Natchitoches populist., 1898-05-13


day, March II, one week from the day
Of the inauguration. On Tuesday,
March 18th, a law fe-establishing BIZ
metallism passed the senate, and was
concurred in by the lower house the
following day. The rules had been sus-
pended, and bill prepared III advance
of the session was rushed through; the
speaker in the house sententiously re-
marking, This bill has been debated
for rs years, we will now proceed to
vote" On the same day the president
signed the bill, and on Thursday morn
ing, March 21st, 1901, the mints of the
United States were open to the free
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to
1--sixteen silver dollars to weigh as
much as one gold dollar-as it was
prior to Feb. II, 1878. Gold was still
in hiding; but its holders were rapid
ly learning that the people could do
without it and another metal had taken
it's place, and would continue to do so
just as long as gold saw fit to absent
itself or demand extortionate prices in
the way Of property in exchange for
it. In the meantime it had fallen S
per cent premium. The fact that stay
laws were being put in operation every
where, and that these laws were in
tended to operate especially against
gold debts, had no little effect in bring
ing gold quickly to par with silver.
What 1t meant was that there would
be no demand for gold in the United
States for two years except as people
might voluntarily desire it. And thus,
two influences were operating to take
the demand from gold and thereby
lower its commercial value. The great
est Of these two influences was silver
in competition with gold to supply the
demand for money. The Rocky and
Sierra Nevada mountains continued to
NIL with miners and all attending peo-
pie that are attracted by great in
dustry. The population of Colorado,
Utah, Montana, Idaho, Arizona and
New Mexico doubled in the year 1901.
The wholesale houses of Chicago, St.
Louis, Kansas City, Omaha and San
francisco felt the impetus of the new
business made by the active and pros
porous people of the mountain states.
A stream of white metal, the money
of Washington, Jefferson, Jackson and
Lincoln, was flowing through the mints
and percolating among all the people,
everywhere. A government Of the peo-
Pile had been for twenty-eight years
without a primary money that would
stay with the peopAe-but the past was
gone and a government of the people
and returned.
VII.
Farming was again profitable. The
price of farm products was advancing
rapidly. AS they had fallen with sill
yer SO had they advanced again with
that metal. Corn was 50 cents per
bushel and still advancing. Country
merchants were ordering literally of
the wholesale houses-their customers
had money with which to buy. It was
now discovered that the overcrowding
cities were having their population de-
pleted from two causes: first, the i'm
migration to the mountain states had
made a tremendous draft on every
trade, profession and occupation: Sec
ondly, the fact that farming was again
profitable had caused a second move
ment to set in toward the country.
During the year 1901, the streets of
most of the cities looked more or less
deserted. The'people that once crowd
ed them, looking for work, were gone.
but 1t was an ominous silence. The
millions of heretofore idle hands were
making wealth that was to later re-
fleet its influence in these marts of
trade and centers Of commerce. The
orders for merchandise and manu.
facturers' articles, from mines and
farms, were now pouring into the
cities, with scarcity Of clerks and
other employees and wage-earners to
handle the business. High salaries and
higher wages became necessary to hold
old employees or to get new ones, SO
great was the desire Of these to engage
in the more profitable or tempting op-
portunities lin the mines" or to move
their families to the better air and the
broader influences TO be found on farms
and in country life. The advance in
farm products had made farming de-
sirable and profitable. Strikes had be-
come thing OF the past Gold and
silver we're at par. Gold, finding itself
in idleness, with everything advancing
except itself, had come out of hiding
and invested itself in those things that
were advancing. 1T was again in cir
culation, among the people, the first
time, excepting in California, for forty
years.
VIII.
On Saturday, May 4th, congress
passed bill, that was signed by the
president, making it unlawful for any
person or corporation, except conGinu-
Gus lines of railways, to own or hold
more than 800 acres of land for any
,,,,,,ose Tho hill nrnvidad 90. non,