The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-06

tered it, ia the Fifty second congress.
The silver orators had generally made
the almost fatal concession that wages
had risen despite the great decline in
commodities, accepting the conclusion
of the Aldrich report, but Judge Bailey
fatty contradicted that and brought fig
ures from the agricultural regions prov
ing to the satisfaction of his side of the
house that wages have really declined at
least 20 per cent. And right here comes
in the most singular feature of this in
Quiry. The outgo Of silver speeches is at
least 10 times as great as that of gold,
and think it will be 20 times as great
by the close of the session. As might be
expected, the reasons given vary greatly.
Mr.. Dingley says that in his section
people no more think of debating this
issue than the law of gravitation or the
Copernican system of astronomy. Their
minds are at ease thereon, and they care
nothing about the Literature of the sub
ject. could but smile when I saw in
The Record that less than 5000 of Mr..
Dingley's speeches had SO far been call
ed for.
The other fellows say that the party
that is fighting up hill always has to
circulate more literature, and one mem
DOE asset 70 e4Ac1L Ill tAO JO0A lou tA0 4AO-
publicans in Illinois circulated 30 times
as many papers and documents as did
the Democrats Furthermore, says Mr.
KEN of Nebraska, people in the states
from which the silver members come
are all investigating the subject, while
in the gold states ''they effect to treat
it with silent contemplate arrogant
contempt which comes of ignorance. -
The circulation of speeches made by the
Populist members, however, is not much
of an indication, for the committees Of
ten shove them by the tens Of thou
sands Senator Tillman, who is now
counted here as Populist, started by
ordering 80, 0O0 copies of his speech
printed, and they went off as fast as his
clerks could mail them. The circula-
tion will at least double that, and prob
ably reach 100, 600. He has received
nearly 5000 letters, of which not quite
100 condemn his speech, while many
praise it in such extravagant terms as
to create suspicion Of delirium. The
worst joke in the business was played
on Populist KEN. By mistake in the
printing Office his name was put over a
perfectly rantankerous goldbug speech
by Hon. Winfield s. Kerr of Ohio.
Decline In Values.
Senator Warren has also furnished q
textbook for his party, his speech on
the decline in values of live stock being
as ingenious a compilation of figures as
ever saw. If the reader will only con-
cede that concomitant proves causation,
as the professors say, then the senator
has proved that live stock appreciated
just as Repu blican prospects rose, and
vice versa, and that the election Of
Cleveland cost the owners 5000, 900. 900
at single sweep. Senator Wolcott is
not in so popular current. His speech
is widely read, and there are many
words Of praise, but the trouble is that
the approval comes mostly from the east
and northeast If Wall street and Yale
college and the Pennsylvania Quakers
could vote in Colorado, it would be
more to the purpose. It is said that the
senator does not like to talk about it,
but I fancy he is on that as on most
other topics, for when I have tried to
interview him he always fell to talking
about the wonderful greatness and des-
tiny of Colorado, setting forth how the
plains we once pronounced worthless
are wonderfully fertile, how the min
eral wealth is so times as great as the
Pixies Peakers of 1859 ever imagined,
how it is the Switzerland of America
and likewise the France, the Italy and
the Greece, and fnaIly-and this il
something you always hear in Colorado
how it was settled by the most intel
ligent set of people Of any new common
wealth in history. scholars who went
there for their health, and that this will
give the state superiority for ages to
come. l hope so, but just the same it
appears that many of these scholars
don't like his praise of Great Britain.
Another curious fact, but easily ac-
counted for, is that the demand for
| speeches bears no sort Of relation to the
prominence of the speaker. The able and
thoroughly studied addresses of Hon.
Nelson Dingley are read by but few,