Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-09-16
SILVER ACKUBATS.
WONDERFUL FEATS OF W. ]. BRYAN
AND :. G. WHITE AS FREE TRADE
AND FREE SILVER DEMOCRATS.

fhey Both Laud and Curse Cheapness.
First Credit 1t to Inventive Genius and
Their Blame 1t on the "Crime of 10.
What +. e. White Said In ls0e--"This
Universal Blessing of Lower Prices"
"Things Sell Lower Because They Are
Made Cheaper "They Are Made Cheap.
er Because Of Better Methods and Proc
esses"-He Should Explain His Present
Inconsistent Position and Statements,
There are no greater economic aero
bats than the silver Democrats now Civ
ing exhibitions in this country. They
turn somersaults and fipfaps Backward
and forward so fast that it makes us
dizzy to watch them In one year or one
campaign they are lauding cheapness
and the inventive genius which caused
it, and in the next they are cursing
cheapness and the cause of cheapness.
All of the free trade silver Democrats
have done this act They have had to
do it and still have to do it whenever
they let loose on these two subjects, as
most of them are wont to do. 1t is i'm
possible to be free trader and not be-
lieve in low prices. 1t is impossible to
believe in the "crime of 1878" as the
cause of the great and 'ruinous" fall
of prices which has since occurred and
not believe that low prices are curse.
Because he saw the inconsistency Of
it, or for political reasons, W. J, Bry.
an, in his canvass last year, practi-
cally refused to talk tariff and spent his
time discussing the lack of money and
the evils Of low prices. If he had talked
tariff, he would have been in danger of
repeating his speech of March IS, 1899.
in which he said, "Y0u must at.
tribute 1t to the inventive gen
ius. That is what has
brought down prices in this
country and everywhere"
But Bryan is not candidate for
office this year. We will devote cur at
tention to one who has been conspicu-
ous since 1899 as a free trade Democrat,
and whip is now. because of his nomina-
tion for governor of Iowa, conspicuous
as a silver Democrat. OF course the
Hon. Frederick L. White is now saying
that the people need more money"
and that ian abundance Of money will
stimulate all kinds Of industries" and
"that will increase the price Of every.
thing and benefit everybody" He also
says "the dollar Of today buys altogeth-
er too much, and the rest Of the whole
rigmarole Of free silver and cheap money
wisdom. What, now, did this same Mr.
White say in bis great speech Of June
10, 1899?
Under the subheads "Cheapness" and
"The Real Cause Of Cheapness' he
made some statements so wholly incon.
sistent with his present position and
statements that he will have great diff
Guilty in explaining away this inconsist.
ency. His remarks at that time being a
fair sample Of those Of scores Of other
silver Democrats made then and since,
we quote them below at some length
1.-THE stubborn fact, the historic truth,
stares every intelligent man in the face,
that everything made by human hands
or that is in any sense the result Of hu-
man skill has been getting constantly
cheaper not only since the Republican
party has been in power, but for the
last thousand years and more, and has
been getting cheaper not only in this
country, but in every other--in coun.
tries where high tariffs are maintained,
and in others where free trade prevails,
and notably SO in England, where the
protective principle is entirely repudi-
ated. -
What is then the true, active cause
Of. this constantly lowering price list Of