The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-08-30
SILVER
WHAT GOLD DID AND silver
THREATENS.

T., his sneech in Ne,s York thursday
night Mr.. Depew sad, in answer 10 the
stock argument Of the silver men against
gold-staudard men.
Tine gold confidence man. who has
beeu governing this country since the
war. las paid of most OF our national
debt. as more tan doubled the mileage
of our railways and telegraphs, and near
IN doubled tie number OF our states, mas
furnished homes and employment ioi
,0O,1.egJ of people 10 live better imam
3D. 100000 did before. has created me ne"
south. has advanced wages and decreas-
ed the cost of living.
land what has the free coinage OF sill
yer confidence man done simply 10y the
uromise of what he Will do; Let the dis-
tressed farmer and the unemployed mill
ions Of the United States answer al the
balIot-boN. Lack Of confidence mas de-
stroyed the purchasing power OF the couh-
try. the destruction of IT'S purchasing
power has ruined It's market. fhe rum Oh
ms market has left the farmers product
unstable on his hands. What the arm
er wants is not more coinage, but more
customers: what the wage-earner wants
is 10 exchange his labor for the best dol
lar ina tie world and the opportunity
whenever he wants 10 get that dollar
with his labor
That is a statesman's talk. Tn gold
standard has undoubtedly done all for
the country that Mr.. Depew claims for
IT, and the threat OF the silver standard
has brought an the misfortunes and mis-
cry upon it that he mentions. The at
TEMPT 10 overthrow the settled order OF
rnines ina these United States by degrad
ine our money 10 the silver standard of
The silver dollar is the crime Of the age.
Mr.. Depew also showed up the argu-
ment for free silver from the experience
OF Mexico. lie said:
'In a debate which Mr.. Bryan had a
few months before mis- nomination upon
the silver question with Mr.. ~Hiosewater'
The able editor OF the Omaha Bee. Mr..
BRYAN cited the prosperity Of Mexico as
uroof of the benefits Of free coinage
of silver. / asked a railway official of
one Of the Mexican railroads TO send me
the pay-rOll of his company. l received
ID this morning. 1 find that the pay OF
locomotive engineers. nremen, switchmen,
vardmen. conductors. brakemen, and
skilled mechanics IN the shop average
somewhat less than the same service re
ceircs on the New York Central, but that
those employees are paid Invariably in the
Mexican SILVER dollar, which makes their
WAGES one-half the wages on the New
York Central. lie sends me also the
prices Of the articles which these en-
ployces must buy for the support OF them
selves and their families. and l n that
those are higher than they are in the state
of New York. So much for the skilled
labor ON The railroads. But the trackmen
ON the Mexican railroads receive 70 cents
"a day in cities and 30 cents a day along
the line IN the country. AS they are paid
ina Mexican silver that means that they
receive Sc - cents in cities and 10 cents
a day in the country"
II is impossible TO suppose that a man
Of Mr.. Depew's position and character
would make a false statement about a
matter Of fact like this. Even II his
character were not sufficient guarantee
OF the truth OF what he said, 1t would
be an easy matter 70 contradict him about
a matter Of fact OF this sort.
But the evidence is so overwhelming from
many other sources hat the facts are
exactlv what ne states them to be. That
"a ,he case. exactly as It Is.
DO our worklnginen want to see that
state of affairs brought about In the
United states?