straight; yet when pinned |
Senator Stewart down to it last year,
on the occasion Of the California Pi.
oneer reunion, he turned away from
no answer. Bryan and the |
other friends have agreed that free
silver coinage would reduce the pur-
chasing power Of existing wages; but
rs one Of them said forget which
one-"Would you not be willing to
submit to q temporary hardship for
The general prosperity and good?" A
Mr.. CLARK, who writes hot free silver
pamphlets. answered my question by
saying wage earners could even up
matters by demanding wages com.
nensurate with the CHANGE" which
Ihowed that he did not know how
lard it was to get an increase ofwages.
Labor and business are depressed.
III the silver Of the world,
Jumped in upon us, will not
hange the conditions. How can
1? Suppose the wishes Of the silver
nen are agreed to, and silver is coined
nto Is to dollars as fast as all our
hints can do it-how will we who
york for wages get any Of it? For
hat matter, how will the farmers get
nv of it? We will have to work for
I, and so will the farmers. But sup
lose there is no work, what then?
,hen neither can get it. ! can see very
,lainly who will be the beneAciaries.
The -llver mine owners the work
rs, mind you-and the silver specula-
ors, will be the sole bene6ciaries.
'or we will coin their silver for them,
aking fifty or sixty cents worth of
heir bullion and put the dollar stamp
I our Government upon it, benefit
ng them from eighty to hundred
er cent. on each dollar. Such q
onus is worth fighting for-would be
great sssnap.n OF course the silver
,ine owners win pay their miners in
be silver dollars thus procured; but
wonder if they will increase wages to
point Commensurate with the
hanger" / do not know whether they
ill or not, but do not think ] am
in saying they will not. Why
hould they, except as . matter OF SEN
ment? But sentiment is not bust
ess; and business says: Get your
.bor as cheap as you can and sell
L Z