The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-09-08
good wishes Of all the Populists Of Min
nesota- sesusrs
INCONSISTENCIES.

tress. The facility of it's newspapers In
the way of lying is equal to anything
that has been demanded In the universe
since the devil was kicked out of Para
disc; but unfortunately It's lies very
often cut both ways.
For instance, 1t is claiming that 1t was
the new tariff that put up the price Of
the farmers are concerned; they are
tickled to see their chief product rise
in price. But on the other hand, the
people of the cities and towns, the con-
sumers. are getting very mad over the
statement, because If the Republican
Party put up the price of wheat they
must have put up the price of bread!
And an increase in the price Of bread. in
these hard times, is very serious mat
ter for those who have to buy it.
Now the truth is, as every sensible
man knows, that the rise in the price Of
wheat is due to a failure of crop nearly
all over the world. and falling off in
other staple food products. For instance,
1t Is said that the supply Of potatoes In
all the countries Of the earth is short a
| billion bushels. Even here in Mime
sofa, despite the tremendous trumpet
ings and hurrahings of the idiotic fools
and knaves, the supply of wheat is go
; ing to be short compared with previous
years. The newspapers say that South
Dakota will average from to Is bush
! els to the acre. The substantial part
of this statement Is the 8 bushels; the
rest of it. about the % bushels, is simply
buttering over of an unpleasant fact
with gorgeous lies. The truth is the
crop may possibly average bushels to
the acre. and there is no certainty that
1t will not go below it.
In Minnesota the revelations OF the
threshing machines are a disappoint-
ment to the farmers. Every country in
the world Is sending it's orders to thA
United States TO puy wheat. But for
the demonstration of silver. wheat
would be worth today $3.50 bushel;
under these circumstances, If the de-
manu- OOAtiAucS, IL Iudy ~ W IudC any
how.
Then the G. o. P. has another COM
plicated lie on it's hands. It took ad-
vantage of the fact that the aocumula-
lions of gold in Alaska, which were
| blasted out Of the frozen earth during
the previous eight months Of winter,
were washed out in summer and a GUAM
tity of 1t forwarded, at the same time,
to Seattle. The lying newspapers and
| bankers saw their opportunity-they
said, IF we can persuade the people
that the howl for free silver is foolish,
and that we are going to have such I'M
limited quantities Of gold as to fully
make up for the absence of silver, we
will thereby hold our followers in line
and demoralize the enemy"
But when they get this lie fairly
started, then the capitalists of Europe
and America take the alarm, and they
| say to one another:
I'VE demonetized silver, and made
gold the sole standard, because of the
large deposits of silver found in the
Comstock lode, Nevada, and the falling
Off at the same time Of the yield of the
| placer mines Of Australia and Califor-
| MIA. But what are we to do now If there
| really is tremendous quantity of gold
about to be tumbled in to the lap of the
world, from the remote regions of the
frozen North? How can we pursuade
| the people whom we have fooled to wor-
ship gold, to the top of their bent. to
give up gold and take up silver again?
We would be the laughing stock of the
world"
And so orders went out to dis
courage the emigration of gold seekers
to Alaska, because, even If the individ-
ual deposits were not as rich as claimed,
yet, II the whole country was covered
by gold seekers, If they did not obtain
much wealth personally, they would in
the aggregate produce an immense
quantity of the yellow metal And hence
we find the daily papers filled with re-
ports from men who have returned
from klondike, decrying the whole bust
ness, and trying to brighten Adventures
from going to that country. For in
| stance, here is an extract from the Min
neapolis Tribune, about a man named
Nehemiah Olaf Peterson, or Capt. Nobb.
as they call him, who has been three
days in this city; the paper reports him
as being wealthy, but speaking as fol-
lows of the gold country:
Seeing you are so all fired anxious to
Know IL tell YOU and I swear that it ia
all true spent two years in Alaska hunt
ing gold and other things and irving to
escape dying. 1 succeeded and was an
thankful that when got home told neo
pie about the real condition of thtnpa nm
there Soon after that the pesky steamer
came into Puget Sound with the hip lot
OF dust. First it s. COO 900. then 81 mn
O,O, then $SOO,0 00 next $7C0,UOc and II OWN
died down to less than $780, 900 when taken
to the mint and melted down IT was tho
pahnings OF "a men with average work
or SIX years apiece Every one of those
men were broken down in health. and 7.
know of seven who have died since their
return Now 1 figure out that by being
careful and saving my money, 1 can make
heap more than $1,000 in six years even
IL l have to work in the woods, or shin be-
fore the mast.
On the other hand we picked I'M a
copy of the Cincinnati Inquirer and
there we found letters from two Young
men, formerly of that city, now In Alas
ka, writing to their mothers and giving