Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-12-31

With these mountains Of facts rising
in view should 1t be matter for sur
prise that the efforts of the last twenty
years to restore silver to its ancient
place as money, should prove labor
of Sisyphus?
Our statesmen God save the markD
when not venal, are leaders Of the
blind, and tumble into the ditch with
their deluded or confiding constitu-
ents.
But suppose our statesmen have sur
ficient intelligence and honesty Ito
force the reconciliation of silver by
the United States, what would 1t mean
to this country? 1t would mean that
$2OO,OOO,0O0 worth of silver would be
the yearly product, when the business
was gotten fairly under way. 1t would
mean $100,00O,000 of additional wealth
to the country annually from that one
source alone, asscompared with present.
prices of bullion. Whether it stayed
IN this country in the form Of money
or went away as metal merchandise. 1t
would not go away unless its value OF
$l.29 an ounce was left behind tobpay
for 1t. If converted into money 1t
would be disbursed in the western and
mountain country first, greeting wants
Tor everything the unappeasable desire
OF man Graves. Manufactured geods
would flow from the East to supply the
long-fasting people of the West. From
staples to luxurles the demand would
increase and swell like their rivers in
spring, and If the aristocratic old
world chose to cling to her gold stand
ard, her products would inevitably be
smut out from our markets by SILVER
protection far more potent than any
tariff bill that has ever been or over
will be passed.
Plenty of money finds plenty Of
work people want done, from useful
TO ornamental and luxurious. All the
silver nations South would come where
their silver would buy the most. The
Oriental nations would feel the same
impulse and increase their trade with
this country in place of patronizing
gold-starved Europe.
But the timid soul whose understand
ing has been clouded by goldbug soph-.
istry raises his hands in holy horror!
We would be overrun with silver! Did
you ever hear of country having too
much silver money?
Did You ever know of one that had
half enough? When would hundted
or two millions of silver added annu-
ally catch up to and replace the thou
sands Of millions of paper and bank
credit that are made use Of to conduct
the present skimped business of this
country?
But Europe would send all OF our
securities home and take away all OF
our gold! Ugh! it makes one fairly
shudder. II they wanted gold more
than the people of this country do apd
were willing to pay more for it, pr
would sell the securities for whate2er
they could get, they would perhaps feel
more secure for having the gold, apd
We would be better off for having the
securities. The person or nation out
of debt is always the best off.
In the meantime the increase OF
money would act on the now idle labor
and stagnated business of this country
like rising steam in an engine boiler.
Wealth production would begin to
move and expand, to knock off the rust
that years of idleness had allowed to
and where the trade statis-
tics now record hundreds of millions,
they would record in few years thou
sands of millions. 1t is not money that
measures the wealth of nation, but
the products of industry, which indus
try is put into action by the power OF
money. It is not the steam in the ships
boilers which carries the freight across
the ocean, but the ship which is forced
into action by the steam.
These and yet more marvellous re-
suits await the coming of the remone-
tization of our silver. How long will.
the same influences be able to bride de-
lay of the free coinage Of silver by the
United States? If our business people
could have their noses lifted from tho
grindstone where the poverty OF
money supply and killing competition,
are holding them relief would speedily
come. Il. Il. EWING.