The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-23
Tn, Troubl, with Tho silver Owners.

l
short time.
The Trouble with tho Silver Owners,
The New York Press gets right down
to the meat OF the responsibility for the
rapid fall in the price of silver as a COM
modify. Now that some of the mine
owners fancy they foresee drop in the
price TO Is cents an ounce they are be-
ginning to talk about closing the mines.
AS long as the price can be kept above 26
cents there is profit In mining silver
though not the 400 per cent profit the
mine owners want the government to
pay. The talk by these mine owners
about the low price OF silver being due
to the closing OF the mints In India and q
conspiracy on the part OF the wicked
goid-bugs IL mainly nonsense, as the
New York Press shows In the article re-
ferred to above.
Our contemporary points out that the
fact that the silver interest has not
raised hand or finger 20 avert by honest
effort the possible extinction of Its busl-
ness is q fearful comment upon the
effect of reliance on political activity to
provide market for commercial pro-
duct. These men, It says have In twenty
years spent untold millions In endeavor-
ing to induce the people OF this country
to accept their output as standard money
Suppose they had spent one-tenth of the
amount in inducing the people OF the
whole world to extend It's use as do
nestle commodity.
The business sense Of this suggestion
will be apparent to every one, The Press
comments as follows:
Suppose, instead of trying to make sill
yer dear, they had set out to make II
cheap. Suppose that they had set out to
bring the solid silver" ornaments which
all mankind holds so dear and, owing to
the decorative character Of the metal, al
ways will hold dear within the reach OF
all mankind. Suppose they had aimed
to enable every clerk and artisan to glad
den the heart OF his wife by replacing her
best Britannia ware forks and spoons
with sterling, Suppose they had sought
to grace every farmers Sunday morning
breakfast table with solid silver cream
jug and teapot
Suppose they had branched out from
this, as they easily could have done, and
under-sold native Indian sllversmlths
with their machlne-made bangles. Why,
II a modlcum OF Yankee push In hnding
market-such, for instance, as that dis
played by hundreds Of other producers
during the depression Of the Wilson law
had been Joined to these cheap pro-
cesses and their practically llmltless ma
terial, they would have had every savage
in Africa and Oceanlca wearing silver
nose-rlngs! Then would their industry.
small as II Is, compared with the great
staples of American production, have
been Of vast profit to themselves aud I'M
mixed benefit to their country. AS II
stands, lrremedlable loss is threatened to
themselves, while the harm which they
have brought to their country by persist
ent agitation would not be made up. II In
atonement they should make n free gift
OF every ounce OF their product now
passing through their shelters or undIs-
turbed In their mines.
While this view is somewhat exagger-
ated, there Is some common sense in 1t,
also, which will strike a great many peo-
pie as correctly pointing out that the sill
yer mine owners are themselves largely
to blame for lack of enterprise in the
production of their commodity When
the American and Indian mints gave up
the impractical attempt to maintain the
price Of the products Of the silver mines,
instead OF taking business-llke course
to extend the market for silver. the mag
mates renewed their political agitation In
the endeavor to have the government
place upon II false value, which never
could have been maintained. The Press
again says:
Confronted, as they are now in Mexico,
with the withdrawal OF the last earthly
prop Of government support for their
product. they may have short season
only In which to make UP their mlnds
whether to withdraw from their trade or
seek to make at II an honest living. II
ultimate ruin reaches them II will be
fearful example Of the effect upon the
habits Of Industry Of the substitution of
public subsidy for private enterprise.
The business OF silver mining Will be
found to have been pampered to death
The purchase laws which these men sold
their very souls to get have been their
Nemesis.
Words well spoken, and as true as Cos
pei and 1t Ia time that the honest people
and intelligent people who have been
favorIng the dishonest attempt to enrich
private enterprise at the expense OF the
credit of the country, and through the
sufforIngs that would come to every
home by the adoption OF such policy,
were taking more practical view of the
matter
John L. Sullivan Ia out for mayor OF
Boston and has issued a platform which
is unique In It's declarations The feature
which will excite the most interest is his
announcement that when he makes
speeches he doesn't expect to be inter-