Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-09-13
CHAPTER U.-,ContinuedJ

ask one taNOf OF you, ana tnat is tndL
you do not tell il in Boonsville. II you
were a labOring man. you'd be Popu-
list. Wages are low. Hogs in Boons-
vile are only worth little over cents
per pound corn l. cents a bushel. and
everything else to correspond. Now,
one thing sure. something is wrong. and
we are in favor of IL change. \ few
years ago | had flock of sheep, and
was making money with them. so
thought it would be Il 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 government
fault, but wool has gone down to al
most nothing, and all | have left is the
mortgage"
Wait moment" said Ezra. You
say that few years ago wool was a
good price. What kind of Il money ba
sis had we them"
Gold, | reckon"
Then you admit that prices can be
good, with gold for the standard
money!"
NO, not as good as they ought to he. y
oh. yes, Simon. | remember, you
wrote me the fall of 90 that hogs were
5 cents. Didn't that satisfy the farm
err"
Il suppose that such as them that had
hogs was satisfied"
We'll, If they didn't have, 1t wasn't
the governments fault Cattle were n
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. or 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 a lack
OF confidence, which did not exist in
81. 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 it has knocked the
bottom out of many industries. That's
the trouble with wool. The sheep rails
ers in Australia can raise sheep much
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 II up with gold il
would fall to its market value, which,
at the present time, is only about 81
cents. OF course, when the silver dol
lars fell to 80 cents, everybody would
pay their debts with it, and keep back
the gold money. 1t would be all that
would circulate"
I'm your opinion" said Simon. "Now
I'll tell you how things will be IL Nc
Kinley's elected. II won't matter how
scarce hogs, cattle, or products are, OF
how great the demand, they won't be
worth raisin' 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 whc
have studied the subject say that con
ditlons among farmers will be about
ten times as bad as they are now
! Money will be so scarce many will bt
obliged to live without any. Times
will get in such an awful condition that
with some brave leader like Coxey. d
great army will be raised. prophesy
that there will be the awfullest wal
this world has ever seen. 1t will bt
labor against capital"
wait and see IL your prophecy comes
true. Simon. 1t is the only thing tha
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 day.
work will buy most of the necessarie'
of life is the country most blessed o.
heaven. Men are afraid to spend gOlt
now. for fear of free silver; that is tn,
reason we do not see any at present"
All, Ezra, that's not the reason. IT.
because England Is grabbing it all up
She is glad We have gold for our stand
ard money"
That's probably what your pape
tells YOU" said Ezra, but there Is NJ
truth In 1t. The enlightened nations
found 1t necessary, in trading with eacl
other, TO have a universal standard O
money. and they chose gold, because
they considered Ii the one metal stead,