The San Francisco call., 1896-05-17
SILVER!S ADVOCATE.
ELOQUENT ADDRESS DELIVERED BY
THE Acknowledgement OF
WASHINGTON.

The following address on silver was de-
livered before the Northwest Mining Asso-
citation at Spokane, Wash. February %
last by Attorney-GeneralW W. C. Jones:
In many countries of the world to-day when
peasant chances to see the moon risin g over
the eastern horizon he jingles merrily the
silver coin in his pocket, If he happens to be so
he sighs to think that he has lost an oppor
tunity to invoke the blessing and secure the
favor of nights fair queen.
Just why he practices this mystic rite he
probably does not know nor care. 1t is enough
for him TO know that his sire did it before him
and his graldsire before his sire.
But to his remote ancestor this was no mean
ingless form, no idle custom. To him Luna
was the fairest and the most potent OF ell the
deities that composed the polyUaSistic god
head. She was the mistress of the tides: she
taught him when to SOW his seed, to prune his
hedge. to plant his trees. She appoint ted the
day when the good housewife should start the
leach and boil the mellif1uous softsoap. to set
the favorite hen or transfer the nascent cab
bage from the hotbed to the garden. She
filled with plenty the granaries of her devotees
and blasted with mildew the harvests of those
who remembered not her law.
In ancient times the moon was regarded as
the most potent of all the influences that gov
erned the destinies OF mankind or should
guide his labor. and to sleep in her presence
was an objectionable crime; the luckless
wight who dared thus insult her she smote
with madness.
Silver was the metal sacred to her honor
and on him who held up to her this emblem of
her regal power she smiled benignly; but to
him who dared despise it-and until this last
generation gave birth to a new breed of sim
ners none dared despise her-Sne gave the
most dire punishment.
Our ancestors jingled their silver at the
sight of the rising moon with the same ven
Grafton and the same religious fervor that in
spires the devoJee of the cross to-day when he
counts his beads 9es. at the sight OF that mystic
world. But to-day we have among US a new
set of heretics, who ignore the influence and
power and benefcence OF the silver goddess of
the heavens They are sleeping in her pres
ence, in the presence OF her whose mission it
is to bring light and JOY and happiness to the
dark places of the earth; but we trust that
they will soon be awakened from their sense
less stupor by the voice of reason, which will
swell from ocean to ocean, and when they
awaken and see the depth OF resentment of
silvers devotees they will be mad enough.
Until recently Japan, Mexico and India were
regarded as the dark places OF the earth; they
were very far behind us in the race of civiliza-
ton, in the struggle for progress; but to-day
the silver shield has risen for them. They are
building railroads, factories and mills, and
lighting the fires in furnace and forge; they
are founding colleges and erecting palaces,
and all this progress at q rate which has no
precedence in the worlds history. They are
forcing forward their industrial armies to the
music of q quickstep.
Oh, gentlemen, they are overtaking us. Their
skirmish line has advanced beyond our gates,
and they are invading our markets with the
products OF their skill and enterprise.
Almost we can hear their victorious shout of
triumph as the main army approaches our bat
Elements. But we have sinned against the sill
yer godGess-we have slumbered in her pres
ence-and for our temerity we are undergoing
the most poignant industrial suffering; the
arms OF industry are paralyZed. the feet of
progress weary and the head of commercial
enterprise, oh, how it aehes 1t will be well
for US as people if we awaken from this sense
less stupor before the silver goddess has smit-
ten US beyond recovery.
Only a little while ago il was common for us
OF the Anglo-SaXon race, this great Nation
which is pointed to as the great Nation of
sound money, to point to India and Mexico
and Japan as countries that were far beneath
our notice, but reports come from those coun-
tries that, instead of bankruptcy and ruin, in
stead OF closed factories and incendiary fires,
they are coming forward by mighty leaps and
bounds into prosperity. They are paving divi-
dends on their railroads and their bank stock.
Their farmers are prosperous and happy, their
iaborers are getting greater wages than ever
before.
To be sure we started their lead. They are
not of our civilization. We had tremendous
advantage over them, but while we are going
backward they are coming forward, and no
citizen OF this country to-day with justice or