Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-05-14

practical Significance to the welfare o
| all classes of citizens. Such is the
magnitude of the question and such
its practical bearing upon the interes
of all men, and we find the whole
| American press ignoring it.
| The Courter-Jour,sat lays down the
following propositions:
| .'First-That the decentralization o.
silver, which has prevailed for some
years up to this writing, both in the
United States and Europe, has had the
| effect of advancing the value Of gold
| about 40 per cent.
..Second-That this has been accom-
plished by depressing the value of al
other property to that extent.
"Third-That about 40 per cent. o1
the property and producing resources
of the people have thus been trans
ferred to comparatively small class
OF men whose stock in trade is gold
investments.
.Fourth-That in the exact proper.
tion as gold has risen the burden ol
debt and taxation has increased; and
that in proportion as property and
labor have declined the capacity of the
people 20 pay their debts and taxes has
diminished.
"Fifth-That the silver discount is
|, creating bonus of more than 80 per
cent in favor of the farm productions
of India aud Asia, which to that ex-
tent cheapens the wheat. cotton and
various other productions of the United
States. a
"Sixth-That these lamentable con-
ditions have been produced by anti
silver legislation.
"Seventh-That they can beundone
and prosperity be restored by pro-sil-
YER legislation.
''Now, here are seven propositions,
either of which, if true, certainly
proves the silver situation is a matter
of intense and universal Importance.
If so. why is not the matter forced
upon public attention day after day by
all the newspapers in the land which
are not owned body and breeches by
the money kings Or the gold conspira-
cy? If they, Or either of them, are
not true, why do they not prove it,
and put the whole question at rest
once and for all? If any newspaper in
New York, or Boston. or Chicago, or
Philadelphia, or st. Louis, or Cincin-
natl, Or New Orleans. can successfully
controvert either of these propositions,
It will render the public valuable SER
vice by doing SO at once. If they can
not controvert either of these PROPOSE
tions. they are obviously conniving at
a gigantic fraud and wrong which can
not possibly co exist with any degree
of prosperity. If any Or all OF these
propositions are true. the honest jour-
nalist.. with the capacity to understand
the principles involved, cannot consis-
tently abstain from giving the greatest
publicity possible.
"Ms challenge the editors of the pa
pers named, and of any others, to
point out single flaw Or error in any
proposition of the seven. and If this
cannot be done, we ask in the name of
the people what interests they are
serving and what consideration, in
kind and amount, they are receiving
in conniving at the inlquity. 1t will
be worth great deal to the country if
those papers will prove all the pro-
positions stated are either true or false,
and the public should not be content
until the public press is awakened to
the sense of its public duties, to its
on public support and to
itszbetrayal or ignoring of its ostensi-
bIH IHoffice-public adviser in chief
Which will the people believe, the
Courier-Jour7sal of 1886, when it repre-
sented the cause of the people, or the
Courier-Joarnal of 1896, the friend of
Wall street?