davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28
THE TRANSIENT TRADER,
Pittsburg Commercial-Gaze


In response to the demands of local mer-
chants for fairer play, and following spe-
cial raids of travelling fakirs on local busi-
ness, some towns have recently passed or
dinances which impose heavy license fees
on transient dealers 1t is proper that this
should be done. The local mercha nts pay
license or taN-both If they are property
owners-and when any public enterprises
or charities are proposed the merchants
are always the first ones called upon to
subscribe. 1t is not fair that. for a mere
ly nominal license fee. peripatetic fakirs
who have no interest in a town except TO
fleece all the lambs TO be found in IL as
quickly as possible and clear out. should
be permitted by license to work the public
so easily. But there is another phase of
the question which is also to be borne in
mind. These fakirs do not capture any
lambs by force. The lambs. led on by the
old seductive salt represent ID in brash,
credulity and the hope of getting some
thing for nothing, press forward volun-
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28

Nathan Straus. the New York phil
anthropist, has reopened his coal yards
for the poor, which give them the OPP
portunity to purchase coal in small
amounts at cost. Any doctor practicing
among the destitute of New York city
can write an order on a prescription
blank for Il patient and it will be good
for free coal. 1t is not easy to imagine
more helpful practical charity than
this
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28

Perhaps the most sensible thing yet
ELECTED during the Cuban controversy
is the decision of Senator-elect Money.
of Mississippi, now a member of the
house committee on foreign affairs. to
visit Cuba, interview Weyler. ask for
an escort and flag of truce to enable
him to reach the interior and hold in
tercourse with the insurgents, and thus
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28
THE sun WILL SHINE AGAIN

BY Rev. ID. ID. Jenkins.
Music by Prof. George Marks Evans
Have you trouble upon trouble,
Is your heart weighed deeply down;
Keep up courage, still be noble,
Hark! Your ills are overthrown.
CHORUS:
For the clouds will soon pass over,
And the sun will shine again:
For the Lord is always watchful,
And he loves the sons of men.
Does Dame Fortune frown upon you,
Wheels of business slowly run:
Fortune soon will smile upon you,
Good times coming--has begun.-Cho.
True it Is, maybe that you never
Wrote a book or sang "a song:
To perform deed that's greater,
Your mission comes ere long.-Cho.
If you've never proved a hero
Whom the world would long adore,
You may live in deed of kindness,
An live on forevermore.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28

to gain by personal inquiry accurate
knowledge of the situation of affairs
in that island. The attempt should
have been made fully year ago, by
the executive. to dispatch a commits
sion to Cuba for this very purpose.
Then there would have been something
substantial in way of information on
which TO base further action in the
nra,niSas
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28

EX-Queen Llioukalani says she
doesn't want her crown restored and
ed to the United States: but she would
like nice. plump pension. No doubt
she would: but liking and getting are
vastly different things.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28

The New York press has much to
say concerning a woman and her
daughter who have just walked all the
way from San Francisco to Gotham.
The feat certainly was a curious one.
But in the first place, was there any
sense in undertaking it?
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28
SCRANTON. DECEMBER IS, 1896.

We do not consider the report of
European alliance to dictate American
policy with reference to Cuba worthy
of more than passing notice. Europe
knows better
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28
A SLIDING SCALE.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.

From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
The other day it was stated that Wana-
makers ultimate ambition was the presi-
dency, but at present it is noised abroad
that he is first aiming at the Sovernorship.
This is something new, and probably next
it will be said that he would like TO be
pprappr
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28

If ever the courts pass on the claim
of the jamestown, n. T., woman that
an itnerant hypnotist mesmerized her
into a marriage without her knOwl-
edge or consent, it Is safe guess that
they will make short work of it.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28

The courts have just Cancelled an
ordinance passed in Kansas City to fine
non-voters at municipal elections. But
the good people who. by abstaining
from the polls. enable shysters to tri-
umph will get mulcted quite as ef-
fectually, though not SO directly, as If
that ordinance had been pronounced
valid
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28
THE PROPORTIONS.

1t is a rule, somewhat severe.
But true as Deuteronomy;
There's just one month of Christmas
cheer,
And eleven of economy.
Washington Star.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28
HARD AT WORK.

From the Washington Post.
Stories from several of the rural Penn
sylvania counties show strong traces of
the business man in politics.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28

Authorized denial is made of the re-
port that Mark Hanna is sick. He will
continue to invest the other side with
the real symptoms of illness.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-28
HE WILL NEED IT.

From the Washington Post.
If we were Hon. Joe Choate We would
carry good line of insurance on that
senatorial boom.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28
Struggling for Life.
From the N. Y. Commercial Advertiser


What an easy sort of trap for an un-
thinking person these silver bugs laid when
they PORTED to silver falling along with
the prices of other things as an evidence
that silver was dragging everything else
down to the bottomless pit! Why, except
for the little speculative furry caused by
the silver booms in the Bland-Ailison and
the Sherman acts, silver has been steadily
sliding down hill for years, and nothing in
the world could have been caught falling in
price for a moment without being found
in silver's bad company going the same
road. Silver has been the chronic tumbler,
as the silver miner has been the chronic
grumbler.
And so these long headed silver boomers
found an easy dragnet in which to scoop in
every soreheaded. sour-tempered unfortu-
nate who had been caught by falling
market They said: See! Silver is pulling
down your prices too! 1t will pull the
life out of you If you don't help us give
silver an upwardi boost" And so the dis
contenced one was led to fix his eyes on
his own product keeping company with
silver and to ignore the fact that the prices
of all other things kept skipping up and
down with as much freedom as II there
never was such a thing as silver.
Now that wheat has broken away and
gone soaring skyward this cheat has had
Its day: but it makes ones heart ache to
see how agonizingly the silverite struggles
to keep life in this, his only shadow of an
a-!yure-:t for free coinage of silver. And
the free coinage of silver never had any
thing more substantial than a shadow Of
reason at its back
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28
Labor and Price. Abroad.

From the Chicago Times-Herald.
In order to obtain accurate information
concerning the effect of the money stand
ard in various countries on prices of COM
modities and wages of labor, Secretary
Olney addressed a letter of inquiry and
instructions last July to all United States
diplomatic and consular officers upon this
important subject. The reports have been
received, and are just published by the
state department in a single volume. These
reports cover a period of ten years, from
1856 to 1885, and show whether the money
standard in the particular country is gold,
silver. paper or double, the amount of mon
ey in circulation per capita. the proportion
of the metals to paper and the amount of
reserves; the effect of the money standard
on agriculture and manufacturing, the
rates of wages and other facts of a SIM
liar kind.
These reports all agree that there has
been a decline in the prices of commodi-
ties the world over and an advance in
wages, the latter most marked in gold
standard countries. Great Britain, France
Germany. Austria and the United States
show marked declines in prices of raw ma
terials and a general rise in wages. In
Belgium there is a decline in prices. but
no change in wages, and this is also true
of Italy.
In Mexico there Is no change in the
prices of food products not exported and
an advance in the articles imported, such
as coffee and sugar. There is advance in
the wages of unskilled labor. but skilled
labor shows no improvement.
In Costa Rica and Colombia, which are
silver countries. the prices Of commodi-
ties have increased, and 30 have wages.
The conclusion from these statistics Is
very plain. So far as wages are concerned,
there Is more stability and prosperity in
the gold standard than in silver standard
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28

agree to the free and unlimited coinage of
silver dollar the silver in which will not
be worth enough" but only half enough.
They contend that II there Is to be q free
coinage silver dollar 1t must contain a gold
dollars worth of silver. That Is their con-
ception of a btmetallic currency. They be-
lieve 1t to be one where the silver dollar Is
commercially as valuable as the gold dollar.
Bryan will not consent to this. He in
sists on the free coinage Of a silver dollar
the silver in which Is not worth enough
row. and hei admits that It never will be
worth enough" He claims that it will
be worth more than now. but asserts
positively that it never will be worth as
much as the gold dollar Is now.
1t will be a cheap dollar, and consequent
ly poor dollar. 1t may come more easily.
1t certainly will go mere easily. Cheap
money does not seem so cheap when one
buys things with 1t.
Yet a cheap dollar is tho kind Of dollar
Bryan wants. He will accept nothing else.
He desires to ''remonetizes silver because
of its cheapness. He bankers after a cheap
dollar to be used in the payment Of debts
based on good dollars. 1t Is to the coinage
of such a dollar that the honest money men
are inflexibly opposed.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28
Mr.. Bryan and wnse-Earners.
ON the New York Press


Mr. Bryan warns the wage-earners that
when their employment ends they cease to
have enough to eat and wear. How, then,
can Mr.. Bryan ask the wage-earners to
vote for him, and how can any wage-earn-
er think of voting for him?
Mr.. Bryan threatens the employment Of
every wage-earner in the United States. II
there would be such an upheaval of values,
such a destruction OF credit, that we
should know the worst panic that We have
ever suffered. When we have panics wage
Gamers are turned out of employment by
the tens of thousands. When a great
house that employs 1000 or 1900 men fails
the incomes Of those men are cut on the
spot. When a railroad goes into the hands
of a receiver and the expenses of the road
are Immediately reduced the first thing
that is done is to diminish the wage pay
,ments of that railroad. When the doors
of factory close and when the wheels of
a mill stop turning whole communities
whose livelihood depended upon the prod
uct Of those mills and factories are at once
deprived of their means of earning a liv-
ing.
Mr.. Bryan knows that free coinage of
silver. in wrecking great business houses
and bankrupting concerns that employ ar
mics of men, would throw into the field of
unemployed labor mot tens of thousands,
but hundreds OF thousands. of wage-earn-
ers. He knows that IN the panic that
would rock this country from coast to
coast and from Canada to the Gulf no man
who was thrown out Of work could hope
again to find employment for many weeks,
perhaps for many months. He knows that
in this time they would eat up their saw
ings, they would exhaust their credit, they
would pawn their furniture, they would
strip the clothes off their backs to buy food
with; that they would come to the verge
OF starvation; that in their desperation We
might have mobs rioting in every city for
bread; and yet this man-this young man,
who has been failure at everything which
he ever undertook-asks the 100000 wage
earners of this country to vote for him for
president of the United States! He wants
to fill the most exalted office in the land.
He wants to live in the White House. He
wants to sign a. free coinage bill. He wants
to see whether or not the value of silver
will rise to Sl.29 an ounce; and, because he
wants to do all this, Mr.. Bryan invites the
wage-earners of this country to stake their
welfare and their very existence on an ex-
pertinent the success of which could not
bring them a single dollar more than they
have now, and the failure of which would
be the ruin of all American labor.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28
NO HOPE FOR WATSON.

II it were not for the certainty of Mr..
Hobart's election, it could be stated posi-
lively that the election of vice president
would be thrown into the senate. for there
is no possibility of either Mr.. Sewall or
Mr.. Watson securing majority Of elec-
toral votes. The Democrats and Populists
have fixed up fusion in the various states
in such a manner that If Mr.. Bryan should
be elected by carrying those states in
which there Is a possibility for him, Mr..
Sewal would still be eighty-seven votes
short of an election, while Mr.. Watson
would lack many more.
The Democrats have put 1t "onto" the
Populists in great shape in these ,fusons
While Watson hasn't enough electors run
ming to elect him II all OF them should be
chosen next Tuesday, Sewall has enough
on the same tickets TO put him into the
race before the senate. Some of the be-
nighted Populists are campaigning on the
supposition that Watson will hold the bal
ance of power, and that If neither Hobart
nor Sewall gets majority. he may come
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28
coxEY SEES NO LIGHT AHEAD.

Mr.. Jacob S. Coxey. late commander Of
the hobo contingent, now publisher Of
paper which claims to be the national
journal for the commonweal," has been
besieged by inquiries from "all over the
Union as to his honest opinion about
Bryan's chances of election. In reply to
these inquiries Mr.. Coxey has no other
guide than the lamp Of experience which,
in his case, burns with at least 1000 candle
power. He tells these people that If the
big crowds that turn out to see him are
any indications of success, Bryan will be
overwhelmingly elected. But" he adds,
with a sigh, signs sometimes fall" and
then Mr.. Coxey goes on to relate the mel
the polls in 1894 when he ran for congress
in Ohio. In that year he says he "entered
upon the campaign right out of the gold
monopoly power Jail at Washington"
Things looked mighty propitious. He took
the stump with the heel-marks Of the plu-
tocratic tyrants showing upon his neck as
plain as day. He posed as martyr to the
sacred cause of the people and denounced
the Rothschlds the banks. the govern
Aheib anu OSSiy SicS Az SSaA1 sAAAAA>
of as appropriate to the occasion. and yet
what was the result? Let Mr.. Coxey's own
organ relate the story of his undoing:
1.-The crowds that greeted and cheered
him everywhere were tremendous-they
were as great as Bryan's. His friends said
he would be elected. When the votes were
counted it was found that they were less
than 10000 Gust "a per cent Of the votes
case). More than 10000 cheered him at
numerous places during the canvass. It
was the same way during his gubernatorial
campaign in Ohio in 1895. Can anyone ex-
plain this?'' The article concludes with this
melancholy reflection: 1--WE have no means
of judging the future save by the past,
and the past is full of instances wherein
the people have proven that they do not
always vote as they shout" From these
sad events in his own political career. Mr..
Coxey can draw no glad augury for the
boy orators election. On the other hand.
1t seems to be very doubtful to him, and
more than likely that Reformer Bryan will
follow in the footsteps Of Reformer Coxey.
All of which is very sad, to be sure, and
very painful but Mr.. Coxey doesn't pro-
pose to be victim of overconfdence even
to help on the cause of the can-rushing
masses.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28

in as sort Of dark horse. Under the con-
stitution, only the two highest candidates
can be voted for in the senate. If neither
Mr.. Hobart nor Mr.. sewall gets ma
jority of the electors. the election goes at
once into the senate without any caucusing
or dark horse foolishness, and there Mr.
Watson is barred, because. under any pos
sible result of the election, he is destined
to be third in the race.
The Democrats were smart enough to
see all these possibilities and to arrange
it SO that Mr.. Banker Sewall will be elect
ed vice president If they can carry the
senate. 1t doesn't make any difference
how many Pops there are in the senate
they must vote for Sewall or Hobart. Wat
son also is smart enough to see that his
case is hopeless and that is the reason he
is fighting for all there is left in the bat
tie, the autonomy of the Populist party.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28
MISSOURI NOT CONCEDED.

Mr. Hanna. after looking over the ground
thoroughly. has made some concessions to
the Bryanites, for which they should be
duly grateful. He has figured out from
data at hand that Bryan will carry fifteen
states at the coming election. leaving Nc
Kinley only thirty. The Bryan states
-er. conceded by Mr.. Hanna are: Ala
pama. Arkansas, Colorado, Florida. Geor-
>ia. Idaho, Louisiana. Mississippi, Montana,
Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Texas, Utah and Virginia. Although these
states with ll6 electoral votes are now
given TO Bryan, there are two or three OF
them that are considered debstable ground
and Mr. Hanna doubtless expects to gather
these In also.
1t VIII be noticed that Missouri is not in
cluded in the Bryan states. This looks
ominous indeed-for the boy candidate
and seems to be evidence that the Repub-
licnn campaign in this state is progressing
IN q manner satisfactory to the advocates
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28
Protest.

Who say my heat amt true to you?
Dey bettah heish dey mouf;
knows loves you th'oo an thoo.
In w'atah time er drotn.
wish desc people'd heish dey tafkin'-
Don't mean no mo- dan chickens squawkin'.
1 guess knows wliah is walkin';
knows de no'f fom souf.
I does not love Elizy Brown;
/ guess / know my min;
You's allus got to bring me down
Bout evahthing you fin'.
Ef desc hyeah folks will keep on film
Yo' haid wifi nonsense, an you's willn',
l bet some day dey'N be a KILN
Somewhat erlonS de line.
O. co'se I buys de gal ice cream:
Whut else I gwine to- do?
I knows jes' how de thing 'ud seem
Eff I'd be Shot wifi you.
On Sunday you's at chuch a-shoutin';
Den all de week you spen' a-poutin':
rs mighty tiahed of all dis doubtin'.
l tell you cause rs true!
Paul Laurence Dunbar in the Novembea
Century.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28
PROSPERITY sTANDs A,oor

Under ordinary circumstances there
should be material Improvement in the
business situation. The large and COM
tinued imports of gold show that the trade
balance IS greatly in our favor; wheat and
other farm products are advancing and
everything points to the revival Of good
times. but they do not come. Stocks are
low, money "close. but not close enough to
reach" and the business interests of the
country are simply waiting.
Were 1T not for lingering fear of Bry-
ans election the pulse of renewed life
would begin to throb through the whole
industrial system. Money would coma out
of its hiding places and seek channels of
legitimate investment. Merchants would
have no fear in stocking up trade would
begin to boom; but the blight Of the free
silver agitation is over everything and busi-
ness languishes. Prosperity is in sight and
ready to come, but it Is deferred by the
threat of reputation, and business must
wait until the specter vanishes. Capitalists
will not invest their money while the finan-
cial system of the nation is jeopardized and
a wild and reckless experiment, denounced
by all civilized nations. offered in it's stead.
So even IL wheat should go to dollar
and millions more Of money come into the
country, nothing will be done in the way Of
investment until it is settled what the
financial policy of the country is going to
be. II Mckinley is elected. and the people
declare for an honest dollar by an over
whelming majority. all this distrust will
vanish in an instant. and an era of pros
perity will speedily set in, the like of
which has not been seen for many years.
II Bryan is elected the distrust and un-
easiness will develop into panic, the screws
will tighten and hard times settle down
permanently in our midst
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-28
One of Bryan. Mi..tatements.

From the Chicago Tribune.
The following is a passage from one OF
Bryan's recent speeches:
ASK them why they demonetized silver.
They will tell you it was because silver
was worth more than gold. They demon
etiZed it because 1t was worth too much.
and they refuse to remonetize it because
they say it Is not worth enough. They
only demonetzed it because silver was
dear. and they are afraid to remonetize
It for fear 1t will come back again."
'-They"-tfe sound money men-do not
say the coinage of the silver dollar was
ordered stopped in 1878 because silver was
worth more than gold" but because the
silver in a silver dollar was worth more
than the gold in a gold dollar. and conse-
auently the frst-named dollar would not
circulate. 1t was a useless coin
That was the sole reason why that dollar
was dropped But subsequent events have
shown that the action then taken was the
happiest accident in the legislative history
of this country. But for It specie resump-
ton would have taken place on the silver
basis. and the value of the silver dollar
would have dc epreciated without any 'crime
of 1873" till 1t reached 50 cents in value.
The sound money men do not "refuse to
remonetize silver because 1t is not worth
enough" They do refuse. however. to