The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-30
The People Don't
Like His Dose
From the Post-ExDress.

From the Post-ExDress.
Times are hard and II you will only
take my patent medicine, the silver cure
according to the directions on the bot
tle-they will wonderfully improve. SO
says Bryan. But the voters or the coun-
try after carefully informing them
selves as to the true inwardness or the
proposed remedy shake their heads and
tell Bryan that they are convinced II
would only aggravate the Ills from which
the country is suffering. They recall the
significant epitaph, II was well. wanted
to be better, here l am" As level-headed
men they decline to take medicine which
they believe would kill and not cure. lf'
Bryan was recognized as a profound prac-
tical statesman, they might feel Inclined
ito so it blind to take whatever he pre-
scribed and no questions asked. But he
Is not that sort of political doctor He
is young. inexperienced, crude, reckless.
1t is but natural, therefore, that as he
goes swinging around the circle. peddlinS
his medicine, folks should whisper to one
another, a bit of a quack isn't hep
What is there in free silver which Is
calculated to commend 1t to the intclh-
gence of the American people? Nothing.
Bryan and his followers have been given
a fun and fair opportunity of making
out case for 1t and have miserably
failed. Everything in the nature of an
argument which they have advanced has
been riddled. They have held that the
money supply of the United States was
decreasing only to be confronted with
statistics showing that while the money
in circulation in this country In 1860 was
Sii2, l02,4T and in 1872 was S73S, ,309, $40 en-
the first of July this year 1t was Sl.609,-
725,20O. They have held that the fall in
prices was to be charged to the demoneti-
cation Of silver bat have been unable 10
buttress that assertion, although steadily
invited to do so, with any concrete evil
dence. On the other hand the opponents
OF free silver have grouped together
large number of facts and figures which
may be said to demonstrate that the fall
In prices is the result of the logical work.
ing of the well known lazy of supply and
demand.
They have held that the free coinage OF
silver at the ratio of l6 to would result
In supply of cheaper money and that
cheaper money would boom prices and
therefore prove a godsend to the farmer;
but In the same breath they have held that
free coinage would send the price of silver
up to Sl.29 an ounce. Each of these argu-
ments gives the other a black eye. For II
free coinage means silver worth Sl.29 an
ounce 1t does not mean cheap money; and
II 1t means cheap money 1t does not mean
silver worth s1.29 an ounce. They have
held that rise in prices would be attend
ed by rise In wages so that the wage
Garner would not suffer from a cheap
dollar. But they have been silenced on
this point by reference to unvarying ex-
perience. All experience proves-this coun-
Try has contributed several chapters
tnat wages never rise as fast as prices.
When prices rose 116 per cent. with us in
the war times, between 1860 and 1865, wages
only rose 43 per cent. They hold that a
gold dollar will buy too much these days.
But the voters dispose of this conten-
tion by saying to one another that they
nave no quarrel with a dollar Of large
purchasing power.
In the circumstances Is II any wonder
that Doctor Bryan's Silver Specific, war
ranted to cure hard times, is a drug in
the market?