People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-07-10
BLAND MAKES THE ISSUE CLEAR.
The Democratic Silver Leader with Six States at His Back
Gives a Remarkable Interview to The World
POSITION OF THE SILVER MEN STATED.

OOAAOOA Quiz ~ OOAlFOASAO ~~A'N
struggle of the West and South
against the East is founded upon a
mistaken idea of the free silver
cause" said Mr.. Bland. "The COM
ing fight at the polls is to be between
the productive masses of the United
States and what might be called the
fund owning classes.
"The toilers of the East are just as
deeply concerned as the toilers of the
West and South. 1t is no more in
the interest of the men in the East-
ern factories to have the agricultural
laborers of the nation beaten to the
earth by ruinous and cruel financial
policy than it is In the interest of the
farmers to have their fellow-workers
in the factories reduced to starva.
ton.
"The workers of the country have
a common cause now. I do not be-
lieve they can be divided on geo.
graphical lines"
NOT AFRAID or TIE EAST.
"But surely" l said, "you have no
hope that New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut, Delaware or Maryland
will remain in the Democratic column
if free silver platform is adopted at
Chioago?'
81 see no reason to believe that
they will not support the Democratic
ticket" SAID Mr.. Bland. "Tne silver
sentiment is already growing very
strong in these States, in spite of the
fact that nearly the whole Eastern
press is holding up the gold standard
as their only salvation.
"The mss'es of the people every
where in this country are thinkers,
and they are quick to recognize an
issue which promises real relief from
such burdens as they have to bear.
The free coinage of silver at ratio
of 16 to l ought to be, and l believe
will be, just as popular among the
working men of New York City as it
is among those of the rest of the
country.
"The contest is between those who
produce wealth by actual labor and
those who acquire it by the force of
bond or money ownership"
"But," l suggested, "She silver pro-
gramme has been put forward largely
as question between the debtor
Glasses and the creditor clas ses."
"To my mind" replied Mr.. Bland,
"the debtor and creditor element in
the free silver controversy do not
constitute the factor of greatest i'm
portance. They are important, but
not most important.
No MARKET FOR MONEY.
"Today large part of the money
of the country is in certain sense
boarded in New York and other
great cities, because the owners can
not proftably inves it in productive
industries. The prices of the pro-
ducts of toll have fallen. Millions of
men are out of work. The farmers
of America cannot get as much for
their crops or their stock as it costs
to grow them.
81 know that is the fact on my own
farm. Go anywhere you please and
you will find the same conditions.
Prices are low because the purchas-
ing power of gold has increased
Multiply the energies of the country
as you will and you simply add to
the wealth of the capitalists.
"The remedy is free silver, With
abundance of money prices will rise;
capital will seek investment in the
soil and in factories; every man who
wants to work will be employed, and
in the competitor between employers
for employees wages will rise.
"This is as true in Ne York as it
is out here in the Ozark country, or
in California, Florida or Ohio"
NO DANGER OF A PANIC.
81 understand your proposition, Mr.
Bland" l answered, but how will
you prevent great panic which will
overwhelm the nation, if one-half
the value of our silver money is sud
denly stricken down in the markets
of the world3 We may call fifty
cents dollar in the United States
but our national fiat ceases to hav,'
any authority when it passes beyond
IL a.