Final answer:
Farmers and miners believed that if silver filled the US Treasury, more money could be printed and prosperity would return.
Step-by-step explanation:
Farmers and miners believed that if silver filled the US Treasury, more money could be printed and prosperity would return. This belief was based on the concept of bimetallism, which proposed that both gold and silver should back the currency. They argued that increasing the money supply through printing more silver-backed currency would lead to economic growth and prosperity.
Learn more about The impact of silver on the US economy.