, 1896-10-07
Mr.. SCOTT'S FALLAC|ES.
HE DOES NOT COME VERY CLOSE
TO FACTS ON THE SILVER
QUESTION.
His Address Was Better Than That of
Brockway, But That is Not Saying
Very Much for Him-His Advice to
the Farmers of Kansas in the Cam
paign of 1892.

A small-sized audience assembled last
evening at Roots opera house TO listen
to the popocratic address OF Hon. S. NJ.
Scott of Kansas. a gentleman who Is
interested in the Standard Plaster COM
pany OF this city. While his speech
was in the same line and based upon
the same false premises that are used
by all orators of his class. he made a
much better argument than John p.
Brockway. 1t was free ron the froth
and rant of the anarchist. and If the
statements upon which he founded his
argument had been true. his logic was
all right. BUT his statements were
false. hence his deductions were built
upon false grounds.
The meeting was opened by the presi-
dent OF the Bryan club. Mr.. J. NJ. lnger-
soil, who introduced Mr.. Jahren TO in
troduce the speaker of the evening.
Mr.. Jahren endeavored to belittle the
value to the great west of the markets
Of the east. What benefit will we de-
rive by opening the mills and factories
OF the east and New England states?"
he asked. The benefit of a great market
for our beef. our mutton and our wool,
besides work for thousands of railroad
ers in transporting the products of one
section of the country To the other, is
b reply. Better for the American la
borer that the goods should come from
American factories and be hauled by
American railroads than from foreign
factories and transported across the
high seas in foreign ships. That was
he then introduced the speaker.
Mr.. Scott opened by saying that ev-
cry man had the right to his opinion
as long as he was right. but when he
was wrong he had no right whatever.
The people did not exactly see the logic
OF this point. as it was moi explained
by the orator who was to be the judge
Of individual opinion and act as gene
raj public censor of what was right and
wrong. The speaker appealed to rea-
son and to fairness and said he hoped
that everyone present would accord him
honesty of purpose.
u a speaker attempts to mislead and
befog his hearers in one thing, he can-
not be believed in any. therefore The
p~apnhli,or will ,n, ,,t,-,,t - rlI-,,
Hr. Scott through his two hours Of rot.
His first glaring misstatement was in
the quantity of silver mined ir the
United States in the year 1895, which
he placed at 10000, 900 ounces. AS he
repeated this statement several times,
1t was very evident that it was not a
slip of the tongue. Mr.. Scott probably
knows that the production OF silver in
the United States in the year 1926 was
55.727.O 900 ounces. or nearly 1000. 900
ounces more thar he stated. He said
three-fourths of the silver mines were
closed down last year. and had been
closed since the repeal of the Sherman
act. Is that true? The greatest silver
production in the history of the United
States was in 1892. when 60, 500, 900
ounces were produced. or about $780,
900 ounces more than was produced
last year. Now if one-fourth of the
mines produced 5000, 900 ounces in
1895. all the mines would produce four
times that amount. Or go, 000, 900
ounces, and with free coinage all this
would be boosted to sl.29 an ouce when
measured by gold, according to his
theory. a total value of more than $780,
DOC, 600. Then, of course, silver being
worth $l.29 an ounce in the United
States the price would be the same the
world over. and the same relative in
crease would prevail around the globe.
Last year the production of silver in the
world was the greatest ever recorded,
or TIA, 796,S15 ounces. Multiply this by
four and You have 699. lS7 500. And this
Mr.. Scott will not only maintain at its
present value by a free coinage act OF
the United States congress. but he pro-
poses to double the value at the same
time that he quadruples the output.
Seventy-five per cent of this will 20 in>
to the pockets of laboring men, he
says. According to his theory, COM
petition in this particular industry