The Coconino weekly sun., 1896-10-22

spite of legal enactments of parliamcnts or congresses. Our hard times have come from the general competition %ith the countries of the whole globe into which we are forced by cheapness and facility of transportation-from over-pro- duction in past years, from eNtravagance during good times. and from our own social and political agitations. One or the chief causes of hard tunes 10, day is this agitation for sradical change in the currency of the couh- try. If the American people put down by an overwhelming majority this agi. tatiop-bury it out of sight-one chief cause of hard times will be out of the way. Other causes may remain, more or less. That of the general competi- ton with all the nations of the earth must remain. Good times, however. may be expected to come back, even II only gradually. The overproduction that glutted our markets has been used up' capitalists are anxious to do something with their money--if it can be invested safely: our wondrous natural resources invite investments to develop them-and, confidence, restored, the outlook IS bright. But the essential thing is con fidence. Today it is confidence that IS needed far more than an increase Tn me volume of the currency. The volume or fine cuTTpnCy lS luIkc chouShs " it tictitiously, surely. will not help us. Ninety per cent. of all business IS done without currency-by cheques and drafts, of which the whole foundation IS confidence. Those who suffer from hard times-and they are the many must hearken to reason, silence passion, turn away from delusive remedies-and the country will be again put on the road to prosperity.
 .. A1 &vx. t, m HphtS with half the money which we received when contracting them? National or pri- yate. debts contracted upon a finan- cial system, such that those who loaned money gave it certain com mercial value. and believed, as they could not at the time have he!ped doing, that they would receive It back at the same commercial value, should be paid in values of that same financial system. That the great Amer ican republic will as q nation, declare to the world that it will now make law compelling it's creditors to be satisfied with half, or q little more of the money
 they loaned to n-and go on record in the eyes of the world as a broken.down,
 bankrupt, repudiating nation, 1t IS not possible to believe. No one will say in | America is compelled by national poverty to do so. Then, no one should be able to say that she thinks of doing so.
 There are hundred aspects of this question which l do not touch upon; l merely throw out some thoughts. which | show reasons for my own present po- iitical faith. and which may be. of some
 benefit to others in forming their own I judgment. , |,
 have come to look upon the present agl- tation as the great test of universal snf-
 frage and popular sovereignty. Can tne
 people defend public honor and the in- stitutions of the country at the polls, ns they have done on the field of battle! | Can they be so calm and deliberate iIl their judgment, so careful to weigh, all l things in the scales of reason and to avoid all rash experiments, that they
 can he trusted with the settlement of
 grave social and political problems! That is the question that is before us at the present moment.