People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1896 — Views Formed in Europe. [ARTICLE]

Views Formed in Europe.

Prank H. Cooper of the great firm of Segel, Cooper & Co. of Chicago and New York, the biggest retail firm in the world, has just returned from Europe. Said Mr. Cooper; “We car. make everything over here that is made abroad, but with McKinley as president our currency may become even more contracted than it is to day, as a single gold standard, if adopted, would work ruiu to this country ana make times harder than they are.

“1 can’t see anything but good to result from the free coinage of silver. True, it will benefit the miners and benefit the west. It will give the farmer money; it will make better prices for farm products; it will make the farmer a buyer in our markets. • ‘Times can be uo worse than they are at present. Our currency is not expansive enough for the demands of the people. France has S4O per capita of money in circulation, and its people are prosperous and happy. Wo have S2O per capita. We need more money and fvee coinage will put an end to business stagnation.

“Our factories are closed and our artisans and merchants are out of work, More money will make higher prices, better demand for goods and a revival of prosperity. “Goods and products are too cheap because people have no money to buy them. The depreciation in prices on some lines of goods has been more than 50 per cent, in the past six months. Can merchants and manufactures stand this? With free silver the price of wheat and corn would enchance at once. Dollar wheat for the farmer makes him look at his clothes. When they are frayed he buys new ones. He furnishes bis house, if it is needed, and so helps to start the furniture factories going again. It is so in all lines. The more money the greater the demand for goods. “A single gold standard would bring prices still lower and more failures and more disaster • for the people. We are partially upon a bimetallic basis now, and that is in a measure our salvation, “Contract our currency to sls or sl2 per captia and the result would be such as no one could figure. Talking of free silver, our mints could not turn out over $60,000,000 per year, less than $1 to every inhabitant. It would restore prices, confidence and resuscitate business. That,. I think is about what free silver would do for us. We want to take care of ourselves first; European countries are able to take care of themselves.” For first-class windmills and water tanks call on Jndson H. Perkins.