Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-19
Senator Brown and the Silver Or
gans.

gans.
Senator Brown insists that the bankers
and merchants, lawyers and other bust
ness and professional men of Savannah
are not well informed with respect to the
silver question, and when he presented
their petition to the Senate asking for q
suspension Of silver coinage he gave them
a little lecture in which he virtually told
them that they ought to be ashamed OF
themselves for signing a petition in which
he alleged, every statement except one,
was a mistake.
OF course, the signers of the petition
do not feel very badly because the Sena-
tor thinks they do not know what they
want. They are satisfied, however, that
the position they occupy with regard to
silver is the right one. They know that
this is not the first time which they have
not been IN harmony with him on a public
question, and as they have had no Occa-
sion to regret differing with him on former
occasions, they have 10 reason to think
they will regret differing with him on this
occasion.
The Senator in his comments on the Sa-
vannah petition is not sustained, Of
course, by the advocates of suspension,
but he has right to expect support from
the silver organs. 1t seems, however.
that he has not their support. The leading
silver organ of New York, and tae ablest.
perhaps, in the country, is the San. On
Wednesday, the san said: "If we are to
nave silver for money at all, we ought to
have it without restriction. The silver
dollar under the existing law IS only
costly kind of greenbaek. Like the paper
greenback, it passes, not at its intrinsic
value, but at par with the gold
dollar, being practically redeemable
in gold. Disks of copper or Of
nickel might in the same way be made
equally valuable. Gold is the dominant
standard, rs much now as it ever was,
and it will continue TO be for years, even
il silver coinage at the present slow rate
be continued. The gold men are entirely
right in saying that nc more of the actual
silver dollars than are already coined are
wanted for circulation, and more green
backs would be better than more silver
certificates. Eventually, indeed, silver,
by the operation of the present law, will
drive out gold, but that result is far of,
and In the meanwhile the country will
suffer all the evils of the continued tall in
prices and the consequent stagnation of
trade caused by the maintenance OF the
gold standard"
Here, indeed, from the organ of the sill
verites, is testimony supporting the petit
tion of the Savannah petitioners. In their
petition they say that the coinage Of silver
to the extent that it has been coined, has
been harmful, and that the continued
coinage will be still more harmful
The silver organ In effect says that the
present silver coinage law is hurtful-
that the silver dollar is only a costly kind
of greenbaek and that more silver dollars
are coined now than are wanted for cir
culation. 1t wants unrestricted coinage
or the coinage stopped. 1t is true that it
attributes the stagnation IN business to
the maintenance OF the gold standard,
but business men and bankers know that
that is not the case. But the point is that
the Sun admits that we have got more
silver dollars now than is good for us
under the present silver coinage law.
What better evidence does Senator Brown
want than this, that he is wrong and the
Savannah petitioners right.
But, perhaps, he is IN favor OF free
coinage-Of a silver standard that will
quickly drive all the gold out OF the coun-
try. If he is, he doesn't dare to say so.
But he must eventually advance to thai
position or retire to the position occupied
by the Savannah petitioners. By ad-
vancing or retiring he will admit that
his attack on his Savannah constituents
was mistake.