The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-06-21
TELLER's COMPLAINT.

The declaration of Senator Teller
of Colorado, the other day, that If HI
had supposed the declaration in thu
Republican platform in favor OF thu
equal use Of both gold and silver a
money was mere clap-trap he would
not have supported that party mol
would it have carried Colorado in 1888,
ELECTS this comment from gold
standard supporting journal: TELLER
interpreted that plank TO suit his own
hopes. He figured It's measuring 10
be that for every s. or 80 cents
worth Of silver bullion brought TO a
government mint dollar stamp
would be placed upon it for the bene-
lit Of the bullion owner, very com
Portable and easy way OF making
money for mine owners, but opposed
to the general welfare because essen
italy dishonest"
In this controversy As TO the relative
value of gold and silver, who is dis
honest?" For centuries silver had not
only mantaine an equality with gold
at the rate Of to l6, but most Of the
time was worth TO 3 per cent. more,
and this during the last half century
IN spite Of the demonstration Of sill
yer by so powerful commercial nation
as England. Even the demonstration
by Germany in 1870 failed to bring
silver down to parwith gold. 1t main
tanned its rate Of to per cent. above
gold until 1872, when it was, by
stealthy and dishonest trick, demOne-
tiled by the United States. This COM
PEELED the Latin Union to fall into the
same line, and then silver began to 90
down and so continued until it fell to
lS per cent. below par with gold,
though Of late, under the threats OF
free coinage by the Uuited States, 1t
has again gone up few cents.
Now, what was the motive of this
war on silver? 1t was giving the world
too much money to suit the plutOcrats
and money kings. If the metallic
basis Of the worlds money could be re-
duced one-haIf it would just double
the value Of the notes, bonds, mort
cages, annuities and all the other
money obligations held by the creditor
world. They owned and controlled
the governments Of Europe and forced
them into the measure, and either by
purchase or craft, or both, inveiged
the congress Of the United States into
it. They could not, however, destroy
silver, as they would have liked to do,
but they knocked it down IS to 20 per
cent, and to that extent were the
gamers, aggregating the world over
thousands Of millions.
Now, where was the dishonesty?
Was it in this gigantic scheme Of the
plutOcrats to rob the debtor classes Of
the world Of thousands Of millions, or
is it in the effort of the silver men of
this country to bring back that metal
to its legitimate and rightful standard
of value as one Of the money metals Of
the world?
Whether the immediate free coinage
of silver by this country will accom-
plish that object, or is just now the
wisest measure in that direction, is
problem we are not now considering.
The only point we desire to make, and
is that those who bring
the accusation of dishonesty" against
the silver men are themselves guilty
OF an outrage, to characterize which
dishonesty" is the mildest possible
expression, and to which the applica-
ton of wholesale robbery and plumber
are epithets far from strong enough.