The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-25
MONDAY. MAY Is. 1896.
THE RISING TIDE.

The free silver democrats Of Ohio
are surprising the country by their
continued brilliant successes in the dis
trict conventions. The silver tide. in
deed. seems almost as strong i'm Ohio
and Indiana as in Illinois. The farmers
OF the Middle West have been study
ing the subject quietly but methodical-
ly. and despite the humbug cries of a
fifty cent dollar" have reached sharp
and clear conclusions. One of them Is
quoted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer
TO this effect
II administrative influence were re-
moved from this fight and the people al
lowed to express themselves freely. the
majority that would be cast in favor of
the white metal would be simply over
whelming. I am not exagRerating the
situation a particle when | say that the
sentiment of the farmers of this county
is practically solid for silver They I'M
derstand what is wrong, and know that
the tariff isn't the cure for existing evils
They know that their farms have steadily
deprecated in value and that IL takes
nearly twice as much OF farm products to
get dollar as IL used to do. Their labor
and products have deprecated while the
dollar of the banker has appreciated.
minus dif a Oii inc
Take farm that ten years ago was
worth $1,000 and was mortgaged for 5000.
Then the farmer owned one-third and
the money lender the rest. The same farm
to-day Is worth 81 500. and the money
lender owns II all, depreciation having
wiped out the farmers interest. The trou-
BILE is that a producer can get nothing
for his products-no money, / mean. Still
he must have II to meet his obligations
and the money has disappeared.
The Plain Dealer expresses the belief
that the silver sentiment is as strong
in ohio's cities as in her rural districts,
and declares that IF the masses of the
cities could vote on the question with
out the Interference of politicians the
verdict would be decisively for free
coinage Unfortunately the politician
who cares nothing about the principles,
hut looks only for spoils. is a power in
the cities. Even II the state
convention should be dominated by
Senator Brice and the federal office
holders, any instructions given will not
apply to the district delegates, who
hold their commissions from the peo-
pie"
II II ulSilnCllN encouraging also to
witness the frantic but futile efforts of
the goldbug press of the large eastern
cities TO stem the rising silver tide.
They say the democrats Of the country
are going silver mad" just as the re-
publicans have gone Mckinley mad"
OF course there is no merit in any such
comparison, for while the Mckinley
craze is Of very recent origin and has
all the elements of ephemerality the
silver question has been under argu-
ment by the people for three years and
by the statesmen and politicians for
twenty-three. The momentum the sill
Yer sentiment is acquiring is the logi-
cal result Of this agitation. Were it
without merit. the question would have
died long before this The gold men
have scored many victories over silver
and in their own estimation have killed
it time after time. But the issue lives
and thrives in spite of them. its mag
nifcent growth under the most dis
couraging circumstances is not the
least Of the splendid evidences Of its
vitality and power. The free coinage
OF silver is the one great question be-
fore the country and when all the nom
nations are made and the campaign
fairly begun II will crowd the tariff
question 10 the wall beyond a doubt