Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-02-11

sive tour in the West and Southwest.
The information he obtained decidedly
modifie his views. At a meeting OF
the New York Chamber of Commerce
last Thursday, he said that his trip
had taught him that the East does not
understand the South and West, and
that there is a lack of money in i'm
portant sections that practically makes
the transaction of business impossible,
except by primitive systems of barter"
Mr.. Dodge moved that the Chamber
appoint committee to urge on Maj.
Mckinley to call an extra session Of
Congress at which currency legisla-
ton, as well as other matters. may be
considered. For, urged Mr.. Dodge:
81 came away from Indianapolis with
this very firm impression, and have
only ventured to submit it because
feel it SO deeply, that unless those of
us in the more favored parts Of the
country understand the condition of
our brothers and our fellow citizens in
the other parts of the country, unless
we wisely instruct and educate them
and bring about some wise methods
for their relief, that when the year
1900 comes we shall be swamped with
an infinitely more powerful vote
against us than during this last cleo
| tion."
The motion was adopted with only
one dissenting vote.
There is one transition in this money
q uestion that is very striking. In the
face of the continuance of the crushing
pressure of hard times; in the presence
of the failure of the silly dream that
the election of Mckinley would bring
good times; under the ominous shad-
ow of increasing suffering and discon-
tent among the people, the painful
stiffness is no longer broken by denun-
Citations of the silver advocates as IRE
pudiators, P" dishonest" ''anarchists,' -
seekers of national dishonor," and
the like. The Republican party finds
a very great difference between in
venting and using campaigncries, and
meeting a responsibility which has
been laid on it by the success of those
cries. The sober second thought of
all must by this time have taught the
lesson that something must be done
for the relief of the situation. What
that something is, if it be not free and
independent coinage, no man nor par
ty seems able to see. The mission of
Senator Wolcott to Europe has pretty
well shown that unless the United
States takes the lead alone, there will be
n o International agreement. That may
be Considered as settled. The remedy
now being prepared in the Committee
of Ways and Means at Washington
reaches the pinnacle of absurdity; for
it proposes to relieve the situation by
a tariff which will add Fifty Millions
dollars annual taxation on the people
They will help the poverty stricken
people by collecting more taxes from
| them!
There is one, and but one, ray of
light to be seen in the darkness of the
situation, and that is in such CONVEX
sions as that of VIM. E. Dodge. Mr..
Bryan said after his defeat, that the
coming four years must be spent in the
education of the business men of the
| country. He was right, as the happy
effect of Mr.. Dodge's education, receiv-
ed in a trip to the West, shows. Every
day that has passed since the election
has had its grim lesson for the Ameri-
can people. They have been days Of
bank failures, business3 suspensions,
factories shutting down and great and
unexampled suffering among the I'M
employed. Men who last fall held good
situations, voted to maintain the gold
standard. and out of their comfortable
abundance gave to help the poor, are
with the opening days of 1897 them
selves without work and applicants
for aid. Thousands of men are out of
work who had good wages four months
ago 1t seems inexplicable that bust
ness men cannot learn from these
things what the fate of their own
ventures must be. Let us hope that
such conversions as that of Mr.. Dodge
will teach them valuable lesson and
be followed by many others.
Since writing the above we have
seen statement in the Washington
correspondence of the Richmond Dis