Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-08-20
KANSAS SILVER DELUSlONS.


TRUTH that the chief delusion of the farm
ers in this neighborhood is that the Re-
publican platform means the disappear
nncc of all silver from circulation. They
take the statement constantly made by
sound-moncy speakers and editors. that
the effect Of going to n silver basis would
be- to drive all gold out of circulation,
mud twist It around upon itself so as to
deduce the counter-proposition that to go
to gold basis would be to drive out all
silver. II is useless to tell them that we
are ON gold basis now; they simply pull
out their purses and show You the silver
in them. "1here's gold III circulation,
too" they tell you 1--WE don't see any of
it, but we know that the bankers of Wall
street have il. So we must be- on the hi
metallic basis, and we don't want it dis
turhed. If there has got to he u change
one way or the other by this years cleo
tion, we'd rather go to the silver basis
straight out, because we're able to get
silver, and there isn't enough gold in the
world 10 supply us with money"
''But, according to that statement" per-
haps you respond, ''the Wall street bank
ers would be left without any money, for
yOu assume that they have only gold, and
you admit that that would disappear"
Huh" such n suggestion always seems
to strike 4 coinica vein in their minds.
wall street never gets lefti The bank
ers there would be rich enough to get
along anyway. But they'll Use silver like
the rest of us; there's enough for ALL
With all their reasoning on this subject.
| IL does not seem once to occur to them
| TINT there is any fixed and automatic
law governing the movement of the money
metals. They assume that all the changes
are brought about deliberately and by
| collusiOn between some of the financial
| powers. For instance the idea is firmly
settled in their heads that the way the
| Republican policy will operate If the st.
| Louis platform is ratified at the polls will
not be by the action of natural and com
men,ial forces as old as the world, but
| by the deliberate act of the government
| standing In" with Wall street. This
combination, they firmly believe, will COM
pei the retirement of all silver now in the
hands of the people, and forbid the issue
of any more. Gold will become the only
currency; 'and," they appeal to you, 'as
we never get any gold, and there isn't
enough of il 10 do the business of the
country anyway, what is the poor man to
doY
One would hardly suppose that people
who can hold fast TO such absurd theor-
les could take any great interest in hear
ing the money question discussed But
they do. The fact is, they will not listen
to anything else. 1t has been tried. Al
though the state campaign is not yet for
mally opened, some work has been done
in the congressional canvasses. Republi.
cans have gone before large audiences
composed of farmers and their wives
for the women take every whit as much
interest as the men-and attempted to
stir them up about the tariff in its effect
upon their immediate home industries
In township where raw wool was for.
merly leading industry, the farmers Of
the county having once had 10000 fine
grade sheep, but now having only about
10000 an effort was made the other night
to convince these people that the 'free
traders" with their tariff bill of 1894
ruined the wool business. In another
place, now badly crippled financially
where formerly there were three large
egg depots and eggs were shipped by til,
carload daily, and is still another wher,
the hay trade used to thrive, but is now
somnolent, like efforts were made But no
the audience would not listen to the tariff
talk at all. "Oh, drop that" Come off
Tell us about money! "Thatll do; now
what have you got to say on the silvel
question:" were the cries that greeted til,
speakers, and they presently had to yiel,
and change their tariff talk into none,
, talk. The effect in every ease was in
] Simultaneous. From restlessness the audi
ence settled down to quiet and absorbe,
! enjoyment, and any one of those orator
1 h.k in,r int,
wee small hours of the morning, probably
. without listener leaving his seat.
l One of the speakers was amused at tn
I close Of the meeting at being approache,
5 by very intelligent looking farmer witt
/ the remark.
= II listened carefully TO everything yoI
said, and ii was u good speech; but, al
l the same, I'd like to have the government
try this IL to l and see how it works.
! wouldn't do no harm just TO try il, yol
! know. and ii might do some good'
But, my friend, protested the speaker
''that is precisely what the government
!, has been trying all these years, and it /
!, the 10 to ratio that has got us into on
|. present fix"
- The farmer stared at he orator incredu
= husly for minute and then said with
ulSRuSltu as lie walked away.
!. "Pshaw! l half 'spicioned you wa
i foolin' all the time, and now know il
/ That's the trouble with you politicians
A you think us common folks amt got n
. sense. The g0v'mcnt's been givin' us /
/ to l, has it? Then what's all this fus
y about?' No, sir, you can't fool mel"
IS This mans hazy notion of the meanin
y of the familiar campaign cry was no NOR
y ridiculous than that of the two well-to-d
tradcsmcn in this city, who were arguin
last night in the lobby of the hotel wher
] am writing these lines. Both were al
: dent silver men, but they could not seei
to agree on certain conclusions whic
u each was eager to establish to the sati.
: faction of the other. Finally, after the
u had argued around in circle for som
: time, one of them remarked: "Well, a
u though we seem to agree pretty fairly o
l. general principles, I'm afraid we don
II both understand the original propositio
II in just the same way. Now, then, to &,
g started right, what do you understand b
e '16 to 1?'"
why" said the other, sit means tn;
s. the government shall issue sixteen slvt
l. dollars to every one gold dollar that
y put out"
y II was afraid you had II wrong" r,
v marked the first speaker, cOmplacentl.
~ Now, I'll tell you-'Sixtecn to one NEAR
the bimetallic standard-Ethat is, instea
~ of having our coins all gold or all silvc
Y the government shall make them hereaft'