Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-10-23

FREE SILVER WOULD HELP THE BIG
FARMER BY CUTTING DOWN THE
WAGES or HIS HIRED MEN.

A Cool, Calculating Farmer Explains tn,
Situation to His Wife-He Thinks II.
VIII Gain Nearly -, 900 by the SiNteer
to One Scheme-Haif of This VIII Is.
Taken From the Wages of His Farm
hands His Wife Shocked at the Idea al
Cheating Their Hired Help VIII DO HeI
] Best tn Prevent Bryan's Election.
Farmer reckon this free silver
about the best friend of us farmer.
that's come our way since the war Al
| lowing Bryans elected all right this
year, l Gale late I'll be worth nearly
81, 900 more next year than now.
Farmers Wife-Nonsense, Harvei /
don't believe silver's going to make
folks rich. One'll have TO work for a
living if Bryan's elected just as hard as
If he ism {.
FL don't deny but what you re
heads level there, Jane Some folks
will have to work harder, but it won t
be us farmers. Well come out on top
with free silver. That's sure's shootcn.
+. W.-What crazy notions in yolr
head now anyhow? D'you think farm
ers are smart enough to make laws
that'll take money out of other folks
pockets and put it into theirs?
F.-P'r'aps not, but they re going TO
try it. | s'pose you don't see how free
silver'll help us, but | do.
+, W.-if you'll take my advice.
you'll not bother yourself to death try
ing to get rich by free silver. I'll war
rant it won't work as you Gale late.
FIJI tell you one way it'll help
me, Jane. You know that if we get
free coinage we viii have silver dollars
worth bout 80 ccnts-same's Mexican
dollars now.
f. WI thought Bryan said that
silver'd be worth just as much as gold
when we get free silver.
F.-Ycs, that's " hat he says in the
east SOS he wont scare the millhands
and savings bank folks too much But nc
don't talk that way out here, because he
knows that amt what were after We
want cheap money, SOS prices Of wheat,
corn and pork II be twice us high, same
as in Mexico
+. W.-Supp's'n they are. Wouldn't
you have 20 pay twice as much for
clothes AID groceries and everything else
you d have 10 buy? If you got - instead
If 81. yuu'd have to spend 81 instead Of
81 I'd ZEE as broad as it is long. II
that s. Tho way silver's going To make you
rich, YOU /! never get rich.
F-Eut / wouldn t have TO spend 81
FOR every 81 spend now You know, we
have ar least two hired men the whole
year and three to five more from April
10 November, besides the hired girl for
most Cf the year TO you reckon I'm
going to raise tn I pay when we get
free silver:
f. WI s'pose so. Why shouldn't
you?
F-Just because l wouldn't have to-
+ raps after "a year or so I'd give 'em
So or So more il month, but nothing
like double what they re getting now
| Gale late I'd save between $500 and
81 900 IN wages-nOt quite So much on
John and Dave, because they board with
u.s. ard Of course the prices Of some OF
the things they eat would 90 up, but
I'd save bout half on my day hands
who live and board at home. That's
how | flyer 1t, and it's 'cording to the
opinion Of Governor Boies and other big
silver people They say farm wages is
too high for profits and that silver'll
bring 'em down.
Il. Wand so that's why you re for
free silver, Harve Grimes; want to cheat
your poor hired hands out of half their
wages, men who now can hardly keep
their families out of the poorhousc! !
thought il was them Wall street Shy
locks and goldbugs you re after with
your free silver stick and that you re
trying 10 square accounts with them
rich fellcrs but it seems
Hold up there, janet Free silver's
going to save us bout 81 600 ON what |
still owe on that So mortgage
Who d'you think'll lose that?
+. VI don't care who'd lose it. |
faint right to cheat anybody, but | |
wouldn't say word SO longs it's some |
body who could afford to lose it, but when |
{ comes TO cheating your poor neighbors |
is time to put stop 10 It, | don't /
are If you never get that other farm /
)aid for. | guess we won't starve on
his old farm. I'm going 10 tell John .
md Dave aud all the others just how
rec silver Will hurt them, and I'll get .
hem all to vote against Bryan. The
dea of such farmers Us you trying to
lcct Bryan to cut down the wages Of
our hired men! I'm ashamed of you,
I'm!
Andrew Jackson Versus w. j. Bryan.