Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-02-16
NOT REPRESENTATIVE.
The Free Silver Senators Do Not Speak
 for the People.


 for the 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 senators voting for the bill represented about 30,000,0 ,000 people, while those voting against it represented 41,o0o,0o0. Counting the paired senators as voting and allowing two sound money senators to Delaware, the senate was divided 4s for and 42 against the bill. Thus popular minority numbering 30,060,00e is represented by 4S senators, while popular majority numbering 41,oo0,0oo is represented by only 42 senators. Each cheap money senator represents 625 ,0o0 people, while each sound money senator represents 076,000 people.
 The fact is far worse than this show ing, for most of those who voted for silver monometallism grossly misrepre- sented the intelligence and the in terests of their respective states. Of the 4S affirmative votes, % were cast by southern senators. 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 senators voted for the bill.
 The sentiment of the business public in every one of those states are strong ly opposed to silver monometailism The true interests of the southern peo- pie are all opposed to a 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 and Washington. all of whose senators voted for the 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 adYan- tage from degradation of the stand ard, while every one of them would be | injured.
 The mining camp states have some little excuse for fayoring 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 1 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.
 buI bae HlHiuS StdCeS NOulu po f'oN erltss for harm if the southern states were represented according to their true interests, as are the northern states with the exceptions above noted. If southern states would have the eour- age of their convictions and make a bold stand for sound money as their fathers did we would scon see the last of the cheap money craze.-Chicago Fhronicle