Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-15

this great monetary change which vir-
tually reyolutionigcd the finances OF
the world Every country which aided
in the demonstration OF silver felt
The strain lnscparable from an attempt
90 adjust its business TO the gold stand
ard with silver wholly or partially
eliminated from us monetary system
The nations adopting the gold meas
IRE at valuation in effect endeavored
Ia make one dollar do the work for
which two dollars mad previously been
required and employed. Necessarily
there was tremendous shrinkage OF
prices m All gold standard countries,
with lessenlng profits, business stag
rotlon and hard times as inevitable
coneomltauts. These conditions lasted
fromsls73 until 1891 That they were
The direct result Of the monetary
change is conclusiyely proved BY the
circumstance that they existed in gold
standard countries only while silver
using nations enjoyed unusual pros
petty; ana by the further fact that
rot (he smallest measure OF relief APP
peared until the extraordinary in
crease Of gold production In south
Africa. Alaska, and other parts OF the
y.o.ld IN A degree relieved the monetary
strlngcncy, gave prices an UPWARD
turn and made business once more
profitable.
RUIN WROUGHT IN NEVADA
But Nevada suffered peculiarly be-
cause she was essentially a silver pro-
Queer. Not only did she lose heavily
through the shrlnkage IN the value OF
the silver actually produced but the
production Itself was greatly dlmlh-
ishcd from the same cause. None nut
the richest ores could be worked, ana
the exhaustion OF the high grade de-
posits WIS practically Contemporaries
GUS with the decline in the price of the
metal.
Under the conditions then existing, to
direct the energies OK our people INTO
other channels was impossible, All
fnen are controlled TO greater or
lesser extent By their environments
Tho most energetic and progressive
men IN the world would never think OF
cultlynting orange groves IN Greenland
or Alaska. 1t seemed almost as UNI
natural for q Nevada miner TO under
take the development of the state upon
new and untrled lines. The results were
n more or less general exodus, rapid
ly dwlndling population, and a WIDE
spread, almrpt hopeless impoverish-
rnent of the entire commonwealth
Men Of assumed intelligence. but VINO
knew nothing OF the cause of Nevada
decay. spoke contemporary or the
state and it's meager population. IL
was characterized as rotten Dor
ough" unfit to be a state inhabited
by q few "wlfeyed fanatics. and a
few more thieyng silver barons,
whose highest ambition II was to SWIM
die the widow and the orphan with
"ifty-cent dollars"
DURING BARTINE'S SERVICE.
During the period Of my service in the
house Of decentralization 1889 TO
IS93-the people OF Nevada, In public
way. thought of little or nothing but
silver. on any line other than that
which led in the direction Of free silver
coinage, no efforts OF their representa-
tlves in Congress met with the slight
est appreciation. In no proper sense
was the question a partisan one, Tor
Republicans and Democrats alike were
OF one mind with reference to It. Ana
all this was the result OF the conditions
which prevailed. our one great indus
try had been seriously crippled and
there was nothing else TO which we
could turn. The general revival Of bust
ness which began in 1897 was scarcely
felt in Nevada, for we had no DIVERSE
fled industries to be affected.
LIGHT BREAKS IN THE SOUTH.
And so we struggled on until 1900
Then came a flicker Of light upon the
southern horizon, growing brighter and
brighter, until the heavens in that
quarter were all aglow, casting their
brilliant reflections upon the dark
clouds OF business depression which