Evening journal., 1910-08-19
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Prophecy Of Gold That
Was Fulfilled
BY "HolIand."

From. the time, in August. 1875,
when he became chairman Of the
monetary commission provided by Joint
resolution Of Congress to examine
and report upon the question Of
Ibimetallism, until the silver issue
passed off the political stage, John p.
Jones. Nevada member of the United
States Senate for thirty years, be-
ginning in 1873, was one of the fore.
most champions OF bimetallism I'm this
country His desertion of the Re-
publican party I'm 1896 on the silver
question IS historic; likewise his re-
turn to Il four years later
About a year after the 1896 presi-
Dental campaign had been decided in
favor Of William Mckinley and the
gold standard | met Senator Jones,
and in the course of the conversation
said to him: II have heard II said,
senator, that you have changed your
opinion respecting the use of silver
as a money metal, and | have been
wondering whether that report Is
! correct"
Il will tell you about that as we
walk along" he said and took my
arm. 81 have not changed my opin-
| ion respecting the expediency of using
silver as a money metal--at least. the
opinion I held when ! advocated
! bimetallism. But conditions have
changed lately, as they changed fol-
| lowing the discovery of gold in Cali
! fornia. Before that discovery. you
may remember, the silver dollar was
really the standard and the ratio be-
tween silver and gold was strongly in
favor of silver. Two factors have
served 10 bring about the present
change One is the discovery of
process by which very low grade gold
ore can be proftably worked, and
the other is the vast development of
gold mining in South Africa and the
United States. These factors have
served TO give us more Of the gold
than we had at the time / was advo-
eating bimetallism."
"I have heard It said, senator" ]
Interrupted, that your changed
opinion might be traced to the fact
that you are interested in a gold
mine near Sitka, Alaska"
The man who had been superintend-
ent and part owner of the famous
Grown Point" silver mine, which
eventually brought him a large for
unite. smiled.
rect" he said though I am inter-
ested in a gold mine near Sitka,
which. while It is not a very large one.
Is rich I'm ore. But I will tell you
something in regard to this gold mine
OF mine that I believe to be as true
as that I am talking and walking
with you this minute. That mine. sir.
Is significant of what is I'm store for
Alaska No experienced prospector
could be found who would say. that
a gold mine like this one near Sitka
is merely an isolated outcropping OF
gold No, sir II indicates the pres
ence of vast and rich deposits of gold
somewhere, although the outcroppings
may not be found within a hundred
or several hundred miles of the
mine"
The senator stopped in his walk.
He turned until he faced In a north
westerly direction He raised his
right hand and pointed impressively
i'm the direction.
"Up there, in the remote northwest u
he said, I'VE are going to find the
mother lode of gold whence flows al
the currents of gold that ran south
erly Though the entire Rocky Noun
tain basin. I am perfectly convinced
of IT, In my opinion. the peninsula
of Alaska some day and most prob
ably I'm the very near future, is to
be revealed as one of the richest
gold bearing regions in the entire
world. l am now of too advanced
years personally to visit and make
explorations of that territdy. There
ere younger men who will attend to
! that-in fact. are doing this work now.
/ shall not he surprised to hear any
day of rich gold discoveries made by
] some Of them Then will follow
gradual but certain exploration until
at last, the mOther-lOde Is found
And because believe all this-be-
cause my miners training tells me
implicitly that this is so and leads me
to make TO you this prophecy Of gold
II suppose II has been said of me
that the little gold mine in which ]
| am interested has caused me "a
change my views on bimetallism."
II was only a little. more than a
year after my conversation with
Senator Jones ~ the world was
startled with the first reports telling
of wonderful discoveries of gold in
the Yukon district of Alaska. To-day
Alaska Is one of the worlds princi-
pal sources of tbe yellow metal And
the development Of the territory is in
its infancy.
Copyright. 1910. by z. J. Edwards
All rights reserved
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tel
Of "The Secret Ambition of a Creator
OF States"