The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-10-23

clSesd. 4 essrs in citles psnaiiess.
the farmer 41ll receive bpe H1tetle Tor his
ssIyeeta MSn On salaries Vim scarcsg
then thtlr SALARIES, such 90 they may be-
they have to-day.
/ Those who owe debts, payable-prlnclpal
or elnterestLln gold, will receive the same
salaries 40 to-day, and their salaries will
have but half the debt-paylng power which
But those .whc.ow debts, not payable
In sold? Well IL the country 10 ruined,
where will they ind even silver to nay
their. debts Sd sllverf The only men bene-
dtedAand they are few to-day, and It 10
scarcely worth while to bring around
are the debtors, who have to-day gold on
hand and who. by>9ree silver coinage, will
have their stores doubled in nominal value,
and will be enabled to reduce their debts
by one-half. And. for those. the Ques-
I ton remains. Is It honest?
It 10 q delusion- that silver will circulate
% plentifully that 1t can be had easily
BY all. and that the quantity will make
up, for the lack Of value. II silver bullion
does not Increase In commercial value silver
VIII not be produced in quantities, and az
owners .of silver will not part with It ex.
Tcept In exchange for commodities or labor,
which they deem useful and valuable. II
the business of the country Is not pros
porous. the people will get very little silver
and obtain NO profit from free mintage.
+" But-and here Is the popular argument
In favor of free silver coinage-we have
That is true. and what Is also true IL
that under the silver, standard we shall
have much harder times. It Is the great
fallacy Of the day to be attributing our
hard times to the gold standard.
The craze for free silver as a cure for
AN~ t.
DRY that q man who has been a long time
sick, despite the attentive care Of expert
physiclans. will Gull for any quack who
advertises to cure all the ills of humanity.
Hard times have come through the severe
and resstless working Of economic laws,
ments Of parliaments or congresses.
One of the chief causes Of hard times to.
day is the agitation for radical change
In the currency Of the country. If the
American people put down.. by an over.
whelming majority, this agltation-bury 1t
out Of sight-one chief cause Of hard times
will be out of the way. Good times may
be expected to come back surely, even II
only gradually. The overproduction that
glutted our markets has been used up:
capital Is anxious to do something with It's
money, IL it can be invested, If the
country's natural resources invite invest
ment to develop them. and, confidence re-
stored, the outlook is bright. But the
essential thing is confidence.
There are a hundred aspects Of this
question which I do not touch upon. I
merely throw out some few thoughts which
show reasons for my present political
faith, and which may be Of some benefit
to others in forming their own judgment.
I may. of course. be mistaken. But I
have come to look upon the present agita-
ton as the great test Of universal suf-
frage and popular sovereignty. Can the
people defend public honor and the in.
situations Of the country at the polls.
as they have done on the field of battlei
Can they be so calm and deliberate in their
Judgment. so careful to weigh all things in
the scale Of reason. and to avoid all rash
experiments. that they can be trusted
with the settlement Of grave social and
political problems? That is the question
that Is before US at the present moment.