The Portland daily press., 1891-07-30
Prevention Better than cure

Coy. Horace Boies of Iowa In his letter ac-
cepting nomination by the Democrats of
that state has this to say about the free
coinage plank Of the platform:
Il, on account Of changed conditions, as some
beIeye, the result of this free silver coinage1
Will be 10 reduce the metallic currency of the
country TO a silver standard alone, or otherwise
be safely trusted to devise some means II retain
ing the two metals in the relative positions as
signed them by the founders Of our government.
This is obviously an admission that Gov.
Boies believes that there is trouble In free
silver coinage, yet he seems inclined to run
the risk because the people can be trusted
eventually to cure the troubles. A physician
who should sit supinely by and see COM
munity expose themselves to the danger Of
an epidemic by reason Of the violation of
some well known sanitary law and utter no
word Of warning could hardly justify him.
self In the opinion Of intelligent persons by
declaring that he knew the people after they
got sick might be trusted to take means to
get well, and we do not think that kind of a
justification will strike the public any more
favorably when 1t comes from statesmen or
party leader. The laws of finance are as
well understood as the laws of health and
the outcome OF certain conditions in the case
Of the former can be foreseen quite as Ger.
tainly as In the case of the latter. The cheaper
currency pushes out the dearel; that is one
of the memorable laws of finance. An I'm.
limited issue Of the silver dollar made legal
tender for all debts will surely push cut Of
circulation the dearer gold dollar; and the
calamities that will follow in the train oil
such a result cannot be averted by any de-
vice Of any people, no matter how intelligent
they may be. The calamity may be abbrevi-
ated by the removal Of the cause which pro.
duced 1t, that is, by the stoppage of the sill
yer coinage. but before that can be done a
great deal of hardship and loss will be ex-
perienced, and that too. by the class least
able to bear II, namely, the wage Garner.
But the removal of the cause that has pro-
duced a disarrangement Of currency is
by no means the simple and easy process
which Gov. Boies thinks. We saw that
soon after the war. The country was then
suffering from deprecated currency, the
cure, and the only cure, for which was a
restoration Of the currency to specie basis.
Yet there speedily sprang up party thai
proposed as a cure for the evil effects of this
deprecated currency further issue of the
same kind Of currency, and this party sue
ceeded in carrying many States in the Union
and was powerful factor In legislation
The contest was for long time doubtful
and though the friends of resumption finally
triumphed their victory was not SO easy mol
So overwhelming as to encourage the idea
that the notions and instincts of people il
regard to currency are SO sound that they
will quickly discover when they are coins
In wrong direction and will Immediately
right about face. Eventually, no doubt, the
people would know how to cure the evils
of an unlimited issue Of legal tender silver
but the knowledge would come to then
slowly and before 1t had resulted in action
great deal of mischief would have been done
Prevention is always better than cure. M
matter whether the trouble be physical OF
financial, and the doctor or statesman WHIT
nSglects the former and allows the disease
to develop is pretty poor specimen Of bill
class.