The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-09-28
SOME SURE SIGNS.
Testimony Which shows the Trend OF
Opinion Regarding Free Silver.

President StuyveSant Fish, OF tue IL
linois Central railroad, recently re-
Turned TO New York from business
trip to the south and west, in which he
paid particular attention to the crop
outlook as we'll as the general business
situation Mr.. Fish is very conserva-
tive in his views as well as careful Ia
his observations. Therefore, what ne
has to say carries a great deal OF
weight. The fact that he is president
of big trunk line, reaching from Chi-
cago to the Dakotas on the zone hand
and to the gulf on the other, would be
sufficient in itself to give his words
considerable weight; but his added po-
sition of bank director coupled with
his interest in a number of leading
financial institutions in Wall street
give his interview the rank OF first 'n-
portance. s
Mr.. Fish's concluding paragraph re-
| gardng state bank notes. is particular
ly significant at this time, and is some
what surprising in view OF the general
trend of opinion in New York against
the repeal of the state bank issues.
1.-THE signs of the subsistence OF the
silver craze as a political factor are
multiplying" said President Fish.
"During recent trip through the
south, talked with many prominent
! democrats in congress and out OF II,
and happened to be in Louisville at the
| time of the recent democratic state
convention. So far as ! am able TO
Judge, the 16 to / movement in the
south is merely political makeshift
for the purpose of suppressing the
tariff issue. The people will take up
but one political topic at time, and
the southern leaders seem to have
brought forward the unlimited coinage
of silver in order to avoid discussing
the tariff. l doubt if many of them are
sincere in their advocacy.9f free silver,
and have reason to believe that they
have thrown this tub to the popular
and populistic whale for its amuse-
ment.
THE general business outlook con-
, tinues to improve, and we shall un-
doubtedly hear less and less about free
. silver and other heresies. There has
ut all times been cheap money party,
having its nucleus in the dissatisfied
elements of society. Hard times IN
crease and good times decrease the
number of this faction. As prosperity
becomes better assured, the agitation
for fat money will undoubtedly sub
side as it has in the past, and those
who are chemically 'agin the govern
ment' will ere long find employment in
, gainful occupations, and disappear as
factors in the political world.
Another very large corn crop is as
sured in the lower Mississippi valley,
and the indications for corn all ovel
, the country are most cheering. We
. are now to a season where it il
scarcely possible that general disaster
can overtake that crop, even IN the
northern part of the corn belt, where
there is always danger from frost, al
/. | though we will undoubtedly hear o
= losses from various causes in different
= parts of the country. The wintel
: wheat crop was rather less than hal
! the usual average, and the prospect
: are not fiattering for large yield o
= wheat, even including the much bette
outlook for spring wheat. Of oats ant
OtQcr Siudil kIuius civ - "'sS - -
kinds, there is an abundance.
Cotton in.Mississippi and Tennessee
y although backward owing to excessive
h rains, bids fair to be a good crop, a
; though not up to the phenomena
Il figure of last year.
D ''Too much credit cannot be give
IS T. President Cleveland for having, a
,fIso early day, opened campaign G
If education in regard to silver, or to tn
$. chamber of commerce for its aole, vi
d selfish and sustained efforts in tn
Is same direction All that seems no.
ie necessary is to continue this work {
70 enlightenment, with the view {
bringing to the knowledge of OF
southern friends the fundament;
principles underlying sound currenc
n and the realization of their own il
IL terests. AS each southern state, excel
IL Florida. annually grows agriculture
ie products of a greater value than w;
re the entire product of silver in Il
IL United States during 1894, and as tt
&c larger part of these products consis
IT. of cotton, of which two-thirds is e
q. ported and commands gold in eveI
~ port in Europe, cannot pelfeve Tn
a there is, or will continue to be, ar
ID strong feeling in favor of the unlimit'
er coinage of silver in the south.
u "Our southern friends have. howeve
grievance in that their local rates +
;, money are SO high in proportion
= those prevailing in New York al
pc other money centcrs, and it may
he that this could be corrected by repcs
he ing. the tax on circulation OF sta
an banks The experience of New Yor
Iii and other states, before, the wa
do that notes of state ban
by can, under proper safeguards, be Ike
of in circulation locally at par, witho
lat loss to anyone. For one, fail to
in why this should not be again p'
rcr .nitted now that the main object oft
ng war measure has been accomplish
n A 4.