Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1896-04-03
W. c. JONES ON SILVER
ADDRESS ny THE ATTORNEY GEN.
ERAL AT OLYMPIA.
The United States Can Coin silver
and Hold II at "a Parity
with Gold.

General Jones addressed large audi
ence this afternoon at the Olympia the
alter on the silver question. The speech
was delivered under the auspices of the
Olympia Bir.s;aiiic Club. and was re
ceived with great deal OF interest Mr.
Jones said:
For 30 years the people of the United
States have enjoyed substantial advant.
ages the like of which never fell to the
lot of any people of the world at any
| former period.
Never before was so great a number
Of educated and instructed citizens unit
ed under one form of government and
enjoying the advantages springing from
the use of common language and the
| possession of free institutions They
| nave been in the tranquil and undis-
! puted occupation of the grandest natu-
raj empire upon which the sun ever
| shone.
| a land whose shores are washed by
| two oceans. and whose domain extends
almost from the frigid to the torrid
zone, bestowing upon the fortuna te in
habitants every variety of soil and eli
mate.
| Broad harbors, majestic rivers and
vast inland seas expansive enough to
| noat the navies Of a hundred worlds.
| valleys, the fertility of whose sun
| Kissed slopes Is sung at every banquet
BOARD TO which the product of the vine
brings cheer.
incorporating plains and rolling
prairies generous enough to feed and
clothe all of earth's children.
Gigantic mountain ranges. the glory
iS
cry port where commerce rears a mast.
and whose ribs Of adamant hide coal
enough to light and warm the world
for centuries. gold and silver to make
the miser's dream shrink to puny fan
cy, copper enough to rob the heavens
Oh their lightning and send it flashing
In obedient currents from capital ia can
ital, and iron enough to connect the re-
modest corners of the world together
with avenues of steel
Nor have they been compelled like
other nations to waste their energies ar
squander their resources in the mainte
nance of standing armies and costly
ornaments, nor to hedge their magnifi-
cent heritage with cleaning bayonets
III oruer TO protect their title, but they
nave been permitted to enjoy 1t in ahso
iute ana undisturbed tranquility with
Out SO much disturbance as a serious
dlspute, much less the burden of a
devastating war.
NOT nave they been wanting in the
most abundant facilities to enable thap,
10 garner in the rich harvests of tho
heid the Forest, the vineyard and the
NINE. one hundred and seventy-five
thousand miles of railroads have fur
hished the facile arteries through which
.he rich blood of commerce has flowed
III an eVer-eXpanding stream, and ev-
ery iake and river and harbor has
'hroppeu TO the steamers wheel. The
SMOKE from a myriad chimneys has
"arkened the sky, and the hum of nm
counted spindies has set to music the
story OF our peoples untiring energy.
IL would seem as though the possess
SION OF such land by such a people
under such conditions could produce
only one resu't-prosperity. The sage
would tell you that at the end of 10
years OF such conditions this land must
OF necessity be the home of universal
happiness and plenty. that such words
as poverty, discomfort, want, destItu-
ton and bankruptcy must of necessity
nave been eliminated from our lam
guage.
THE GREAT ANOMALY.
Ana yet, in spite of all these adj
vantages. the year 1896 finds despair
prooding like vampire over this fair
'ahd. our railroads in hopeless bank
ruptcy, our mills and factories closed
our spindles stilled, our furnace firas
banked want and restitution croucb-
ing like gaunt hyenas at the firesides
of our people, and the sheriff duly elect
ed historian to write the annals of our
time In the notices of sale that crowd
each other on the bulletin of every
court house from the Atlantic to tho
Pacific
(At this point the speaker exhibited
a cartoon taken from a recent copy of |
Judge, which represented Grover Cleye- |
land as the central figure. decorated
with the laurels and nantes of an
cient Rome and clothed as Nero stand |
Ing in the midst of the crime he had
created. The cut shows the industries |
OF the country ruined, business and In
iustry lying as corpses among the de-
bris of ruined temples. factories and |
milis) Continuing, he said:
There must be some cause for sucb
an anomalous state of affairs. and n ;s
The duty of every patriotic citizen To
apply himself with sleepless assiduity
10 the discovery of that cause and The
ippncation OF the proper remedy. Num-
arous. indeed, are the causes which tba |
people have from time 10 time held re-
'ponsible for this almost total defeat of
heir heroic efforts to preserve their
property and bring content again to
mile upon u.s.
Al one time the people have aDnar-
nifty been certain that the republican
var tariff was to blame, and at the
text election been equally convinced
nat II was the democratic free trad,
inkering.
rhen labor organizations have been |
he objects of attack, and now the wise
nen OF the east gravely assure us that
ne trouble is In lack of confidence.
hough just where this lack of conf
enee lies. or what the people should
ave more confidence in they studious-
abstain from telling us. During the
asst % years we have been blessed
nth republican government and with :
emocratic government, and some of .
ne states have been blessed with nom
list government. but. whether the one ,
arty or the other has been In power :.
Kings have gone on steadily from bad
D worse. the only difference being thar
hey have got worse at some periods /,
han others. At each succeeding elec- I.
on the outs have been able to con- |
ince the people that things were all
'rong. and that they were in a bad
x, and they have generally made the