San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-11-12
THE FARMERS FRIEND.
Free silver Would Help the Farmer by
Reducing the Wages of His Help.

that's come our way since the war. Al
lowing Bryan's elected all right this
year, calc'late I'll be worth nearly
| $4,000 more next year than now.
Farmers Wife-Nonsense, Harve!
don't believe silver's going to make
folks rich. One'll have to work for a
living if Bryan's elected just as hard as
if he isn't.
| FL don't deny but what your heads
level there, Jane. Some folks will have
| to work harder, but it won't be us farm
ers. Wen come out on top with free
silver. That's sure's shooter.
F. W.-What crazy notions in your
head now, anyhow? D'you think farm
ers are smart enough to make laws
that'll take money out of other folks
pockets and put it into theirs?
F.-P'raps not, but they're going to
try it. I s'pose you don't see how free
silver'll help us, but do.
F. WIZ you'll take my advice you'll
not bother yourself to death trying TO
get rich by free silver. I'll warrant it
won't work as you calc'late.
FIJI tell you one way it'll help
me, Jane. You know that if we got
free coinage we will have silver dollars
worth bout 80 cents-same's Mexican
dollars now.
F. WI thought Bryan said that sill
ver'n be worth just as much as gold
when we get free silver.
F.-Yes, that's what he says in the
east, SOS he won't scare the mill hands
and savings banks folks too much. But
he don't talk that way out here, because
he knows that amt what we're after.
We want cheap money, SOS prices of
wheat, corn and pork II be twice as high,
same as in Mexico.
F. W.-Supp's'n' they are? Wouldn't
you have to pay twice as much for
clothes and groceries and everything
else you'd have to buy? If you got
two dollars instead of one dollar, you'd
have to spend two dollars instead of
one dollar. It'd be as broad as it is long.
If that's the way silver's going to make
you rich, you'll never get rich.
F.-But I wouldn't have to spend two
--S~Sa for every dollar 1 spend now.
You Kn>--.-- ~ have at least two hired
men the whole yv--: and three to five
more from April to NovempS-S, besides
the hired girl for most of the year. -
you reckon I'm going to raise their pay
when we get free silver?
F. WI s'pose so. Why shouldn't
you?
F.-Just because 1 wouldn't have to.
P'raps afterayear or so I'd give 'em two
Or three dollars more month, but noth~
ing like double what they're getting
now. I calc'late I'd save between $500
| and $1,000 in wages-not, quite so much
on John and Dave, because they board
with US, and of course the price of some
of the things they eat would go up, but
I'd save bout half on my day hands
who live and board at home. That's
how 1 figger it, and it's 'cording to the
opinion of Gov. Boies and other big
silver people. They say farm wages is
too high for profits and that silver'll
bring 'em down.
F. Wand so that's why you're for
free silver, Harve Grimes; want to cheat
your poor hired hands out of half their
wages, men who now can hardly keep
their families out of the poorhouse! I
thought it was them Wall street shy
locks and goldbugs you're after with
your free silver stick and that you're
trying to square accounts with them
rich fellers, but it seems
F.-Hold up there, Jane! Free sill
ver's going to save US bout 81 900 on
what 1 still owe on that $4,000 mort
gage. Who d'you think'n lose that?
F. WI don't care who'd lose it.
'Tain't right to cheat anybody, but
wouldn't say word so longs it's some
body who could afford to lose it, but
when it comes to cheating your poor
neighbors it's time to put stop to it.
I don't care If you never get that other
farm paid for. I guess we won't starve
on this old farm. I'm going to tell
John and Dave and all the others just
| how free silver will hurt them, and
I'll get them all to vote against Bryan.
! The idea of such farmers as you trying
to elect Bryan to cut down the wages
of your hired menl I'm ashamed of
you, am!
Where Are the Benefits?
II 50-cent silver dollars should double
the prices of farm products, it Is quite
as certain that the prices of all the
products which the farmer consumes
would double in the same way. In that
case it is not easy to see how the farm
er would gain anything by the free
coinage of silver. Even the wages OF
labor, the last to rise in an epoch of de-
preciated currency and inflated prices
would finally, after much distress OF
the workingmen, struggle up to the
common level. ....
But whether the farmer should re-