232 Life and Sport on the Pacific Slope 



fundamental law, the cheaper metal would drive 

 from the country the dearer ; that America would 

 be drained of its gold, and that these debts to 

 foreign countries would be surely repudiated. My 

 friend was in no way dismayed. " Look here," he 

 said pleasantly, " that 's an argument for and not 

 against us. We ought to built a ring fence around 

 the United States and then we 'd cabbage these 

 millions that you say belong to Europe." 



Finally, the champions of gold were constrained 

 to fight the Silverites with their own weapons. 

 The country was flooded with more pamphlets 

 mainly in answer to a man Harvey, the author 

 of "Coin's Financial School." Other causes — 

 notably better crops and prices in the great mid- 

 west — combined to turn the trend of popular 

 opinion. To-day, Silver, as a great political issue, 

 may be pronounced — dead. 



That Adversity taints men's sense of justice is 

 a post hoc propter hoc argument. Not adversity, 

 but ill-regulated prosperity preceding hard times 

 really taints the people. I can remember the 

 settling-up of the Arroyo Grande valley, one of 

 the most fertile valleys in the world. When I first 

 came to California it was a wilderness of weeds and 

 willows — what the Spanish call " monte." When 

 the " monte " was cleared, the soil proved peculiarly 

 adapted to the growth of vegetables, and in partic- 

 ular the common white and brown bean. It 

 soon became famous as having produced the larg- 

 est onions in the world. Its pumpkins, too, and 

 its carrots and beets were colossal. This valley 

 belonged to a friend of mine, who sold it in small 



