The Yale expositor., 1900-09-21
CHAPTER u.-(Continued1

were a laboring man, you'd be a Popu-
list. Wages are low. Hogs in BOons-
vile are only worth little over cents
per pound, corn II cents bushel, and
everything else to correspond. Now,
one thing sure, something is wrong, and
we are in favor of n change. A few
years ago | had n flock of sheep and
was making money with them, so
thought it would he a good scheme to
buy more. | also needed more hogs,
but didn't have the money necessary
to buy them, so 'mortgaged my place
to get it. Well, most of the hogs
bought died with the cholera. don't
suppose that was the governments
fault, but wool has gone down to al
most nothing, and all l have left is the
mortgage"
"Wait n moment" said Ezra. "You
say that few years ago wool was a
good price. What kind of money ba-
sis had we thenY'
Gold, | reckon"
"Then you admit that prices can be
good, with gold for the standard
money!
mo, not as good as they ought to be-"
"Oh, yes, Simon. / remember, you
wrote me the fall of '92 that hogs were
s cents. Didn't that satisfy the farm
err"
IL suppose that such as them that had
hogs was satisfied"
well, if they didn't have, it wasn't
the governments fault. Cattle were a
fair price, too, believe, and all other
live stock was valuable property, in
spite Of the awful fact that we had gold
for the standard money, and Harrison,
Republican, was President of the
United States. OF course, prices are
regulated more by supply and demand
than by anything else"
WELL" said Simon, supply and de
mand have nothing to do with it, and
will you please explain why we are
having hard times now, when gold is
still the standard"
simply because there is now n lack
of confidence, which did not exist in
'92. This is the principal reason al
though the low tariff policy of this
Democratic administration has hurt us.
The low tariff laws have closed hun
dreds of factories, shutting men out of
employment, and 1t has knocked the
bottom out of many industries. That's
the trouble with wool. The sheep rails
ers in Australia can raise sheep muc5
cheaper than the farmers In this coun-
try can, and now they can bring their
wool over here, and sell it without pay
ing anything for the privilege They
can undersell farmers here until they
have to go out of sheep-raising entire
ly. The cause Of lack Of confidence is
the fear of Bryan's election. The silver
dollar now passes for 100 cents, be-
cause it is backed up by gold. If we
stopped backing it up with gold 1t
would fall to its market value, which,
at the present time, is only about 30
cents. OF course. when the silver dol
lars fell to 80 cents, everybody would
pay their debts with II, and keep back
the gold money. 1t would be all that
would circulate"
"In your opinion" said Simon. 'Now,
I'll tell you how things will be if Nc
Kinley's elected. 1t won't matter how
scarce hogs, cattle, or products are, or
how great the demand, they won't be
worth ralsln' If the Republicans win,
and these goldbugs continue to have
control of the markets. | am living in
hope that no such awful calamity will
befall us, and | do believe Mckinley
will be the worst defeated candidate
that ever run for office, and hope Glen
Harrington will be the next worst.
He's the fellow the Republicans in this
county have put up for Superintendent
of Schools to run agin Winnie. Rather
singular, too, when he's her beau. But
to return to my subject. Men who
have studied the subject say that con-
ditions among farmers will be about
ten times as bad as they are now.
Money will be so scarce many will be
obliged to live without any. Times
will get in such an awful condition that
with some brave leader like CoXey, a
great army will be raised. l prophesy
tnaI there VIII DC the dNIulltSl WIT
this world has ever seen. 1t will be
labor against capital"
"Wait and see IL your prophecy comes
true, Simon. 1t is the only thing that
will convince you of your mistake. You
will find that our country's all right
after all. 1t has been said that Amer
lea Is just another name for oppor-
tunity' That country where a days
work will buy most Of the necessaries
OF life is the country most blessed OF
heaven. Men are afraid to spend gold
now, for fear of free silver; that is the
reason we do not see any at present"
"Ah, Ezra, that's not the reason. It's
because England is grabbing 1t all up.
She is glad we have gold for our stand
ard money"
That's probably what your paper
tells you" said Ezra, but there Is no
truth in 1t. The enlightened nations
found II necessary, In trading with each
other, to have a universal standard OF