Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-08-20
OLD DOMINION FOR SILVER.
Elder James Bradley Has Several In
terviews While En- Route
to Virginia.

Mt. STERLING, VA, Aug. l0.-l left
home the evening of the 5th for FAIR
fax County, Va, with the expectation
of visiting several other localities be-
fore / return to Missouri. T find here,
as at home, the finance question alb
serbs all others. I took some pains
as I came along to find out the feeling
of the people. may have been able
to form n correct conclusion or l may
not, but 1 rather conclude that my
opinion is about the feeling of people
generally.
The first man l struck was one from
Chicago. He seemed to be
alive and said he thought that the
condition of the country was brought
about by a combination of circum-
stances and that the restoration of
silver will not afford the relief that
silver men imagine; yet it would, to
the extent it had affected the condi-
ton of things, afford relief. Upon the
other hand he did not think it would
be the detriment to the capitalist hat
he imagined it would. Withal he ad-
vocated the necessity of the free coin
age of silver. He said that the gold
standard men need not use the threat
that free silver would drive gold out
of circulation; that gold and green
backs were out of circulation now;
that the banks had boarded the gold
and was now putting it into the Treas
ury and taking out greenbacks, which
was, under the present administra-
ton, equivalent to gold, and was
boarding the greenback, ready, as
soon as the election is over, to give
them back to the Treasury in ex-
change for gold. He said silver and
| silver certificates with bank notes
was doing the business of the country;
that the circulation of bank notes was
at the option of the banks, and that
there was really no currency upon
which people could depend to do the
business of the country but silver or
it's equivalent. Under this very con-
| dition of things the country must
have more silver or business must be
diminished continually as the circu-
lating medium decreases until we have
perfect stagnation.
asked him if he thought free silver
would win. He said he had Travelled
over the country and the people were
aroused as never before, and he die
not think the most lavish expenditure
of money possible could turn the tide
against free silver. He said the peo-
pie have taken this thing into theil
own hands; that men who had been
great leaders heretofore would have
to get out of the way or be run over
The subsidized newspaper had lost iti
power; the people were doing theil
own thinking and would do their owl
voting; they might take Mark Hanna'i
money but they will vote as they
please.
My next man to be interviewed was
at a town about the middle of OHIO
| l. ~ jill " SOuPAO Va hSeAS
While 1 was sitting in the depot ar
elderly looking gentleman came in
and as he looked like a man of con-
| siderable Information 1 approached
him and after some words of introduc'
| ton / asked him how the sentiments
| of the people of Ohio were on the
finance question. He did not seem te
want to be interviewed, turned arount
nervously, and after some hesitancJ
said sentiment was considerably di'
vided in that State. l said: "Yor
think Mckinley will carry the Slater
"Well, yes," he said, "I rather think
so, but he will have a hard fight
But" he added, ''you will find the
gold standard sentiment stronger
East" He gave every reason that ht
was a gold standard man without say
ing SO. I found everywhere that the
silver men were confident and cheer
full. Upon the other hand gold stand
ard men were grim, sulky and de
spondent.
l landed at Farkersburg, w. Va.
had about an hour to stop over. 1 saw
a young man leaning up against the
side of a door tanning himself and
stepped up to him and said: "This il
West Virginia, is it?" eyes," he says
"this is West Virginia"
elbow are people on the financia
question in this Slater" "All for fire.,
silver" he said, "exeept a few gols
bugs now and then. and some ignoran
negroes" "But," he said, 1--WE viii
get the negroes all right, for silver j
all we have to pay them with ant
when they understand that They'll
vote all right. Yes, sir" he said, en-
Enthusiastically, "West Virginia is TO
free silver, you may be sure of that.
But here in Old Virginia there is al
utmost assurance of the State golni
for free silver AZ, 900 majority. l havI
been staying in a neighborhood O
former Republicans, that I hav'
known to be such, and they are all TO
Bryan and Sewall. 1t is a general
spontaneous uprising of the people.
feel ashamed to tell the relations O
that little band that met in that littl
room in Mexico and made that littl
address to the people of Audrain, and
yet, imagined they were so many
of how the once noble IONS of Virgins
had departed from the faith. oh, nc
my Mexico Virginia patriots, dom
talk of the host being with you in tn
the grand Old Dominion. The squa'
may be like yourselves, imagine it j
big, but it's bigness is all imaginary
have talked with all classes of me-
and it is a verdict universal hat unles
it can be checkmated some way, fire.
silver will sweep the country. Take
are 81 high in Ohio and values SO 10y
that something must be done to re
lieve the people. Gold standard wi
not and even Ohio says we must hav
] silver.
l have tried to present things as
find them. / cannot delude my
self like that little squad in Mexico
e "salt of the earth" did themselve.
with the idea that ! can delude every
: h0dv elae And If tells w