River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-10-15

the sources where the encouraging in
formation comes now, their country
correspondents, they learned it was all
too true that the little disk of white
metal had become a political fetch.
Naturally, these same bankers have
been keeping their eyes on the silver
movement ever since. The transaction
of business between the city and the
country bankers has been carried on to
the accompaniment of questions and an
swers relating to politics. Such inter
course was perfectly free and honest,
because the parties 10 1t were all on the
same side of the question, the side of
sound money.
The reports from the country, which
were somewhat dispiriting in June and
July and through part of August, began
TO take an encouraging step before the
first of September. Since then the hue
of encouragement has decpened day by
day until it has become almost rosy.
This process of sounding the senti-
ment of the west through the country
banker has been exceedingly simple and
therefore reliable in results. Every
country banker has intimate business
relations with the farmers at this sea-
son of the year, and the farmers are
supposed to be the most yociferous sill
yer men. The country banker is also
intimately associated with all others
who are close to the farmer, the stock
buyer, the grain buyer, the horse
trader and the stoTekeeper. He has
every facility for getting at the real
sentiment of the voters who might, for
fun, if for no other reason. deceive the
regular political canvasser. After
sounding the voters all through the
Mississippi valley in this way, the coun-
try banker says there is no doubt of
the subsistence of the silver wave.
Plausible suggestion set ii in motion
and monetary enthusiasm has been the
propelling force. Cool deliberation and
logic have acted on ii as oil would on
wind-troubled lake.
The silver movement has had many of
the characteristics of prairie fire after
a period of drought. In the beginning
it was spark. The spark made little
blaze. Wind did the rest. The dead,
dry stubble of thrashed-out and for
gotten theories fell in the way of the
cred force as il Travelled before the
wind.
An occasional substantial structure
was burned up, and once in awhile hui
man being was smothered. But the
duration of such fire is always short.
When IL gets down to the ground and
strikes rock-bottom facts it dies out.
That is what seems to have happened
to the free silver conhagration. which
was going to burn up the nation. Here
and there dead cottonwood, remaining
standing beyond its time. is smoldering
and smoking, but these are merely signs
of what has taken place. The track of
the fire is black. but all that is on the
surface. The ground has simply been
cleared Of lot of useless matter. and
the ashes are a good fertilizer. which
will increase productiveness.
The information received by Chicago
bankers from the country tells that llli-
nois. Indiana and Wisconsin have been
merely scorchcd. Iowa suffered little
more. but recovered speedily. Out be-
yond the Missouri river there is smok-
ing remnant, but il is not dangerous.
This information is all the more be-
lieyable because il is not accompanied
bv any beating of drums. The country
bankers InereIy tell what they know.
as quietly as they would in ordinary
conversation. Chicago bankers. who
never have learned how TO make en-
thusiasn-arousing stump speeches. sim
ply state the facts as they receive them.
Chicago Times-Herald.