Evening journal., 1898-01-29
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
SIXTEEN 10 ONE IN 1900


Sir: | see that the Daily Republican |
of the 25th instant is out with one of |
those pathetic editorials which are |
characteristic of that benighted paper |
1t starts out with the assertion that |
the advocates of free silver at the rati
of 10 to / expect to elect a sufficient
number of men next November to con-
troll the House of Representatives It
says we hope that they may be mis-
taken but il seems to us that the
friends of Mr.. Bryan are becoming
more numerous and will dominate
their party cOunsels. Ye gods what
an admission to come from the press
of this goldbug colonyl That this
dead babe of free silver, which the Re
publican party professed to have
slain and buried in '96, is showing
such unmistakable signs of life as to
arouse the fears of our distinguished
contemporary It goes on to say that
the honest money Democrats are grow
ing weaker every day, and are bound
to be forced out Of the place they for
merly occupied.
Now, Mr.. Daily Republican, let me
question you as to what constitutes an
honest dollar. Is it made by a law
which destroys the legal tender func-
tions of one-half the circulating me.
dium of a country like the United
States, increasing the wealth OF the
man who was formerly worth $1,000,
900 to $4,000, 900, giving this mans
commodity of exchange, which ismoney,
| just twice the purchasing power it for
merly contained? But now let us turn
to the producer, the man who sells his
Drawn in the shop, in the mill or at
the counter Is his commodity OF ex-
change receiving any enhancement in
value? No, Mr. Republican, this man
has to sell just twice the brain and
Drawn to get that honest dollar which,
| in the dispensation of an allwise
| Providence, he has not been permitted
| 10 have an abundance of, and II per-
chance. he owns his little home, are
the taxes any easier to pay il he has
TO do lust twice as much work to get
the dollar? Or, if that fellow with the
| 50 600 600 has a mortgage of $1,000 on
| his home. how happy that working
man should be to be permitted to pay
| off that mortgage which is now really
| $1,000. If perchance he does not own
| a home of his home, is the rent any
easier? Let us turn to the farmer
! Suppose that a certain man bought a
! farm in New Castle county on January
| 26, 1879. The purchase price was $4,000.
He pays in cash $4,000 reserving $500
with which to improve the buildings,
fences, etc. Time goes on and he
| manages, by frugality and industry, to
| pay the interest on the mortgage year
by year until 1894. The prices OF his
produce have now fallen so low that he
! is unable to longer bear the strain, and
| now. with five years interest due, the
| farm is advertised for sale by the sher-
| IN. The day comes on which the farm
is to be sold. The hour arrives for
the sale to take place. 1t is sold and
for what? Two thousand dollars is all
It's brings. Now, Mr.. Republican,
what becomes OF that $4,000 and the
$500 for improvements which that man
put in his farm twenty years ago, to
say nothing about interest? This ls
not an exceptional case. The same
thing is happening in every valley and
on every hilltop of this so-called free
country.
Your boasted honest dollar is stead
lily reducing the producing masses of
this country to a demOralized rabble.
And, by the way how about the mills
that that noble word Confidence and
its twin brother, Prosperity, were go
ing to open after the presidential elec-
tion OF 1896? Open your mints TO free
and unlimited coinage OF silver at the
ratio of 16 to 1. Give the producer an
equal chance to exchange his cOmmo-
dity with the man of money. Strike
this rObber tariff low from our shack
led commerce. Place proper restric-
tions on foreign immigration, give us
the income tax. g Then will the indus.
tries of this country enter upon new
era cf prosperity which will be follow!
ed by confidence, genuine and lasting
To the statement that gold Democrats
are growing weaker, would say that
agree. Hundreds of Democrats voted fol
Palmer and Buckner, believing in al
sincerity that they were doing the bes
thing for the country's interests The!
saw party leaders falling in line undei
that standard. and not having studied
| the question, followed their lead. Blu
/ | time is the greatest remedy for ever!
evil: experience is the best teacher
They see the error of their way and arr
comingsback to the old party of JET
. | fersOn, Jackson and Bryan, and will
hundreds of good Republicans wn'
n | were with us in 1896 we will carry tn
. old standard over the breastworks o
\ the enemy in 1898 and 1900. And now
I Mr. Republican, a word about thOs
II party leaders who left the Democrat
i ranks in '96. If they want to com
! back to The Democratic ranks. all wei
v and good. But if they still beliey
n that they can enslave the rank and III
i of Democracy to the single gold stand
! | ard. they will find that the voters wit
whom they had too much self-respec
Z TO associate in '96 will in turn have to
y much self-respect and too much low
. for the principles Of Andrew Jackso
and good government, to be led by me
who still persist in selling their finan
a cial birthright for a mess of pottag
4 under the plea Of honest money.
IL Yours respectfully,
y w. B. FOOTE