The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-10-01

the value of the metal in the coin. This is
true of our gold coins, and Ii would be
true with unlimited coinage of silver on
| private account. The first effect would be
to enhance the value of the silver tenn
porarily, and then ii would fall faster and
farther than ever before. a dollar would
have the purchasing power of 80 cents.
Would that be a good thing for the farmer?
| When you talk Of taxes remaining the same,
l reply that nine-tenths of all your taxes
are ~self-imposed. II they are too high, you
have the power to lower them.
'If you received twice as many dollars
for your products and paid twice as many
for what you buy how would you be bene-
flied? As a matter of fact you would not
receive twice as many doiiaIs. and what
you buy would cost you more than twice as
| much. Your dollar would not only be a
cheap dollar, but it would be a fluctuating
dollar. Your price Is made II Liverpool,
, and to the fixed charges of to-day must be
added under free silver another charge TO
insure every man who handles your product
against loss from the fluctuations of the dol
lar. So on all you buy you will have to pay
a premium of insurance to the manufacture
er, to the wholesaler and to the retailer.
So you will not receive twice as much for
what you sell, and you will pay more than
twice as much for what you buy.
"This is not a question between gold and
bimetallism. 1t Is a question OF gold and
silver on the one side aud silver alone on
the other. The coinage OF gold on private
account and Of silver on government ac-
count is the only scheme devised by the
wit of man to secure the concurrent circula-
tion of both metals.
"If prices are falling from one cause all
prices ought to fall. You know that II
you set up a number OF poles here In the
sunlight, as the sun goes down the shadows
cast would lengthen equally, and IL a man
should tell you that some would lengthen
| and athnrS ohnrtan Won unnlH not haliayo
him, yet 1t is a fact that some prices have
fallen and others risen.
"Silver is going down to-day and you
know that the price of wheat has gone up
within twenty-four hours. The only way
to Increase the price of your product is 10
get n better market for It.. The consump-
tion of wheat per capita has fallen off two
and a half bushels from 1892, from sol to
3.41 bushels. 1t is underconsumption, but
the reason for il Is that men haven't work
to get the money to buy your wheat. In
1892 we had the same coinage system we
have now. The change has been that we
let go of our old protective policy, and the
remedy Is to get back to reciprocity aud
protection again, back to the conditions Of
1892. TO the tariff of Mckinley, or one
framed on similar lines, and the reciprocity
of Blaine. The demand for your products
will return. You will then be getting bet
ter prices. Men will be happy and the
state will be blessed"
AS Mr.. McCleary concluded the audience
broke forth in round after round Of APP
plausc. which was continued for some
time after Mr.. Lind rose to conclude.
Lind in Conclusion.
Mr.. Lind began his reply by quoting
from the message of President Harrison,
whom he characterized as In his opinion
the wisest president who ever occupied
the White House, TO the Fifty-second con-
gress, in which he said that the advance
of prices in articles, due 60 the silver
legislation of 1890, was by many errone-
ously attributed 20 the Mckinley tariff act.
He also quoted Jerry Rusk to the effect
that the silver legislation in 1890 had done
much to increase the prices Of sg ricu'tural
products. From the Aldrich report, quoted
by his opponent on prices Of farm products.
he read the average price at the point Of
export Of fifteen agricultural products.
Taking the year 1860 as the basis and
placing the average for that year at 100.
the report shows that the average luctua-
tion from year to year was as follows:
l ySen N ,no