Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-02-15
MOI REPRESENTATIVE.
Tho Free Silver Senators Do Not Speak
for tho People.


for tho People.
The final vote in the senate on the |
passage of the radical sixteen to one |
free coinage bill was about what was
expected, but it was not representative
Of the opinion of the American people.
much less of the interests of the public.
An analysis shows that the senator's
voting for the bill represented about
'3o,000,O00 people, while those voting
against it represented 41,000,000.
Counting the paired senators as voting
and allowing two sound money senators
ITO Delaware, the senate was divided
45 for and AZ against the bill. Thus
popular minority numbering 30,000,00o
is represented by 4s senator's, while a
popular majority numbering 41,ooo,ooo
Each cheap money senator represents
625,0oo people, while each sound money
senator represents 976,0o0 people.
The fact is far worse than this show
ing, for most of those who voted for
silver monometallism grossly misrepre-
scented the intelligence and the in
terests of their respective states. or
the as affirmative votes, % were cast
by southern senator's. All the senators
from the three old slave states of Mary
land, Delaware and West Virginia are
counted against the bill. The sena-
tors from Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas
and Virginia were divided. All other
southern senator's voted for the bill.
The sentiment of the business public
in every one of those states are strong
ly opposed to silver monometallism.
The true interests of the southern peo-
Pile are all opposed to q lowering of the
monetary standard. They do not pro-
duce an ounce of silver. They produce
for the market cotton, sugar, tobacco
and rice principally, and it is to their
interest to get the best money for these
products, because they must pay the
best money for what they buy. None
but debtors would gain anything by
degrading the standard, and what they
would gain in that way they would lose
twice over in impaired credit.
The same may be said as to Indiana
md Washington, all of whose senators
voted for tine bill, and of North Dakota,
Nebraska, Oregon and Pennsylvania,
each of which was misrepresented by
one senator. Not one of these states
could possibly derive the least advan-
tage from degradation of the stand
ard, while every one of them would be
injured.
The mining camp states have some
little excuse for favoring free coinage
of silver. Most of them produce more
or less silver. But even in their case
the silver interest is of minor impor-
tance. The gold interest is nearly as
important now, and bids fair to be-
more so in the near future, while their
agricultural, numbering, grazing and
other interests are in the aggregate of
far greater Importance. 1t is difficult
indeed to understand how the silver
mine owners themselves would be much
benefited by free coinage otherwise
than by paying their employees in cheap
dollars They would get but little more
for their silver in the long run, and
they would not be able to cheat their
employees for any great length OF
time.
But the mining states would be pow
. -erltss for harm if the southern states
were represented according to their
true interests, as are the northern
states with the exceptions above noted
IL southern states would have the cour'
age of their convictions and make {
bold stand for sound money as theil
fathers did we would soon see the lasr
of the cheap money craze.-Chicago
Chronicle.