The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-26
PROF. COIN ONCE MORE
HE INCIDENTALLY BECOMES AC-
aUAINTED WITH MIR. FRANK FAX,
And n short CoIloquy Fol-
lows, which Results i'm the Dis
comfiture of the Professor.

The day following a "Citizen's' talk with
Professor Coin the two met near the mon
ument. The little "Col Sellers of finance
accosted the citizen with:
Good morning; I am very glad to meet
you again, for l want to say that 1 admire
your simplicity and candor. May l ask
your name?'
MY nam is Frank Fax" said the other.
taking Coins proffered hand.
FRANK Fax! AIR said the author of the
latest Chicago comedy, trying to spit on
the south astragai. What is your occu-
patton, Mr.. Fax?'
Il have none at present. answered hat
individual.
Sorry to hear it. indeed" remarked Coin.
with a facial show of commiseration. There
are thousands of poor fellows in the same
fix. They are scattered all over this broad
land. l judge from your looks that you are
a mechanic"
mot exactly responded Fax. II was
raised on a farm, and two years ago sold
my land and came to the city. / teamed
for a year, had a hard time making ends
meet, sold my team, got a job as street.
car motorman, and three months later ran
into a fruit wagon and lost my place. I
have been idle ever SINCE
.Oh, dear, dear! Got a family, too, I
suppose%'
Yes; a wife and three little ones. the
eldest seven and the youngest two"
e'Ah, how very sad! This Is indeed a
tough world. / suppose the heartless pluto
crat who discharged you never asked you
about your family"
MOI; but he made some inquiries about
my habits"
"Of course-they assume that right. Tried
to make out that you was drunk, no
doubt?'
Yes, and proved it. My car killed a
horse, smashed the wagon, and the COM
pany paid $500 damages. 1t was all my
fault. They let me resign. I haven't a
word of complaint"
Coin was visibly disappointed. He had
intended to use the ex-motorman's griev-
ances as a text for a new book, but he
saw 1t wouldn't suit his purpose. The con-
versation threatened to lag.
" Vlen.t 1 far misht pave nave asked ask a1 Soin. but
me six years ago with a 81, 900 mortgage
found it hard to make it yield me anything
above a living and the interest on the
c @orss 'te the go city / so With h a a5 sS' ! RsE acre in c AND
after the general sale. l rented property
at $12. 90 a month and held my own pretty
account of $3.50"
~ don't blame you for selling the land.
~ ldi iiCIS nave tidQ no SNOW since the
crime against silver in 1873. Ten years ago
1000 bushels of wheat would nave wiped out
y yTire farm ] 81, bm Tors To-day it would re-
SORRY HE LEFT THE FARM.
For my part l am sorry / didn't stick
to the farm said Fax. II had a neighbor
who had a family larger than mine and a
mortgage of $1,5D on his forty acres. BY
dint of close management and industry he
contrived to pay off the last $500 of his
incumbrance last year. That shows what 1
might have done. As to the rail- in the price
of wheat, / don't believe the fuctuation of
silver had anything to do with it. Have you
read in the papers what j. X. Upton, for
merly Assistant Secretary of the Treasury,
says in reply to your comment or the Pres
No. and l don't care to read it. Upton
is talking in the interest of gold monometai-
Hsm, and is therefore not reliable
Why not? Have the free-silver theorists
got a cinch on the truth? Does hign off,
cial authority count for nothing against
lures ~
lis it not true that ten years ago 1000
bushels of wheat would pay off twice as
much Indebtedness as the same amount will
mo. Ten years ago wheat was quoted
in Chicago, at " cents; to-day it Is 81 cents.
what about corn? In 1855 it was quoted in
chicago at 30 cents a bushel; to-day it is
40 cents, an increase of 10 cents a bushel.
DID the money standard cause that? In
1884 the wheat crop was 357, 600, 900 bushels:
in 1894 it was AGO. coo, 900 bushels, an increase
Of more than a hundred million bushels.
The increase was proportionate in other
countries. The corn crop in 1884 was liza
oo oo PUSHES; IN 1894 50 it y vas only 1,2Is.oo0.-
light of these figures it is easy for every
body but the silverjtes to understand why
the price of wheat declined and that of corn
rose.
As to the alleged. changes in the money
your attention to the tabulated n report uirs Of
the Senate committee, March 8. 1888. con-
Quoted under the personal supervision of
Of Labor. This report shows that during
dhe tnlrty-one years from 1860 to 1891 the ex-
farm products-harIey, corn. cotton. hemp.
oats, meats, rye, tobacco and wheat
f has r wbii e substantially uni.
silver gradually decreased from 4.s per cen5.
remium (above gold in 1860, to AL per cent.
being extensively quoted in the newsnaners
just now, though it will never be copied in
any OF your books. Silver went from 1O4.s.
The tendency was downward for many
years before the great nations took steps
was what caused the first attack on sill
yer. o. course it declined faster after sus-
pension. for the sufficient reason that with
the decrease or the demand for silver came
an enormous increase of the product. Still,
the purchasing power of gold has not APP
- " oily SOISlueTdDle extent IN the
thIrty-one years In 1860 the gold figure
stood at 100; in 1875 : reached high water
mark, 116.S; in 1880 it had dropped to 102. o:
and in 1891 it stood at 1874. This is the gist
OF the Senate committees report, and it
knocks your 100 per cent. advance theory
higher than the greenback kite"
QUESTION OF HONESTY.
We'll" said Coin. with a plaintive silver
cadence in his tone, ST can't accept Mr..
Upton's statistics. 1 am sure that the West
ern farmers-the debtor class of this coun-
try-want free and unlimited coinage of sill
yer. 1t would be a great relief to them
course you mean it would enable them
to pay off their Indebtedness at so cents on
the dollar. But how about the creditor class?
Do you suppose they would tamely submit
to such injustice?'
Il have no defense for the Eastern Shy
locks and bankers
ITO say nothing of the dishonesty and ras-
calfty of repudiating a solemn obligation
though made to a 'Shylock'-I want to ask
you If you know who these Eastern money
lenders are?'t
Il think 1 do. They are a lot of money
sharks who live on usury and devour the
substance of the roor.'
That is pernieiously false. They are men
and women or moderate incomes. tradesmen
and mechanics, and widows and old people,
who, having saved a few hundred or a few
thousand dollars, invest 1t in loans to West