The herald., 1896-09-06
A Miner Oh Irish

Editor Herald: 1 nave peeH Soiu anu
silver miner for thirty-five years, ana
after reading the debate on free coinage
between Congressman Mcguire ana Col.
John P. Irish, cannot help doing little
thinking, as there is some Irish and some
Dutch, "a bad breed I know" in my COM
position.
would like to ask the colonel what
he means when ne says it is not more
money that we want, bat more activity?
Listen, my laboring friend to the ex-
preston of man that processes to be
q friend to the laboring and hungry man.
"All you need Is more activity" A man
that's trying to get job to earn enough
money to get loaf Of bread and piece
of meat for his good wife and hungry
children Is told that all he needs is ac-
tivity to stay their empty stomachs
Will Mr.. Irish tell us what kind of ac-
tivity is necessary after closing our
mines when we were earning $3.50 Il day,
shutting down the mills and smelters
and throwing thousands of men out of
employment and on the charity of such
individuals. And then you are told by
Statesmen" you need more activity"
What kind of activity, Mr.. Irish, do we
need? Where are we to go and what are
we to do? AS we want to be as active as
we can and try and earn enough any
how to pay our poll tax, to help you and
other gold bug officials to live that don't
need to be active. We cannot get any
work. We cannot delve iii the ground
and look for the honest gold dollar, or
get dishonest silver dollar, sell it to
the gold bug for 'G7 cents and then he
will give it back to you for 1907" must
we show some activity" by delving in
the ground. hunt for the gold dollar or
silver dollar pile ore on the dump? That
now will not pay. Must we spend our
money in building mills and smelters for
the privilege of seeing them lie idle and
rot or run them at a loss simply to show
activity" or to have you and all your
kind have it to say: 1.-THE silver mine
owner and smelter is just piling up ore
and bullion to rob the poor laboring man
and give him a 50-cent dollar for his
days pay and is trying to get law
passed to make a 50-cent dollar dollar"
DO you want the farmer or fruit raiser
to show some "actiVity;" borrow some
money, plant crop and then have it rot
on the ground so that the banker or
those that he borrows from will have to
take his home from him and his family?
Do you want the manufacturer to send
out his machinery when there is no
money nor use for it? Do you want the
merchant to send out his goods when
people cannot pay for them? Pray tell
us in the name of all that's just what
you mean by 'activity?"
You ought to know IL you know any
thing, that every dollar brought to the
surface from the bowels of the earth
ana put IN clrcuIatlOn is an honest DOL
lar until the honesty is taken out of it
through perfidy and dishonest legisla
ton. Is the copper cent dishonest
cent? or is the scent nickel a dishonest
nickel? They surely would be If you
would make a dishonest law to make
them so.
We all agree with you when you say
we need more activity, but let us tell You
how that activity should be brought
about.
Open up the mines to gold and silver,
copper, Nickel iron and everything else,
SO that idle men could get work a living
wages, the manufacturer could sell his
machinery, the farmer could sell his pro-
duce at home. he would not have to send
1t to England; the merchant would have
a market for his wares where now he
hasn't any. Open the mints to the free
coinage of gold and silver, then you
would see good times again.
1t is not necessary to tell a hungry
man the amount of gold mortgages old
Bill Stewart, Mckinley, Cleveland, Irish.
or any of the boys have on record. Put
a little activity in practice. Take q little
Of the gold you have rusting and open
up some of the idle silver mines. Start
up some Of the silver mills and smeters
thousands of idle men to work. or give
them a chance to earn even a 50-cent
dollar. Don't sit around telling strangers
what thief the silver miner is, but get
up early in the morning shouting for
Bryan and Sewall and you will show
some activity" and your children will
be forever blessed. More anon. Yours,
JAS. w. HAAS.
Mineral Park, Mohave Co., Ariz., Aug 2S,