Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-01-07
SIZES UP THE STATES
SECRETARY MORTON COMPLIES
INTERESTING STATISTICS.
Relative Social and Ec0nonic Con-
dition of the commonwealths Which
Voted for Gold Com pared with Those
Who Voted for a slump to silver.


It would cost the taxpayers nothing
and might promote the interests OF the
public to cause the division Of statistics
In his department to devote some spare
time to the compilation Of some statis-
teal matter going to show the rela-
tive social and economic condition or
the States which voted for the mainte-
nance of the gold standard on the one
hand and those who voted for slump
to the silver standard on the other
hand at the late election. Some OF the
Instructive facts disclosed are these:
Twenty-three States voted to main
tain the standard which we have had
for sixty years and twenty-five voted
for degradation. The gold States con-
tanned 39,624, 035, or 63.S per cent. OF
our population when our last census
was taken, while the silver States con-
tanned only q, 492, 776, or 1862 per cent.
of the population.
Omitting the colored and foreign
born population, the number of native
illiterate whites in the gold States was
S22,074, or less than one in forty-eight
Of the total population. In the silver
States the number of such illiterates
was 1,197 &c. or more than one in nine
teen Of the total population. In the
gold States the expenditure for school
purposes per head of population was
$2.71, while in the silver States 1t was
only $1.37, or barely 2 cents more than
half as much
These facts of illiteracy would not
be so significant il the question had
been one Of rights merely. Upon an
uncomplicated question OF. justice the
illiterate may be quite as likely as
those who have had more school ad-
vantages to render right decision.
But this was not the case during the
late campaign. There was a question
of right and wrong involved, and in
view Of possible consequences 1t was
one of vast magnitude. But this NOR
al question was by no means free from
complication. There were scientific
questions involved, and II was neces-
sary- to have n clear apprehension of
scientific truth before the moral choice
could be intelligently made.
1t is for this reason and not because
the moral sense of an illiterate person
Is necessarily inferior, that the COM
parison Of gold and silver States in
point of intelligence is at once justi-
fable and instructive.
Proceeding to other matters, we find
that the total value of real estate in
the gold States by the last census was
$50 600, 100000 round figures, while in
the silver States = was $9,311 .000, 900,
or less than one-third as much as in
the gold States.
The value of farm lands in the gold
states was $9,440,O00,O0O, while in the
silver states it was So, 800, 10000 This
shows that the gold states have a pc
cuniary Interest in farm lands and pro-
ducts about two and a half times as
great as the silver states have. This
disposes pretty thoroughly of the pre-
tense that the free silver ''cause" is
peculiarly farmers cause.
And the claim that ii is the debtors
cause-which at best is an appeal to
dishonest debtors-does not fare much
better. The statistics show that in the
gold states about one-sixth of the real
estate is encountered by mortgage,
while in the silver states less than one
eighth is so incumbered.
We further learn that the gold states
produced nearly eight times the value
Of manufactured products and paid
more than seven times as much in
wages to manufacturing employees as
the silver states. At the same time sill
yer states produced nearly forty-seven
times as much silver as the gold states.
And this fact serves to account for the
almost complete suppression Of rational
speech in many of the silver states. The
silver mining interest Is compact, as
was the slave-holding interest In the
south forty years ago, and it Is not less
powerful, within its limits, for the sup
preston Of free speech and the free
exercise of the elective franchise.
The silver oligarchy is not whit less
tyrannical and remorseless than the
slave oligarchy was. And in point Of
relative numbers and importance Of
product it is much less respectable than
the slave oligarchy. In the silver states
the silver product was worth only one
twenty-fifth as much as manufactured
products. Even in Colorado Abe manu-
featured products were worth more
than twice as much as the silver prod
uct. What sort of people have we in
our silver states to be fooled and bullied
and cowed by such petty oligarchy as
this!
Another point in the report from the
division of statistics to Secretary Nor
ton is instructive, and reference to this
additional one must suffice for the pres
ent. 1t is. in brief, that from the best
statistics available Ii appears that the
depositors in savings institutions in the
gold standard states outnumber those
of the silver states by 20 to /. A COM
parison of the average amounts to the
credit Of depositors in the different
states undoubtedly discloscs still
greater difference In favor of the gold
standard states.
The result may fairly be taken as an
Indication of the opinion of savings
bank depositors in regard to the effect
upon their interests Of shift to the
silver shndard.-Chicago Chronicle.
The Democratic Predicament.
The Louisville Courier-Journal says
the silver Democrats pretend to scoff
in fine scorn at the insignificant num-
bers Of the sound money Democrats,
disdaining, they assert to take serious
notice Of n party which cast less than
n ~