The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-16
Swappiug Horses in Mid.stream.

Swapping Horses in Mid.stream.
When the history of this presidential
canvass shall be written in after years.
one of the numerous curious facts
which will go on record Will be the
swapping of horses which the Popo-
cracy tried to effect while in the ma
die of the stream.
At the outset Bryan's whole cry was
for free silver. With that he expected
to catch the farmer vote. The FARMER
vote, it was figured, would elect him
when added to the vote of those VINO
follow party regardless of issues. III
ballot could have been taken fort
night after his dramatic nomination IL
is probable that Bryan would have cap
tured the farmer vote and with II the
presidency. But two months of hard
thinking have INTERVIEWED. and this
short interval has been sufficient to
render it patent to the farmer that
Bryan's argument is fallacy. Bry-
an told the farmer that the fall in
price of his farm products was caused
by the "crime of 1873" and that 1t
coincided with the fall in price of sill
Yer since silver's demOnetization. But
when the farmer took time to study his
account books. he discovered that farm
prices i'm 1892 We're very little lower,
on the average. than they were in lS'U,
except i'm the case of wheat, which had
fallen in price the world over because
of overDroduction; and he further
found out that what he had lost through
lower farm prices had been upon the
average made M to him in cheaper
store prices. In other words, If he got
less money for his crops that money,
when spent for the neccssares of life,
went further and bought more so that
the entries on the two sides of the
account pretty nearly balanced.
To be sure there has been Il consid-
erable drop in farm prices since 1892,
but any reasonable man must admit
that this cannot justly be charged
against the gold standard, else it would
have occurred nineteen years earlier.
The only discoverable reason for it.
apart from large crops. is the fact that
since 1892 many millions of American
workingmen have been out of work or
else working on reduced time. and thus
have been compelled to eat only the
cheapest food and a restricted amount
of that. With supply large and demand
al IN nf
cratic tariff tinkering, farm produce
has necessarily fallen since 1899, not
because of gold or silver but because
Of Cleveland, Wilson, German and this
self-same William Bryan who now
tries to shirk the responsibility of his
ruinous work in the ways and means
committee room of the Fifty-second
congress- A recognition of these facts
has taken from Bryan large percent
age Of the farmer vote. and he and his
managers saw that they would have
to make good the loss or lose all hope
OF carrying the election.
What did they do? They decided to
change the issue. Free silver meant
the workingman. who could see no as
surance that If prices rose hisrwages
would rise prOportiOnally. Therefore
free silver was sidetracked, and Bryan
started out to rail against corpora
tOns. syndicates and trusts. to pal
aver the poor man, tickle the fancy
of the masses" and angle assiduously
for the labor vote. He complained VOL
ubly at imaginary coercion; pummeled
men of straw whom he set up as rep
resentatives Of the wealth of the land
and made a great show of compassion
for the folks who don't get along very
well in life. If you have read his
speeches from day to day you will
have noticed that since this swapping
OF horses was decided upon because of
the detection of the farmer vote Bryan
has said comparatively little about sill
Yer. His main theme since then has
been the denunciatiOn of wealth and
the making of great grand stand play
for the discontented vote.
In the meantime it is interesting to
note that William Mckinley stands
squarely and firmly by the first utter
ances Of his campaign and has not de-
Waited one iota from manly but de-
termined championship of Protection
and sound money. He at least is no
mere opportunst with sails reversible
to fit every new breeze that blows.