The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1895-02-22
FRIDAY. FEBRUARY q, 1906.
REoucrlo AD AssuRpuM.


The other day . memorial In favor
Ut the free coinage Of silver was Intro.
duced In the senate OF South Dakota.
Subsequently, the following was intro
duced as q substitute;
"Your memorlalist. the legislature
Of the state Of South Dakota, doth
most humbly petition. That where.
MS. the unprecedented drouth Of 1894
aud numerous other causes growing
out of the scarcity Of valuable colla-
teral, have produced widespread stag.
nation and financial distress through.
out this, the most prosperous country
the beneficcnt sun ever shone upon.
therefore your petitioner doth pray
that the great and wise represents.
lives Of this mist glorious republic In
congress assembled NAV extend speedy
and effective relief to the viously
suffering aud heavily.oppressed peo-
pie. To bring about this desirable
relief, your petitioner would spcci.
tically pray, that in its far-reaching
wisdom congress may restore to wheat
its historic price ofel per bushel and
the timc-honored yield Of 30 bushels
to the acre, and that In view of the
low price Of other commodities, whisky
may also he restored to the uld.fa.h.
Toned price Of our daddies-5 cents
glass.
Believing that these wise reforms
will strike at the root of existing evils
aud prevent their re,ccurrence IN the
future, your petitioner doth further
pray that by Its wise and benevolent
enactments your mtst honorable body
may provide that the clouds may not
hereafter withhold the early or the
late rain; that destr uctive floods may
be forever abolished: that the parch.
Ing winds aud the untimely blasting
frosts may for all time lie ostracized
from this far land. that the peach
tree may blossom aud the banana
ever yield its nutritious fruit; tnat
our flOcks may continually flourish
and our dams always bring forth
twins; that debts IT. TO longer collect
ed 10y distress or mortgages furecl,,s.
ed; peace and plenty may always
abound and that hereafter every man
may be allowed to bask IN the sun.
shine OF continuous prosperity, and
be permitted to sit under his own
vine and fly tree, with NO fears IT the
sheriff, Or the tax collector, aud with
none u modest or to make him "a fraid. !"
This substitute is credited with the
defeat of the free silver memorial,
and rs an argument OF the reductio
nd absurdum kind it must be admitt-
cd that 1t IS u very strong one. 1t
brings out 10 very striking way the
absurdity Of congress undertaking to
fix the value Of one commodity, silver,
for instance, and rot ut the same
time fixing the value of another pro-
duct whose actual value is no more
dependent upon the law Of supply and
demand than Is that Of silver. And
yet any one can see what ridiculous
proposition 1t is that congress should
bc asked to restore the historic price
Of 81 per bushel wheat, or that whisky
should be sold at cents u glass; nor
are the other benevolent enactmcnts
requested any more ridiculous. The
silver in silver dollar is worth about
50 cents, and II Is just as seasonal BILE
to expect that the price Of wheat can
be raised from so cents to u dollar a
busllcl us that the value Of silver In a
dollar can be raised from so cents to
100 cents. The man WHO wrote that
memorial constructed an argument
which no silver fiatist eau answer
Evening Journal.