Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1898-04-08
an ADVANCE IN FARM PRODUCTS
A Comparison From Bryan'S Own
Paper Refuting His Argument
on Silver.

A difficulty, and a very serious
one, which the managers of the
silver campaign find before them IS
the declining stength of their issue
among all elements of the commit
nifty, especially the farmers. When
wheat advance d some months ago.
ia the face of the decline of silver,
the excuse was made that the adj
vance was due simply to a short
age abroad, and that it did not
effect the claim that the low prices
of farm products were due to the
low price of silver or the absence
of the class of currency which they
had been urging upon the country.
But now, at all classes Of farm
products have, since the enactment
fthe Dingley law and the resump-
ton of work in the factories, adj
vanced materially in price, it is
impossible longer to assume that
these advances are mere incident
due to shortage abroad or to utilize
further the claim that the price of
silver in some mysterious way gov
ems the price CT farm products.
Even in the case of cotton it has
been shown, as already indicated
In this correspondence, that the low
figure which it has reached is due
10 the enormous increase in produc-
ton i'll this country and in the
world, while in other articles of
farm production there has been a
marked increase in price.
These advances apply to practi-
cally all articles produced by
farmers, and, as it was among the
farmers that the members of the
silver party made the greatest
gains in 1896, they naturally are
alarmed as to their ability to hold,
through fusion in support Of silver,
the vote which they controlled in
mat election. Not only do the ad-
vices received thus far show that
they are not going to hold the pop
ullst vote, but they also show that
'ne silver issue has lost greatly |
among the farmers, who are now
not only too busy and too prosper
GUS to consider it seriously, but
nnd in the general advance in
prices an absolute refutation of the
c.alm that the low prices which
oo1alned during the existence Of
Tue low tariff were due to the low
pfice OF silver or the earlier discon-
VI iAS COludbc.
That there has been a marked |
ADVANCE in prices of all articles Of
.alm production in the face of the
s.eaoy tall of silver since the date
:. winch the Democracy officially
us'nanded the restoration of silver.
whose decentralization and fall in
p''ce, 1t assorted. caused "a cores
pohdlng fall in the price of COM
u;,oaltles produced by the people,"
% SHOWN by the following table,
doulparing prices of all farm pro-
tL ae's on uly 10, 1896, the date of
~ he adoption of this platform, with
MI, piice at present. 1t is COM
n raeo from the columns of 1.-The
o"aha World Herald, +" the special
~gan OF the nominee of that con-
thu u'lon. The first column gives
w prices quoted in The World
nelaid of July 10. 1896, and the
NJ eona column gives the quotations
~ 'nat paper of March 10, 1898. +
h;e e nsures in each case being the
n.ee nese prices quoted by that
r nnpe' OF the articles in question,
Npun the days mentioned.
nra .aole showing prices of farm
nauc's, as quoted in The
rso aana World Herald" July 10,
,;o ~ (date of Bryan's nomina
Of u, compared with its quotations
" prices March 10. 18oS: