The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-02-02
SENATOR Villas AND THE WEST.

tried TO brighten their children into
obedience by lurid stories Of hobgob-
Inns. spooks and ogres. It was not a
good thing even for simple minded
folk to do: it is generally condemned
now. and happily it is a practice from
which even the most ignorant
are drifting away. It is there
fore all the more surprising to
find in these hard and scientific times
a grave and reverend senator standing
in the senate chamber of the United
States Congress and in the course of
an argument on the financial policy of
our government resort to the ogre and
hobgoblin methods Of persuasion en-
ployed in the olden times by the afore-
said simple folk to enforce obedience
Yet that is what Senator Villas, Of Wis
consin, did on Friday in the course of
the three hour speech he made against
silver. He divided the advocates Of
silver into three classes; those who are
interested in silver mining; those who
are heavy debtors; those who believe in
the principle of bi-metallism. To the
latter he proposed to address his re-
marks. but he halted long enough to
pay his respects to the other classes.
Of the second class he said they might
deserve sympathy if they did not
shock it." remark at once f1ipant and
unworthy of both the subject and
senator. The third class was honest
but mistaken. Perhaps the senator
from Wisconsin pittied these good peo-
pie. it is quite evident that he looked
upon them as very nipple minded for
he at once proceeds in his remarkable
effort to bring forward his first class
Of silver advocat es-the mine owners
as the very COLLINS of the financial
tale he tells to fright their fearful
souls. The mine owners are largely
responsible for the silver agitation.
The mine owners make large profits
on q comparatively small outlay. The
mine owners employ the keenest and
best trained intelects to fight the bat
tie for silver The mine owners seek
to secure the best price for silver. He
represented the people Of the Rocky
mountains as subservient to the mine
owners, then added: '"The veriest
despot of story, the Grand Khan of
Tartary. the great mogul, never had
more submissive subjects than the
Silver King Of the Rockies; nor was
ever tyrant more piteously exacting.
No independence of thought or speech
is tolerated there. No party, no creed,
no business can thrive which dares to
doubt in the realms of that monarch,
the law of finance as it is in silver.
The business men find it prudent to
say nothing, and as for the politician
who dares to fiaunt his independence
woe be to him.
Ogres. veritably, these mine ownersl
Why, one would be left to think from
this speech of the Wisconsin senator
that in the west there were but two
classes-masters and slaves-mine
owners and their serfs! That American
government had abdicated and an
oligarchy had taken its place in which
mine owners were the ruling class and
owned the people body and soul.
Senator Villas is either utterly IN
acquainted with conditions in the west.
with the people and their spirit, or else
he willfully misrepresents conditions in
order to frighten honest bi-metallists
from their allegiance to the silver
cause. If it is ignorance that leads
him to utter such nonsense in the
senate, it is utterly in-excusable in a
man occupying his position. IL
IT is willful Misrepresentation to
work upon the fears or preju-
dices Of the people in order to
gain an advantage in the controversy
now on in the senate and before the
country, his utterances are still more
to be dispised. Let Mr.. Villas take
which HON Of the dilema he will. it is
still bad for Mr.. Villas No such con-
ditions exist in the Rocky mountain
states as those described by the Wis
consin senator. and he only makes
himself contemplate to the people Of
those states by such remarks.
If this is the kind of argument the
single gold standard people are going
to rest their case upon the battle for
bi-metallism is won as soon as it can
become known to the people of the
east, and placed side by side with
the reasons that demand the restora-
ton Of silver to free and unlimited
coinage.
Senator Villas is either inexcusable
ignorant of the Rocky mountain West,
or he is guilty of wilfully misrepre-
senting its people, and the conditions
prevailing among them.