Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-25
is FOR SILVER NOW.
Charles O'Neil a Former Rock
islander Heard From.
WORKING FOR IT IN THE WEST.


But Is . White Metal Republican 1t
May He said-Currency Paramount to
Tarin.
f. ii. Guyer has an entertaining
letter from Charles W. O'Neil. for.
merly of Rock Island. aud now of
Wallace. Idaho. Mr.. O'Neil is still
a repu blican. but he is one of the
silver ones this year; in other words
he is no longer black republican.
but white (metaD one. MIR.
O'Neil. aside from personal matters.
has much to say anent the political
agitation of the present time which
will be read with interest by his
hosts Of Rock Island friends. In al
ludiDg to the general situation in
Idaho and at Wallace, he says: "In
this state the majority OF the county
conventions OF the republican party
called to choose delegates to the state
convention either pronounced for
Bryan and Sewall, or refused to en-
dorse Mckinley and Hobart"
He refers at length to the attitude
Of the three parties, democratic, pop
ulist and republican. in Idaho. and
states that he is the nominee of the
coalition of the democratic and free
silver republicans for st tie senator
from Shoshone county. "rhi', :"
says Mr.. O'Neil, "is job which l
decidedly do not care for, and &C
cept the nomination and will make
the canvass only as part of my work
and sacrifice for the cause of free
silver. am and have been for
years a personal friend of Fred Du-
bois. but | am particularly devoted
to his cause for the better reason
that his election is the best expires
sion Of devotion to the cause that We
silver republicans can work for.
II *% Even if Mckinley is
elected the McKinleyites would feel
that their victory was not complete
without the destruction of Teller
and Dubois. Thy have no hope Of
elccting a single member of the leg
islature. but they will put up can
didates in every ccunty for the pur
pose of taking away republican votes
from Dubois legislative ticket. In
this state the Mckinley men will
poll about half of the republican
vote. or say 6. 900 in vote of "a 200.
Bryan will certainly carry the
mining states and Washington, Ore
lgan and California. We are so far
away that we cannot, out here, do
any very accurate guessing as to
how the rest of the country is going,
except, Of course, that the far south
is going for Bryan and the east for
mckinley. With the states that are
surely for Bryan, enc would think
that if he shall carry Illinois, with
its "a votes, he will surely be elected.
As well as l can see the situation,
the republicans have failed to arouse
any very great enthusiasm on the
issue OF protection, which is dead
cock in the pit. for the time being,
and which issue the democrats in
their platform have virtually prom
Used to let alone until the money
lquestion is settled. fear, however,
that they are making inroads among
the wage earners, who naturally
would be for Bryan, by the argu-
ment that the working mans pay
will not buy as much bread and
meat under free silver as it does now.
Cochran's speech n Boomerang.
This argument, which is the key
note OF Cochran's speech in New
York City, ought to revert with ter
rlble force against the gold standard
men in the farming districts. hear
the silver men are indeed circulating
that speech amongst the farmers.
and asking them how they like it. 1
have never before felt so much inter-
est in political campaign as l do in
this one. And beg you to believ.
that it is not because own an inter.
est in sill er mine, either. In fact
with free coinage and free Lad nv
product would hardly te worth as
much as it is now. with a tariff on
lead and the gold standard. Aud il
Iyou are surprised to learn that there
are some Mckinley men in the town
Of Wallace. which is supported sole
" by the silVer-lead mines, it is for
that reason. But l firmly believe
that the masses of the country can
come to no prosperity under the gold
standard and hence l can truthfully
say that my devotion 20 the cause OF
free coinage springs from no selfish
feeling. Indeed the tariff which we
have now has no effect to raise OIL
keep up the price of lead. as lead is
selling in London for substantially
the same price at which it is selling
in New York, and " hich is the low.
est price which it ever reached; and
can see the cause OF it in the I'M
painted farm houses which one can
see all over the land; but lots OF men
here cannot see it, and think there is
nothing needed but higher tariff to
bring about prosperity. forgetting
that il men will not and cannot buy
lead paints to paint their houses,
when lead is cheaper than it has ever
been in history. they are not likely to
buy it when higher tariff is more
effective to exclude foreign lead. In
fact. however high you pile your
tariff. so long as the demand is no,
equal to the domestic supply. which