The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-01-31
JERRY'S WALL.
advantage

The harrangue, it could hardly be
called speech, of Hon. Jerry Simp-
son at A. o. U. w. hall, last evening,
was one of those efforts which hardly
need an answer, for it falls to pieces
of itself. A greater distortion of
real facts, and putting of things to
suit the emergency, is seldom intiict-
ed upon the public. His whole idea
of finance and the workings of our
commercial system, was of most
visionary and had nothing
of the practical about it whatever.
He started out advocating the free
coinage of silver, but before he had
half finished his talk, was advocating
an unlimited issue of greenbacks.
This is the real foundation of the
Populist party. 1t is the OutgroWth
of the old Greenback party, and it's
advocacy Of silver is simply blind to
help catch votes which could not be
drawn to the open advocacy of an I'M
limited issue of paper money. He
still hangs to the exploded idea that
anything which bears the stamp of
the government is money and that it
will consequently pass for it's face
value, totally ignoring the past ex-
perience of nations in such schemes.
He wanted, he said, a cheap money
money that would stay at home
and had no use for dollar that would
circulate in other countries, and
with his fat silver and paper there is
no doubt but that Mr.. Simpson would
find money that would stay close at
home and would be most awful cheap
into the bargain. With him COM
mercial relations abroad cut but little
figure.
1t was noticeable fact that his
main argument on the appreciat of
gold was based on the low price Of
wheat. Like Coin, he kept clear of
all other farm products. If his state
ment was true why has not every
thing suffered alike. True, during
the past few months prices of all
farm produce have been extremely
low. But it is a fact that the farmer
who has gone into dairying intel
ligently, studies well his business
from all sides, is making as much
money out of it today as was made in
those palmy days of the past which
sockless Jerry longs for. He is lift
ing the mortgage from his farm, if
there is one upon it, or is putting
money in the bank.
The price of hogs has been advanc-
ing for several weeks back, in spite of
the fact that silver is not coined free,
and the writer has heard many a
farmer say, that at the prices which
hogs and other stock have brought
during the past three or four years,
they have received as much for their
grain, by feeding it, as they used to
receive number of years ago when
it brought far higher prices, and have
saved the work of hauling it to mar
ket.
A large issue of greenbacks or vast
supply .of free coined silver dollars,
even if Kept in circulation at face
value, would help no man permanent
ly unless he had something to eX-
change for them and it would require
good business methods to succeed in
these days of sharp competition even
with such conditions.
Things are in bad way, all admit,
but the millennium will not be brought
about by debasing our currency. The
fiat of the government only can not
bring about prosperity. An unlimit-
ed issue of greenbacks today would
not have the same effect upon the
country in promoting apparent pros
perity, that it had in the sixties, be-
cause conditions are entirely differ
ent. Vast armies of men are not
Withdrawn from peaceful pursuits to
follow those of destruction, and the
dream of the visionary Populist would
be .rudely awakened by fate like
that of the Argentine Republic,
which tried the same short path to
prosperity. only to fall upon the
thOrnS of adversely.
Mr.. Simpson was right when he
said the people are not thoroughly in
formed upon these matters, but they
are fast becoming informed, as the
elections of last November indicated
and the chaff of the free trade and
Pop. calamity hOwlers no longer
blinds them to the real facts
A WASHINGTON corresnondent saws