Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1897-12-01
Petering Out.

The New York World, which prob
ably has agreater circulation i'm Mon
tana than any other eastern paper,
''sees the hand writing Oh the wall"
1t not only observes other countries
dropping the silver standard but
takes the result of the recent elections
to indicate a change of sentiment on
the silver issue in this country. The
great Democratic organ says:
There are Observation-Disclosures
that free silver coinage will not be
the dominating issue In the next
Presidential election.
The silver party has lost since last
year the support of several of the
more important countries that then
adhered to the cheaper metal. Japan
in the east and San Salvador, Costa
Rica, and other Central and South
American republics have adopted the
gold standard. There is no doubt
that China is seriously considering
the same step. Silver is used here
now, as Ii Hung Chang explained to
the World, at it's real or commercial
value, not at a fictitious fiat valua-
| ton. India has not receded from it's
hostile attitude, and the great Euro
pean nations have declined to confer
with us on hi question OF bimetal-
ism.
AS further discouraging facts to
the advocates of free coinage at a
false ratio, the price Of silver has
remained low and currency has been
abundant. Bullion liz nov IS cents
an ounce, making the intrinsic value
| of our silver dollar 45 cents. One OF
| the greatest crops yer harvested
| has been marketed with no CON-
| plant of q scarcity of currency. The
fallacy of a relation between the
price of wheat and of silver has been
disproved by a selling price for wheat
lowering around the dollar mark.
1t is doubtless owing to these facts
and to the dissatisfaction of the
people with a single issue that free
silver made no Roadway at the polls
this year. In the states where silver
was absolutely ignored and repudi-
ated, as i'm New York, the Democrats
had their greatest triumph. In the
Populist states the f~usionists barely
held their own. Indeed they lost
Kansas andSouth Dakota. In Ohio,
which used to go Democratic the year
after Presidential elections, the Re
publicans won this year by than
$1,000. In Maryland, where the Demo-
Gratis tried To dodge the issue, they
again lost. Only in Kentucky, where
the normal Democratic majority was
formerly $4,000, does a plurality of
IL, 900 this year in a minority of the
whole vote give them any apparent
gain.
While Mr.. Bryan is as strong as he
ever was in the party, free silver is
not. And while Bryan may be re.
nominated, and probably will beat
least as it looks today-free silver
will not, according to present signs,
be the paramount issue.
The World points out the fallacy
of n relation between the price of
wheat and silver and makes the
point that the Democrats were sue
cessful in recent elections where silver
was absolutely ignored. But the
World makes a strange admission in
the last paragraph. While conced-
ing the strength of Bryan personally
ii contends that silver has lost
ground and will not be the para
mount issue" in the next campaign.
Just how the World expects Bryan
to sing low on the silver question
remains to be seen, and the para
mount issue" will be worth watching.