The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1896-08-13
TEN YEARS AGO.
What Henri and His G. j. Said About the
Currency Question.

watching the meteoric career of Hon.
Henri Watterson, the "Illustrious Ken
tuckian," has noticed some radical pc
culiarities cropping out of his genius
in odd places. To pass over his treat
ment of that eminent journalist and
great man; Geo. D. Prentice, who
made the Courier-Journal paper and
gave Watterspn chance in the world,
and to eoane down to some of the oddi-
ties of a more recent date, a contribu-
tor to the Times Democrat furnishes
the following extract from an editorial
written by'Mr. Watterson before he got
able to spend his summers in Europe
and to hob!knob with the hig-wigs and
gold bugs, and to hire another fellow to
think for him during the heated term.
The editorial in question was printed
in the Courier-J Journal, Angst 10, 1885,
Which will the people believe, the
Courier ouenal of 1886, when it repre-
scented the cause of the people, or the
Courier-J ournal of 1896, the friend of
Wall street?
The editorial follows:
"The Courier-J Journal has been de-
voting large amount of space, week
after week, to the discussion of the sill
yer situation in its relations to the in
terest of the United States. Most of
the newspapers of the United States
have taken but little notice of the mat
ter many do not refer to it at all, and
no other daily newspaper except the
Courier-J ournal in any part of the
union is treating it with any degree of
that earnestness and persistence which
should imply that it is recognized by
leading minds as question of infinite
moment, and of immediate and intense
practical significance to the welfare OF
all classes of citizens. Such is the mag
nitude of the question, and such its
practical bearing upon the interest OF
all men, and we find the whole Ameri-
can press ignoring it,
'The Courier Journal lays down the
following propositions
81. That the demonstration of sill.
yer. 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 AZ
per cent.
"2. That this has been accomplished
by depressing the value of all othel
property to that extent.
''3. That about 40 per cent of thu
property and producing resources O.
the people have been thus transferred
to a comparatively small class of men
whose stock in trade is gold investments
"a That in exact proportion as gol(
has risen, the burden of the debt ant
taxation has increased and that in pro
portion as property and labor have de
clined, the capacity of the people t.
pay their debt and taxes has diminished
SO. That the silver discount is Great
ing bonus of more than 80 per cent
in favor of the farm pr oductions of In
dia and Asia, which to that exten
cheapens the wheat, cotton and variou
other productions of the United States
"6. That these lamentable condition
have been produced by anti-silver leg
islation.
90. That they can be undone an,
prosperity be restored by pro-silye
legislation.
"Now, here are seven propositions
either of which, if true, certainly prove
the silver situation is matter of in
tense and universal importance. If SO
why is not the matter forced upol
public attention day after day by al
the newspapers in the land which ar
not owned body and breeches by tn
money kings or the gold conspiracy
If they, or either of them are not true
why do they not prove it, and put tn
whole question at rest once and for all
If any newspapers in New York, o
Boston, or Chicago, or Philadelphia, o
st. Louis, Cincinnati or New Orlean
can successfully controvert either 0
these propositions, it will render tn
public valuable service by doing SO a
once. If they can not controvert eithe
OF these propositions, they are obvious
ly conniving at gigantic fraud AM
: wrong which can not possibly co-exis
with any degree Of prosperity. If an.
or all Of these propositions are true, tn
honest journalist, with the capacity t.
understand the principles involved, ca
not consistently abstain from givini
the greatest publicity possible.
"We challenge the editors of the pa
pers named, and of any others, to poin
out single flaw Or error in any propo
sition of the seven, and if this can no
be done, weask in the name of the pee
pie what interests they are serving an
what consideration. in kind and mount
they are receiving in conniving at tn
iniquity. It will be worth great dea
to the country if those papers will prov
all the propositions stated are eithe
true or false, and the public should b
content until the public press is awak
: ened to the sense of its public duties