The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-10
WILL WE GRANT THE RELIEF OK
FACE THE PERIL?

A Mr.. w. NJ. Britt Of St. Louis, being
I'm Washington a few days back, made
the following remarks TO a reporter lor
the Washington Post:
1T IS q far cry TO 1907 If Fresl-
DENTAL election were TO occur next ~
,,,mber the Democrats would meet with
Overwhelming defeat. BY 1900 condiilohs
may have changed so greatly that they
will name a candidate who VIII sweep
the country. BY that time the Victoiy
won over Spain will be an old story, ana
about all that will be left as a reminder
of the war viii be the increased laNrS
that the people will still be paying. IN
the meantime. the prices u the Ieauins
farm products will have been steaul.y
declining. The Western farmers VIII
ne selling their wheat at pittance' as
comDared with prices now prevailing. ana
the Southern planters will stu be raising
cotton at about the cost OF prodlcIioI;
These conditions cannot be TAXED
away nor will references 10 our maFhl-
ficent victory over foreign roe ehtnust
the voters TO any extent. About that
time IL wifi be developed that silver IS
not n dead issue. and the demand for
more money will be accompanied by
boom for the white metal. Then me
tide will turn Democracyward and the
campaign Of 1896 viii be fought over again
with the difference t.at people who were
a hit afraid of what they thought was
somewhat too radical in the Chicago
platform will support n platform along
Side of which the Chicago declaration
was a tame affair"
We suppose st would be conceded by
every one that If the election occurred
next November the Democrats would
have no show at all. Mckinley would be
reelected literally. almost without oppo-
sition. But the war will probably be
over i'm short time now and then as
Mr.. Britt says, the old questions which
are not at all settled but only dropped
TO the rear now. by common consent
will be certain to re-appear. Nor will
they down either. They represent a real
grievance and real grievances must be
attended to when those that suffer from
them bring them forward and demand re-
lief. The fool pooh-poohs them and Ike
Charles l., and Louis XVI. who lost their
heads because they would not attend TO
them the fool always suffers for his in
attention and conceit. The wise man
follows the example OF queen Elizabeth
who listened 20 her loyal subjects, when
they complained OF expressions and saved
her throne and her head and fixed the
undying love for herself Of her people.
The trouble i'm this country IS that IN
pursuing the ignis fatuus Of a currency
note that will circulate at par from one
end Of this Union 10 the other. the
makers OF our laws have deprived the
inhabitants Of the agricultural districts
of an chance to make use Of their cred
81 in their daily affairs and, combining
them to the use OF cash for business, they
thereby deprive them Of all media OF eX-
change. Feeling themselves put TO death
by slow process Of strangulation the
farmers attached themselves TO the de-
structive theory OF free silver because
they believed IL would give them some
thing with which 10 transact their bust
ness. II they only know 1t free silver
would no more stay with them than the
present gold. greenbacks and national
bank notes DO. Being good for what it
was worth. all over the Union, it would
quit them and so TO the commercial cen
tiers Just as the present money does. so
that all they would do IL they got free
silver would be 10 debase our money by
more than one half produce general
| liquidation from which we would not re-
cover in a hundred years and start our
| business anew upon the basis Of 30
cent dollar that would not stay with
| them The only way they can have
| money that will remain with them is 20
| allow them TO have their local banks
issuing notes payable on demand In gold
coin. upon the basis OF such property as
| they have: and these notes, while per-
fcctly good in fact. being unknown away
from home will stay with them and give
them the media Of exchange that they
need.
In pursuing the ignis fatuus Of a cur
rency note. good all over the Union,
which is really as unnecessary TO us as
| the nfth wheel Is TO a wagon. the DOM
mating elements of our politics refuse TO
look into this real grievance of the
farmers. Accordingly he brings forward
his free silver proposition, that alarms
capital and causes it TO close enterprises.
this throws vast numbers OF laboring
men into the streets. An unnatural
union Is formed between them and the
farmers and the pillars of our istltutions
are shaken as they were IN November,
90. VIII we learn from the past or will
we blindly run our heads against stone
! wall again?
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