The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-07-24

THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
cans of Denison would rise up and
explain the Bulletins statement
concerning free silver and the
heaven born statement and tell us
why if the Bulletin is right now,
they made such fuss about it four
years ago?
The truth is that the Bulletin
editor simply does not know what
he is talking about. Free silver
is an issue and the greatest one be-
fore the American people today.
The election of Bryan, backed by
d democratic congress such as
democracy is certainly striving for,
would mean the enactment of such
legislation as would at once bring
about free and unlimited coinage
or silver. 1t would mean an adj
ministrative policy in which every
act would tend toward the estab-
lishment of free silver and the
down throw of the single gold
standard. 1t would mean unset
tied business conditions, it would
mean panic and trouble and ruin
to you and to us. You are Just as
much interested in the mainten-
ance Of prosperous conditions and
sound finance as any republican in
the United States. Republicans
are not fighting for their prosper
ity alone. They are fighting for
general prosperity. They are
making as desperate a struggle
that you may have opportunity to
succeed, as that they may have op-
portunity to succeed. If the
blighting effects of free silver
would be visited alone upon the
cranks who support it, there are
many who would be willing to let
them enjoy CD the experience.
The trouble is that it rains alike on
the just and unjust. Every laborer
struggling to earn his livelihood by
honest toll, every artisan wishing
to establish himself in his little
home, every farmer on the wind
swept pralrles, every business man
in our little energetic cities, would
suffer the pangs of hardship and of
want, and commercial distress
would follow and every man, rich
or poor, would suffer.
The man with an income of
$40, 900 year might have to cur
tail his expenses. The man with
an income of $1,000 year to
practice economy, but the man
with $500 year would be reduced
to the verge of starvation. That
is what we honestly believe free
silver would mean to the people of
this country and that is why we
are so strenuous in opposing it.
We are not worrying because some
rich man may have to do without
his carriage. We are not worry
ing because some man of moderate
means may have to do without the
luxurles of life, but we do feel
away down deep in our hearts a
sympathy for the poor man, the
man who works day by day for the
plain fare and the humble home.
We do feel deep sympathy and
concern for the results that would
certainly come to him, should this
iniquitous and dishonest policy
come to our nation. We ask our
farmers candidly, we ask it of our
laboring men, which do you con-
slider the most important thing
Whether the business of this coun
try shall be SO disturbed by the
establishment of free silver that
business shall become stagnant,
labor unemployed, credit destroyed
and your means of obtaining bread
and butter curtailed? Or the re-
tention of certain islands, or the
fact that it is deemed necessary by
some to maintain standing army
of not to exceed one soldier to
every 1000 inhabitants? Which
is the more important to you, the
price of corn or the price of nails?
Does it not mean more to you that
the price of corn should advance
one cent bushel than that the
price of nails should advance TWEEN
4