The herald., 1896-09-06
SOLID FOR SILVER

SOLID FOR SILVER
Mr.. Bradford Torrey in the course of
d delightful paper on the south, in the
September Atlantic Monthly, speaks of
the money question incidentally; mainly
to show some of the peculiarities of the
currency situation there. Having en-
gagged colored man to take him about
over the neighborhood, he relates what
happened at the end, as follows:
"At the end of the drive 1 handed the
driver dollar bill, one of Uncle Sanls
handsomest, as it happened, fresh from
the bank. He looked at it dubieusly
f4mbled it a moment, and passed 1t
back. Say. boss he said, can't you
give me silver dollar? 1t might rain
In a land Of thunder showers and thin
clothing, he meant to say, what we need
is an insoluble currency. That, as such
things go. was pretty substantial ar
gument for free silver or so it seemed
to me: and l spoke of 1t accordingly,
week or two afterward, to an advocate
of the white metal He was impressed
by 1t Just as had been, and begged me
to make use of the argument when l
got back home; as 1 now do. with all
cheerfulness"
The anecdote shows what so many peo-
pie have thought and suggested: That
II the small bills were retired, their
place would soon and satisfactorily be
supplied by silver dollars. The people
all though the east would soon come to
prefer bright, clean coin to the ragged and
dirty small bill and it is not much to.
say that an easy and sure way would be
opened to circulate not less than twenty
millions of dollars of silver to- general
advantage. Why cannot the people hold
Ing Just and reasonable views on the
currency question help on such move
ment?
THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR
UNCLE TOMS CABIN
For this story Mrs. Stowe received
from the Era the sum OF three hundred
dollars. Before it was finished, 1t at
tracted the attention of Mr.. ]. p. Jewett,
of Boston. a young and then unknown
publisher. who offered to issue it in book
form. His offer was accepted, but as
the tale ran on he became alarmed-at
it's length, and wrote to the author that
she was making the. story too long for
a one-volume novel; that the subject
was unpopular; that the people would
not willingly hear much about it; that
one short volume might possibly sell,
but that IL it grew to two that might
prove a fatal obstacle to it's success.
Mrs. Stowe replied that she did not
make the story, that the story made
itself, and that she could not stop it
till 1t was done. The publisher hesi-
tated. 1t is said that a competent liter
ary critic to whom he submitted it sat
up all night with the novel, and then re-
ported, 1.-THE story has in it; it will
SELL" Mr.. Jewett pro- ID to Profess
sor Stowe to publish it on half profits
if he would share the expenses. This
offer was declined, for the Stoves had
no money to advance, and the common
royalty of 10 per cent on the sales was
accepted.
CAMPAIGN LITERATURE
We must all rejoice that we are hav
ing what may be called a clean cam
paign. From the very start 1t seems to
have been felt that personal attacks
upon candidates would not answer in g.
contest like this There has been, there
fore, no encouragementfor the slanderer
and blatherskite. and everybody will
have the rather rare opportunity of
breathing an atmosphere untathted by
the breath of scandal. 1t is eminently
campaign of popular education. The
main issue has never become so general
IL recognized and undestoon as 1t will
be this time The whole matter has
been in the hands of the people from the
first. In all the conventions the bosses
have counted for much less than COM
mon, and there is an uncommon direct
ness and simplicity in the methods of
discussion.
1T is noticeable, too, that there is not
only reasonable charity and fairness
in the conduct of the campaign, but a
higher regard for the truth than ordina-
rily accompanies debates and newspaper
accounts Of political meetings and move-
ments In other words, there is less
boasting and Misrepresentation than
usual. This is pleasing change in the
morals and manners of partisan Journal
ism.
But from Stiffness we have not been
exempt even in this serious and mat
ter-of-fact campaign now going en- For
this certain newspaper reporters, with
much on their minds and no vocabulary
TO match, are responsible, along with GER
tain others, who must create something
striking out of scant material. Never
before, perhaps, has there been more
stflted nonsense or tall tWaddle than a
rev newspapers have succeeded in get
ting by and through some of their spe-
Gals In the last few days. and never did
such things seem quite so much out of
place as now. Bathos is the most hate
1ull Of all literary manifestations. and
this is our main curse so far in this cam
paign.
The Bookman has had an eve out for
TINS class OF nonsense, and acoords the
palm to Two specimens which we here
with produce, taken from an interview
with the wife of oeraIn nominee for
office:
This is the first one:
"Withal, Mrs. H is essentially a..
home-maker and a home-lover, and IS
never SO happy as when quietly at home
She u Devotion itself to her husband.
ana the telegram she,sent him on learn
tng Of his nomination was characteristic
OF her sweet unselfishness-'Where thou
Goest will Co.
And the second is like unto It. only
more 20;
We have been living very quietly
indeed she Continued. 1As wrote 70
Mr.. H since he has been at the con-
vention at st. Louis, would much prefar
to spend the rest Of my DAYS in this
quiet way, but that IL it were wilIed
otherwise two tears that had hsan IN
tence." ''S
The reporter who would write and the
editor who would publish stufr like this
snouid be put under a pile driver.
LADY TENNYSON.
The current number of the Critic con-
talnS portrait of the late LADY, Tenny-
SON She was the daughter Of Mr.. Hen
ry 6eHwood, and niece Of STR John
Franklin. Of Arctic exploration fame.
She was not without literary ability.
and ts said TO have possessed unusual
musical. ftfta She was married TO the
Why y It tAat we are not permitted.
IN any case 70 know q wou1an'e arn?
In the sketch re{erred to every otksr