Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-10-22
AS TO THE FUTURE.
Philadelphia Ledger.

Bryan is to be our next rtSiueh't ~"
TINT the policies and fallacies he repres-
ents are thereafter for a period OF four
years to mould the legislation OF TINS
great land of oursf .Sa1,
Our campaign literature is being largeiy
devoted to statistics of the past expert
ence of our own and other nations. Inc
Bryan leaders seek to convince the people
there once existed in this country sueh u
free coinage of silver as they now demand,
and they claim that if it once existed II
must be right to recreate it. They ignore
the changed conditions times has brought
to us. 10 merely copy past methods Is
not to profit by experience. The farmer
does not till the ground with the ma
chinery and methods Of u qnarter,of cen
fury ago. IL he should attempt 70 do SO
he would soon drop out of the competitive
race. The manufactures has long since
abandoned and replaced his methods and
machinery of 1873 and gives the cheaper
and better products we all now enjoy, Is
il only in finance the world is to stand
still or go backward? 1t is well to care
fully study and profit by the experience Of
the past, but il is wise to literally follow
its methods? Mining methods and ma
chincry have no more remained tun-
changed and unimproyed than hnye the
methods and machinery of the farm Or
factory. Is finance to ignore the fact that
improvement in mining methods and ma
chinery have yielded the same result as In
other lines of production? They nave
multiplied the mining product enormously,
| and have greatly lessened the cost of Gre
| ating it. Are these facts to be ignored by
| finance? Is il reasonable to ask our peoI
| pie to create and maintain a market value
of $1.29 for an ounce of silver when II is
| notorious that the actual cost of produc-
| ton is at present less than 30 cents per
ounce?
| There is nothing peculiarly sacred about
| silver. II is mined for profit just as coal,
| iron. copper, and petroleum are mined.
Mining it is business just MS legitimate
and entitled TO exactly the same protection
as are these others sorts of mining. There
| is nothing more than this in it. There is
no reason why the owner of an iron mine
and the miners who labor in 1t should re-
ceive for their product only what 1t is
worth in the market, and be required al
| the same time to guarantee to the silver
mine owner and miner not less than don
BILE what their product is or can by any
possibility be made worth.
| But word as to the future. II the i'm
probable should come to pass. and Mr.
Bryan be elected our next President, what
would the effect be on the debtor farmer
1t is the debtor farmers Mr.. Bryan is par
ticularly anxious to ..round up" and SCI
apart as a class-a dishonest class, in
stead of honest individuals as they are
Would the debtor farmer become a credi
tor capitalist on November 4, 1885, if MIR
Il.
The first effect of the election of Mr.
Bryan, with its guarantee of a deprecia
ted currency and its sympathy with all o
the disorderly elements in the country
would be the immediate creation of j;
widespread and reasonable distrust. TIL
creditor of the debtor farmer would a
once endeayor either to secure the pay
mcnt of part or all of his debt, or h
would demand advanced rates of interest
The debtor farmer would be Mt the mere
of his alarmed creditor and would b
forced to do the best he could to satisf
his creditor, even to the extent of SUI
rendering his farm If need be, and there
after holding it, il at ALL as tenant o
; rent. 1t is as certain now as it can be o
! November a, 1896, this would be the frs
experience of the debtor farmer. Cred
| satisfied with their security and assure
that they will be paid in good none,
They will not loan on low rates, if mt al
when in doubt either as to the securit
or as to the kind of money in which the
! will be paid.
The next experience of the debtor farm
er will be that, while the silver mine owl
, err will promptly present his 80 cent
7 worth of silver at the mnts and receiy
n coin stamped zone dollar or papt
] certificate called a dollar, this coin or ce
. tiiicate will remain the property of til
D mine-owner and will not by any mystic
ious process find its way into the poke
, of the debtor farmer. This political do
lar will not at once depreciate to the mel
s market value of the silver it contains.
I will take the people some time to lear
{. that this is all such dollar is worth. III
y depreciation will be gradual, and it ".
: afford the mine owner time to unload h
D dollars upon his innocent dupes at Il
|. handsome profit Mr.. Bryan and he 81
: there is in this political speculation. III
i debtor farmer will find the appreciation
. value of his wheat will be as gradual .
+, the depreciation in the dollars. The whe
i he sells will appear to be worth lit
! more after Bryun's election because
will get few more so-called dollars I,
', 1t, but he will find these dollars depreci,
y ing on his hands. Dollars that may
u worth 90 cents when he sells his whe
will not be worth 10 cents when he wan
, p to Use them to purchase his clothes. IN
!, chinery or food. If he Keeps them ,
u hand too long they will not be worth
y cents. They will be two active causes
- work to depreciate his silver dollar
q value. The first will be the entire destru
y tion of trust and confidence in the fina
u cial policy Of the country on the adopti
= of the riot and ruin principles for viii
=, Mr. Bryan now stands. The second eau
!, =, will he found in the rapid and increasi
VI volume of the currency. which will
swollen to an extent limited only by I
capacity of the mints to coin the so-call
IN dollars, and the Treasury printing press
D. to issue legal-tender certificates for sily
ic the minis have not the capacity to coin.
or The debtor farmers experience, the
a. fore would he:
v First. Creditors will press for payne
q, and demand higher rates of interest.
q, Second. Silver owners and not debt
e. farmers will get the new coin and the @,
IT. tificates.
" Third. Farm products will apprecit
es slowly as money deprecates.
re Fourth. The farmer will lose on
be money he obtains for his crops, as Il
sd money will constantly and without Lin
ts depreciate in value.
no Fifth. For every article tba f.rn,ar :