The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-09-12
THE WHITE METAL
Gets q Great Boost from Senator Potti-
grew and Col. Drake-A Monster
Meeting and Great Enthusiasm.

free silver, too, last evening at the Pet
tigrew rally in the opera house. An
immense audience greeted the senator
and the frequent and hearty applause
which continued throughout the entire
address even though it lasted until
twenty minutes OF midnight, showed
that he carried his hearers IN hearty &C.
cord. Few left the house during the en-.
tire evening and all seemed to drink
deeply at the political fount. 1t was a
great speech" as the chairman said and
worth going many miles to hear whether
a man loves the senator or not.
A happy prelude to the senator's ad'
dress was the song by the 1.-TWO Graces"
and Col. James ii. Brakes talk from a
business mans standpoint. Mr.. Drake
has been a large operator in Chicago
Minneapolis and New York, and has also
travelled extensively in Europe. He has
watched the operations Of trade and
finance as he was obliged to do with a
keen scrutinizing insight and when he
gives his experience it is the facts Of
every day business life in those larger
operations which make up the destinies
Of the country. How the political lead
ers juggle with the fortunes OF the peo-
pie, he finely illustrated by the double
roles played by even such great men as
Harrison in his New York speech, Sher-
man in his financial practices and many
others in the manipulations Of leglsla-
ton. The growth OF the nations on a
silver basis and Their corruption and de.
cay when they reached a gold standard
were finally pictured out and by the aid
OF charts he showed the statistics OF gold
and silver production in the world and
in the United States from time
to time and how the Rothschilds'
lnfiu enced nations to demonetize
the cheap and give them pow
er to corner the dear money OF the
world. In all legislation OF recent
years he aptly showed how the great
agricultural interests OF this and other
countries had been left,out Of coLsidera.
tion.
Senator Pettlgrew in opening states
that he did not appear to apologize for
supporting VIM. j. Bryan. He stood
now where he has stood for seven years
past and where he will stand for years to
come, but he could not c~onscientiously
support either the national or state re-
publican tickets controlled as they were
by minions Of corporations in the inter
ests of a plutocracy. The financial issue
at present was the great issue. Since
'73 gold has doubled in value, therefore
bimetallists insist on the free coinage of
silver at a ratio OF l6 to l Of gold be-
cBuse in all ages the ratio between the
two metals has been fixed by their rela-
tive quantities, not commercial values
and those relative Quantities in the
world to-day are l6 pounds Of silver to l
OF gold. The cry that silver had dlsap-
peared before '13 was all folly. 1t was
u~ndervalued here in 1884 and France
purchased our bullion and coined it all
at 1917 to /. 1t went into money and
helped keep up the worlds supply OF
money just the same. Then the senator
by the aid Of charts illustrated at much
length and detail but very plainly and
strikingly the fall of prices OF commod-
49, --l ,,lr1. ly oo1Dr ~v0II
appreciation, as stated in THE DAILY
LEADERS editorial yesterday, taking
wheat, cotton and silver as particular
instances and the average OF 100 com
modities, oased on Sauerbeck's tables al
a general instance. These products
showed a decline of 80 per cent since II
and yet silver here and in Other
countries would purchase as much in
commodities as it would twenty Ave
years ago. Gold alone had appreciated
He also referred to the fact that from
1849 to 1872, by the great increase o.
gold production and the consequent in
crease of money prices had risen q
per cent in this country and 4;
per cent in England, and yet this wa
during the era of greatest Improvement
Of methods of production, which dis
proved the claim OF the gold advocates
that decreased prices after '73 were du,
to greater facilities and lessened cost o
production. Over-production was alst
secuted as an argument for falling
prices. Men will not produce more thar
they desire, for when the desire fails
production ceases. The goldite argu
ment that free silver will reduce US t
the level Of Mexico was thoroughly ridi
culed and exploded by comparison o
conditions in gold standard countries
Turkey, Italy, Spain, and even Epgland
Bismarck's criticism Of the effects O
gold standard on Germany was finel,
drawn.
The senator then turned his attentio
to the question Of tariff showing no,
small q figure It out in the momAntou
Issues Of the country's welfare. Wit