The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-09-16

ana the price fixed is the standard of a
Sertaln number of pounds to the bush
q, and when the time for delivery ar
rlVes grain has declined in value, would
any sensible or honest man say for that
reason more pounds should be put into
!.ne Dushel to pay the debt? There is
Just as much sense in one proposition
as the other. Certainly your contract is
not TO pay In the precious metals at
what they are worth at the time of pay
menty butte pay in them at their value
when the contract was made, and it
would be as much an act Of injustice to
the people 10 change that standard as it
would 10 the bond-holder should they
appreciate in value. But / would like
the gentleman from Ohio, or any other
gentleman occupying the position on
this question that he does, to prove to
this House that silver has declined and
that gold has not advanced in value. l
would like any gentleman to show how
he would determine the question OF val
ue compared with each other. We
know that they are separate and apart
is there not Just as much argument to
prove that gold has advanced as that sill
yer has declined? The argument that
silver has declined is because in many
governments, including our own, silver
has been demonetized. Has not that act
alone created a greater demand for
gold? The value of all commodities is
regulated by supply and demand; if you
cut off the demand for one and increase
it for another l ask if each would not
be equally affected by the change
The question now is whether or not
we have right to pay our debts in sill
ver2 The word coin used in all the
acts authorizing the issue and sale of
bonds, according to Chief Justice
Chase, means: "Ihat we have two kinds
of dollars; we have one dollar, a paper
dollar, and we have a coin dollar, which
is a piece of gold or silver of certain
degree of weight and fneness." Again,
in the act of 1869, which was an act to
explain what the language of the var
ious acts relating 10 the issue of bonds
meant, you will find that the word
"coin" means gold and silver, and it
was in consequence of the use of that
language that the infamous act of 1873
was passed. want the double standard
restored, because all contracts have been
made under the double standard, which
has existed since the foundation of the
Government. The silver dollar that we
now seek to restore was inaugurated by
Mr. Hamilton in 1892, and has never
been changed since that day SO far as
the amount of pure silver it contains is
concerned, while the standard of gold
has been changed at least twice.
q If Won
pass this bill making silver full legal
tender, you will find, in my judgment,
that in very short time it will approx
innate to the value Of gold,
Should the majority report be adopt
ed, what will we have left as money
Gold Nothing but gold to measure
the value of all the property of this
vast country! All its commodities and
its labor to be regulated by it! While
to-day there is not a dollar of gold in
the Treasury beyond its demand obliga,
tions What, then, will be the condition
of the debtor class? 81 pause for re-
ply!"
You will find that under that policy
the labor of the country will come down
to forty cents per day. The labor of the
country is its wealth, and its value is
measured by its money, | have passed
sleepless nights fearing that this Re-
publican policy, under the dctation of
certain leaders of both parties, might
be carried out under the bill reported
by the majority Our condition would
be far worse than it was before the war,
because then we had silver with gold in
use as money. Ii you deprive the
debtor class of that now you will be do
ing them a great act of injustice. If
you countenance this act of reputation
for the benefit of the creditor class, the
people will hold every one Of you to
strict account for SO doing.