The evening times., 1896-09-28
CAMPAIGN -..OUT IN ILLINOIS
ss"f1 - ''sf ---7r-7--TrT-
Business Mans View Of the
Situation There.
STATE SAFE FOR M'KINLEY
His Partner Has Been Associated
With Coy. Altg..ld and This Gentle
man Sees Both Sides-LabOring Men
Do Not Want Il Changc-Farmers
Nothing to Lose.

F. W. Smith, president OF the Idaho
Canal Company, Is in the city on business
with Mr.. Francis, Secretary OF the III
terror.
Mr.. Smith is the partner OF c. W. Spald-
ing, president of the Globe Savings Bank,
of which Gov. Altgeid until recently has
been first wee president. Mr.. Spalding is
one of the rare instances of a Tree silver
bank president. OF him aud of politics,
and OF the workipgman's relation thereto,
Mr. Smith had some interesting things to
say last night at Wizards Hotel.
Mr.. Smith is not an enthusiast. He very
frankly said that while he is believer
in sound money, and is dianetricaliy op-
posed 10 his partners views, he believes
that tie farmers of Illinois are thinking
quite seriously on the silver question, but
for all that the State will be carried for
Mckinley.
FARMERS ARE THINKING.
The farmers, lie sand, are almost without
exception better equipped with financial
arguments on both sides than are the
laboring men. Asked if he thought the free
silver idea h ad made progress, he admitted
that il had, and that the farmers reasoned
II out that although they could not assign
any good reason for free SILVER, yet they
felt that they could not he materially hurt
by the change. They are promised good
ny thts ai' Pfph'iS'u
good times under free coinage, and SO
they believe that they have nothing to
loose by the experiment.
Speaking to him. the farmers say il they
get doubie the price for their products
they expect TO pay double for the pr oducts
of other people. just rs soon as il is
understood that the farmer is getting AN
enhanced value, by reason of free coinage,
for wheat. for instance, the merchant who
sells him the necessarics is going TO mark
up his goods, as is The case i'll Mexico, where
The merchant buys at Il gold standard aud
sells at prices reduced To the currency of
the country.
Mr. Smith was asked what his partner.
the free silver banker, thought about the
Question.
''oh, well he replied, 'Mr Spaldng
reasons ii out that If there is free coinage
aui The silver dollar is made an Unlimited
legal tender the solution Will be that he
viii be obliged. or will voluntary receive
silver i'll payment of mortgage debts. for
instance. but he will also pay the dcpositor
in the dollar that has been made legal
tender
..-- ALL THIS WRONG.
Mr.. Smith believes that all this is wrong
and that ii will not be question of
sentiment wit n at least one class Of
producers, the labnring man. He is the
one man who has no guarantees either
in theory or in fact. said Mr.. Smith. He
knows nothing whatever about the future
condition or his wages and the natural
disposition of that class is to let II alters
alone. Some of them possibly believe
that flood of silver money will enable
the agricultural classes to dispose of an
increased volume Of their products at
higher tate and he also knows that the
merchant will raise his prices TO eQualiZe
conditions.
What naturally puzzles him is what is his
employer going to do about it. Will the
employer say that as wheat is getting
double its price. and the articles of use
in domestic economy have gone up, he
will double the wages Of his workingmen?
T he laboring nan will probably ask
himself: why should my employer double
my wages If a silver dollar is equal by
law TO a gold dollar and what has he,
the employer, 10 do with the enhanced,
or fictitious value, if you please. of farm
products and TIE things generally which
are sold in the stores?''
Il believe said Mr.. Smith, that the
impression is general, certainly in Chicago,
that wbomevcr free coinage Will help il
will not be the workingn'en; and that this
is the basis of the general political opin-
ion OF late days that Chicago will give a
large majority for Mckinley. Logically it
should he So in all the industrial centers
The argument from the condition of the
laboriug man in Mexico and all free coin
age countries is Il stronger one than any
that can be brought to bear by leaders who
endeavor to enlist the vote of the working
man for the other side"
Mr.. Smith had some good words to say
about Altgeld. He has, he said, been
cariCatured and abused, but he is not
an anarchist, but on the whole very.
good sort of Il fellow, Il gentleman. shrewd
and well educated. All the efforts of the
politicians to entangle him in shady trans
actions have failed. He does not believe
however, that he will he strong enough TO
carry the election for Bryan in Illinois.