Silver Vs. Wheat

The administration organs, notably the Chicago Times-Herald, are making a great deal of fuss about the fact that during the past few monlhs the long continued relation which existed between the priee of silver bullion and the price of agricultural Staples has been broken and while silver has declined in gold value the farmers' producís, have materially advaned. And the reason for all this fuss Is the notion that it upsets in some indefinable way the contentions of the silverites. But in this our gold-bug friend3 are making a serious mistake. It is true that the silverites have frequently peinted out the fairly constant relation whieh obtained for many years between the gold price of silver bu!lion and the gold price of other property and notably agricultural produce. It is also true that this relation did exist, and, with slight and easHy c-xplainable changes still exists. This argument was advanced by the silver men to show what the world's most accomplished economie thinlters concede, that the effect of silver demonetization was to enhance the value of gold. and that silver measured in terms of gold had depreciated only as all other forms of property had depreciated. That a disturbance In the relation of the supply to the demand of any staple or line of staples would not naaide a ohang-e In its gold price as compared with silver has never been claimed. And that is just what has happened during the past few months vuth agricultural staples. A shortage abroad has ir.creasedthe demand and cónsequently has increased ths price of those staples. This fact has about as much relation to controversy between a gold and a bimetallic standard as the man in the naoon (oes to the Wal! street stook market. If the gld idolatora can extract any comfort froni those clrcumstances they are welcume u. its soothing effect. In the ni, .intime, however, Ihey might reflect tha1 as the increased (iemand for wheat has increased its gold price so a like increaseö demand for silver creati d by free coinage wi r.kl increase the gold price of silver and as that demand would be limited only by the suply the tsvo metáis would continue to approach each other until they eam gether at the legal ratio. The Main st. business man who observed an oeculatory crisis in the office of the Washtenaw Eïvening Times Mönday evening, wlll be suitably rewarded Cor his heroic silence by ealling on Bddie Christensen. iast fall F. Ü. Graupner purehased 160 acres of beech and maple timber land. During the winter he has had 5.S00 cords of wood out. This he will plSce on the market the coming winter. Already Mr. Graupner has sold 1,700 cords of wood.