Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-10-06
LAMENTATIONS.

Finding Governor OfefIaii "''P''r
the bedside OF reduced pubhc-scho'i
fund and jeered by the "disorderiy eie-
mont" The Times mingles It's tears win
his The Times does not like Governor
o,FerraIl: IL holds him TO be fraudu-
lon, Governor. nominated By fraud ana
elected by fraud. He vas not welcome
addition to its select circle of moral bo'-
ere and when he entered. instead OF 'hs
glad hand" IL merely extended 10 MN
the cold tips OF two clammy lights. III
cannot he cordial with him. for from its
high moral plane It looks down on sucn
a person. and when the Governor enters
the small and select circle OF boilers 'he
moral nose OF the Times Tits as II IL
had caught a faint aroma OF Smitherss
Precinct in his wearing apparel. me
Times cannot like Governor oferran'
but at the bedside of reduced schooi
fund one must not be over-partcuiar
about whom one weeps with.
This pathetic scene Of the mingled tears
Of the Great Teacher of Political Moral
ity and one whom IL regards as the re-
turned Prodigal from Smitherss Pre-
cinct has been disturbed I'm an unseemy
way. A fearful din has invaded the SICK
chamber and drowned out the gentle
gnufl,ing of the Times and its Prodigal
and even stilled the jeers OF the dis
orderly 1ent." 1t is the baleful bel
lowing Of the Campaign. the Republican
official organ here. This roaring Dun
Of Bashan plunges into the sick-room
with such impetuosity, and clasps the
patient 10 its breast with such violence
OF anguish, that It scatters the straw
and dIscloses the fact that the dying
patient Is a stuffed figure, for use in the
campaign. il has discovered that IL tarin
produce rises a. a result OF free coinage
the public school fund will have TO be
reduced. As the State does not furnish
either the teachers or the scholars with
any sort Of farm produce. except probably,
a few birch switches IT IS impossible 10
see where the increased prosperity OF
The farmer would straiten the school
fund. the burden of which his pocket has
to bear.
the Governor, the Times. and the Cam
paign over a reduced school fund are
simply campaign wind blowing over
straw-stuffed figure prepared especially
for this campaign. and intended TO d.
vert the people from the real issue. That
issue is. that il the gold standard Is 10
be continued-and that is what the Re-
publicans and bolters promise-the prices
of farm products will continue to fall
the value of the farms, which Is
the basis OF taxation. viii be destroyed.
and there will be no revenue to the Stale
with which to keep up the school fund,
support the asylums. take care Of the old
soldiers. or meet the interest on the pub
lie debt. For this fall in prices is con-
tinuous, and this is shown by the fact
that while in Virginia alone the prices
of wheat. corn. and oats fell from SSi.000,-
900 in 1873 to sISOO0,Ooo in 1896, just 5000
900 of that decrease occurred between 1880
and 1896. There Is no bottom to be reach
ed I'm this depression. If it was In the
interest of Sound money" that a gold
dollar should buy two bushels OF wheat
az 80 cents a bushel. there is no reason
why money should not be made still more
Sound" by approaching the gold dollar
so that it would buy four bushels OF
wheat at % cents a bushel And that
that is the intent of the gold people IS
plainly shown by the fact that they pro-
pose. If they get in power, to retire the
Ss46 10000 OF greenbacks. twenty-five
cent wheat may appear incredible; but
not more so than 50-oent wheat would
have appeared twenty years ago II you
had been told It was coming.
The people OF Virginia want no advice
from the men whose financial theories
have brought them to their present dire
strait We published Sunday, and it can
not be published too often. tabular
statement Of the annual loss Of the Vir-
ginia farmers by the financial policy ad-
vocated by Governor O'Ferrall, the Times,
and the Campaign. Here IS the table;
the crops have beer ascertained from the
census Of 1880. and the price estimate
is based on the quotations ruling in the
Richmond markets in 1913 and 1896