Semi=weekly graphic., 1896-05-20
q FREE SLY AND PEA
VINES"

ing the greatest needs of the State
with reporter for the Populist
Gazette, delivered himself of his long
"pent up utica, as follows:
Free silver and pea vines. One
will make the people rich, the Other
will make the ground rich. For one
we must depend on Congress. For
the other we must need depend only |
upon ourselves. One will double |
the market value, the other will
double the intrinsic value OF our
property. Free silver will enable
Us to pay our debts at SO cents on
the dollar instead of settling them
for nothing by bankruptcy, as Con-
gress is now proposing to give us
an opportunity to do. The bank
ruptcy method is humiliating The
value of the pea-vine is discovery
of the last few years, butt promises
more for Arkansas than anything
that has been developed since Whit
neys invention of the cotton gin.
In the track of free silver will follow
cotton factories, good roads, school
houses and other Accomplishments OF
civilization and prosperity"
The above interview is refreshing
and startling in its originality. Pea
vines have never before been con.
sidered a very great element OF
wealth. Free silver the Judge
informs US, will make the people
rich, while @pea-vines will make
the ground rich. With free silver
and pea vines our wealth and hap
piness will be complete. ''Free sill
yer will make the people rich, says
Judge Mccain. We can very readi-
| ~ understand how free silver will
make the mine owners and silver
bullionaires rich, but we don't un-
derstand how it can make the people
rich The free coinage of silver
means that the owners of silver bull
lion can take their bullion to the
minis of the United States and have
fifty cents worth of silver bullion
coined, into a silver dollar, but we
don't understand how that is going
to materially help those who have
no silver bullion to coin. After the
silver mine owner has had his silver
coined how are the people going to
get the silver dollars thus coined
except they give something in ex-
change for it? How is the farmer,
mechanic or laborer going to get
any of these silver dollars thus
coined unless he gives a dollars
worth of products or labor for it.
After these silver bullionaires have
had fifty cents worth of bullion
coined into a silver dollar, are they
going to gratuitously give away
these silver dollars thus coined for
nothing? If not, how are the peo-
pie who have no silver bullion to be
benefited? How are the people to
be made rich?
The Judge also says: Gree sill |
yer will enable us to pay our debts
at so cents on the dollar. We de-
sire to call the attention of those
who have so persistently maintained |
that the free coinage Of silver would
bring silver to a parity with gold to
this declaration. 1t is apparent that
Judge Mccain does not think So If
it did, it would not ENABLE US to pay
our debts at so cents ON the dollar.
And then, is the Judge in favor of
reputation? Is he in favor of repu-
dating one-half of our Indebtedness,
public and private, thereby defraud-
ing our creditors of one-half of their
just dues. Judge Mccain, we be-
lieve, is a Christian gentleman and
stands high in the councils of the
1t has never been consid-
cred honorable, under the old dis
pensation, to repudiate an honest
debt. Then, how does the Judge
his reputation ideas with
honesty?
In this brief interview the Judge
has disclosed the whole silverite
1t is to debase the curren-
cy and repudiate one-half of the {
public and private Indebtedness. 1t
IS apparent that the Judge does not !
hope under free coinage to bring
silver to parity with gold, else Il !, .
would be impossible to pay our i
1ebts with 30 cents on the dollar. i
And this is just what the opponents 8
If free silver coinage, at Is to ],
nave persistently maintained. Out 7
If their own mouths have they been
and thus are the argu-
nents of the sound money men g
n regard to parity vindicated.