The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-02-23

/ of the dollar has been doubled, or in
other words, it takes about twice as
much of anything the farmer raises,
or labor produces, TO buy dollar as
| it did formerly, hence while all debts
both public and private may remain
| the same in dollars and cents they are
in effect doubled. To illustrate, a
| farmer that, say twelve years ago, had
twenty dollars in taxes to pay would
this year on the same amount OF
property if he paid us many dollars
AS then virtually have his taxes
doubled because it would take about
vice us much of every thing he pro
duced on his farm to buy those dol
lars, which by legislative manipulation
have been doubled in value. This
would be true not only of taxes but
all kinds of indebtedness both public
and private. AS before stated at Fl
| PasO we changed our United States
money into Mexican receiving nearly
two dollars for one. Both at Ell Paso
and at San Antonio, Texas, the bust
ness men told me that not many years
ago, the Mexican dollar circulated at
par with the American. Now tLen-
is ii the American dollar that has APP
preciated or is it the Mexican dollar
that deprecated? If it is the Mexican
dollar that has de- reciated then the
prices of ali things would be doubled
there. But instead of this you will
find prices in Mexico to-day about
the same as fifteen years ago. Cotton
is IA to Is cents pound, wheat ST
to 81 .25 per bushel corn 65 to IS cents,
etc III the face Of these facts then the
Mexican dollar certainly has not de,
preciated. Again look to the United
| States. Here cotton is cents, wheat
so to s. cents, corn 20 cents, oats l 2
cents and so on, or about one hall the
price produce brought some years
Dack, thus proving that 1T Is the
American dollar that has appreciated
in value, and what has been the effect?
Let the farmers and merchants and
toiling millions think it over and
answer for themselves. believed that
the single gold standard was a. detri-
ment to the people before | went to
Mexico and now [ am still more con
fined in my belief. do not mean to
saw that would prefer to live IN that
strange land OF Mexico with its strange
people, as Wisconsin, the state OF my
birth, has become exceedingly dear to
me and especially Pierce county, with
it's beautiful forests, it's sparkling
streams, it's hills and fertile valleys,
it's intelligent and hope prosperous
and happy peopie-amongst you
hope to pass the remainder OF my
days, but | do mean to say tn
Mexico to-day as whole, IN spite ol
all her disadvant ages both from al
educational and geographical point o.
view is making rapid strides towards
progress and prosperity, while the
United States is in a state o.
'Innocuous Desuetude" as | believe
Grover Cleveland calls it, Yes, worse
than that. The Unit ed States-tht
fairest tree of civilization-and fol
over a century the wonder of the en-
tire worlds to day beginning to fade
and droop. The worm that Is last
eating at it's heart root is absorbing
all the Juice and nourishment drawn
from the earth by it's innumeraDlf
roots and feeders, hich was intended
and should go back to feed its count
less leaves and branches. This worm
must be destroyed before long or the
tree will fare the same fate as some o
it's predecessors. And destroyed, II
not only will be, but must be. The
only weapon that will destroy it with
out a revolution is the ballot. This
if ntelligently applied, is cert ain dealt
to the worm and all it's litter. If by
q small majority OF the people OF thin
fair land at the last election this
worm got new lease OF life, its lease
is short and will never be revived by
an intelligent people OF eighty mlllior
souls, when satisfied that they owe II
ito themselves and their offspring tt
cut loose the bonds and shacKles that
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