The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-21
Free Silver Hope
Goes GIimmerinQ
Special to the Scranton Tribune.


G1HE emba ARA assments which Chair
III man Jones and his Populist-SilVer
allies encounter in their efforts TO
make the silver cause the chief is
sue Of the coming campaign multi
ply as they hear from the various parts
Of the country. The Populists are receiv-
ing the fusion proposition with GOODNESS,
ana in many sectors, an absolute reiec-
tioll. In Minnesota the patriots who vs-
tied that state TO urge the Populists to
save the country by helping elect Demo-
Gratis to office, found 10 encouragement.
On the Pacific coast the fusion PROPOSE
ton was met with bitter opposition and
seems unlikely To be accepted. In In
diana, the Populsts, in their state con-
vention, not only rejected the proposi-
ton, but went to the extent OF displacing
from the national committee one of the
Indiana members who favored fusion, and
elected "A non-trsionist in lis place. This
plan of removing fusic nists from the ma
tiOnal committee has been received with
SO much favor by the PoEulists in other
sections of the country that counter
movement to prevent the complete elinin-
alton of fusionists from the national COM
mittee has been begun by the presenta-
ton of a new rule providing that MEM
bers of the national committee canrot be
removed without the approval OF the
committee itself. Whether this plan will
into line for fusion in the interests of the
silver cause remains to be seen.
o.
Another difficulty and a more serious
one which the managers of the silver
campaign find before them Is the loss of
strength in their issue among all ele
ments of the community, especially the
farmers. When wheat advanced some
months ago in the face of the steady de-
cline of silver the excuse was made that
1t was due simply to a shortage abroad
and that IL did not affect the claim that
the low prices of farm products We're 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.
that all classes of farm production have.
since the enactment of the Dingley law
and the resumption of work in the facto-
rics, advanced materially In price, 1t is
impossible to longer assume that these
advances are Il mere incident due to
shortages abroad to 10 further utilize the
claim that the price of silver I'm some
mysterious way governs the price of farm
products. Even in the case Of cotton, il
has been shown, ~ already indicated in
this correspondence, that the low figure
which IL has reached is due to the enor-
nous increase in the production in this
country and in the world, while in other
articles of farm production there has
been marked increase In prices. These
advances apply practically to all articles
produced by farmers and as 1t was among
the farmers that the members of the sill
yer party made the greatest gains in 1885,
they naturally look with anxiety in at
tempting to determine whether they will
be able to hold through fusion In support
OF silver, the vote which they controlled
In that election. Not only do the adVices
| received this far show that they are not
going to be able to hold the Populist vote,
but they also show that the silver propo-
sitlon has lost greatly among the farm
ers who are not only too busy and too
prosperous to again consider il seriously,
but find in the general advance in prices
| an absolute refutation of the claim that
| the low prices which obtained during the
existence of the low tariff were due TO
the low price OF silver or the earlier dis
| continuance of its coinage.
o.
That there has been marked advance
| In prices of all articles of farm produc-
| tlon in the face OF the steady fall of sill
| yer since the date at which the Democ-
! racy officially demanded the restoration
| of silver, whose decentralization and fan
| In price, IL asserted caused "a corre-
spending fan in the price of commodit-
| les produced by the people is shown by
| the following table comparing prices of
| all farm products on July 10, 1896 the date
| OF the adoption of this platform, with the
price at present. 1t is compiled from the
columns OF the Omaha World Herald the
| special organ of the nominee OF that con-
| vention. The first column gives the prices
| quoted In the World-Ierald of July 10,
| 1896 and the second column gives tile
quotations OF that paper OF March 10, 1898,
the figures I'm each case being the highest
prices quoted by that paper Of the ar