Iron County register., 1897-09-30
THE CHIEF ISSUE
what George Fred williams saxu of
demonstration.

WAAt GEORGE Fred Williams Sayn of
Recommendation.
george Fred Williams, the brilliant
massachusetts leader, is not one of
those who believe that dollar wheat
and the decline IN the gold price of sill
yer have knocked the bottom out of
hhe silver argument, and that the DEM
ocracy would have to shift to other
ground. He claims that the constant
aecIlne in prices under the gold stand
ara marks constant shrinkage In the
VaIne CT property of all kinds Hence
the wealth of the world is decreasing in
nominal value, although vastly in
creasIng in volume, individual holders
lose, borrowers are unable to meet their
debts, and then the mortgage steps in
and grasps the property. In this way
Morgan and his like are wrecking the
railroads of the country and are get
ting more and more control of the
country's resources at figures far be-
low what they ought to command. All
or this is due, he argues truly, to the
gold standard and its inevitable effect
TO force down prices. He says, accord
Ing to the Illinois State Register, in an
. interview:
The more silver goes down, the more
L believe in free coinage as the only
remedy for the fall in prices The re-
monetIzation of silver at sixteen to one,
with absolute free coinage, is the only
thing (which will prevent the con-
hnued fall of prices in all things. The
fact that wheat has touched one dollar
a bushel has nothing whatever to do
with the real question. Would you set
tie a great financial issue upon the
events of one year alone? We have
here mere incident of bad crops of
wheat in other parts of the world and
good crops here for the time. But
there is no general prosperity. Where
is there any evidence of prosperity ex-
cept in the newspapers? Have you
heard of the wages of any workmen be-
ing raised? Yes, the newspapers re-
port that mills are starting up in differ
ent parts of the country, but what does
that amount to and how much prosper
ity is it bringing to the workingmen ?
The fact is that from the discovery of
gold in California up to 1873 there was
a constant rise OF prices all over the
world, and there was never a period in
human history when the cheapenings
Of the processes of production was GO
ing on so rapidly. There was a steady
rise in prices all the time. Since 1873
there has been a steady fall all over
the world, and the process is going on
now. This present year is no exception
to the rule. In 1894 prices of goods fell
on an average all over the world ten per
cent. In 1895 they fell five per cent.
hot fol
as the facilities of production are in
creased is not sound, for the worlds ex-
perience for the 20 years before 1873
proves the contrary. The fall in prices
will continue as long as silver is de-
monetized, and nothing but the re-
monetization of silver will restore pros
perity. See how it is in Mexico; what
boom of prosperity they are having
there with their silver money. Capital
Is flowing in from every side. Guern-
sey knows what the truth is. He shows
how really prosperous they are there.
Silver coinage will continue to be the
chief political issue until it is settled
right. Of course the party will make it
the chief issue this year, and it will be so
In the congressional campaign of 1898.
Ex-Gov. Boies, of Iowa, does not know
where he stands on the question. He
has been looking around ever since last
spring for same safe position to strad-
die on, and he has it in his idea like
Secretary WINDOWS. But that is ut
terly impracticable. Nothing will ever
come of trying to issue notes for silver
when deposited at the mint. That
merely makes the government deposi-
tory of bullion. 1t does not help in the
problem at all. We have other issues as
well as silver, and / do not want
them to be obscured, but silver will be
the chief issue until there is remonetf-
Zation at the rate of sixteen to one"