The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-03
GOLD MEN STAGGERED.
Bartine of Nevada Puts to Rout
the Eastern Camp.
THE sTATlsTIcIAN roo LIGHT.
Professor Atkinson Fully Understands
Figures But Not Logic.
THE sTATlsTIclAN roo LIGHT.
New Champion for the silver Men Puts
the Bankers Figurehead Through
Catechism Which Reveals His Lack
of Reasoning Power.

WASHINGTON CRY, Feb. Especial T.
The manner in which Mr.. Bartine of
Nevada confused, tangled and completely
routed Edward Atkinson, the great statis-
tician, before the House committee on
coinage, in considering the free coinage
measure last Saturday, has been a matter
of public comment ever since, and Mr..
Bartine as tinancier and quick debater
has risen perceptibly in the estimation of
his contreres. and his course will be
watched with more than usual interest
when the bill comes up in the House.
Before sending Mr.. Atkinson back to his
musty figures and careful computations
on how much beef suet is necessary for a
mans subsistence whose income is only
10 cents day. Mr.. Bartine had a tilt with
Banker Higginson, of Boston, to that gen.
tleman's discontinue and the great glee of
the advocates of the more generally circu-
lated currency. The Bostonian objected
TO free coinage on the ground that if il was
put in force silver bullion would still be
held down 10 Los an ounce. He was una
bic TO tell why this discount would con-
tinue, and after wandering along helplessly
some time in a maze of figures which
could not'be made to express anything, he
was asked if it was not . fact that there
was always q small supply of bullion in ex-
lstence which was used to bear the market.
He admitted this to be true. but was un-
able 10 tell what would become of the dis
count if this supply was exhausted by free
coinage. When Mr.. Higginson finished
his statements before the committee he
was badly mutilated man.
Mr.. Atkinson was permitted to give his
expert opinions uninterruptedly, and
when he appeared for answer to
the questions propounded by the
committee there was that in his de-
meanor which indicated a disposition to
tell nothing and answer nothing unless it
was in direct line with what he had al
ready said. His manner, moreover, was
offensive. and he was degmatic in the ex-
treme, which placed him in very un-
favorable position wlfen compared with
his gentlemanly interrogation, who had
the sympathy of the large audi
ence. From the beginning the whole
encounter was one of aggression ON the
part of Dir. Bartine, who pressed Mr..
Atkinson vigorously and pertinently on
all parts, while the latter called up all his
ingenuity in the line of invasion that was
too palpable to be effective. After an in
teresting bout with iigures as a weapon
Mr.. Bartine was asked his opinion of his
opponent. I'm my Judgment" he said,
''he is man who possesses an immense
fund of general information, and his mind
is stored with wonderful array of facts
and iigures; but his mind is illogical. He
can draw no logical conclusions from his
ole L. AZ et,s !.
tion.'
This was the opinion of a dozen who
had heard the forty-hye minute colloquy
between the two men. In his opening
statement, when there were no puzzling
questions and aggrivating answers, Mr..
Atkinson declared that the free coinage of
silver meant a change from the invariable
standard of gold to the variable and fiact-
uating standard of silver and,
among other things. he also
declared that England carried
on its business on the safest and soundest
basis of any country in the world. Those
were two of the points selected by Mr.
Bartine for controversy, and he pushed his
opponent so hard that the latter at times
resorted to the excuse that hef could not
understand the questions asked him,
though Mr.. BGrtine speaks the English
language with great huency and accuracy.
The Nevada congressman commenced
the examination by asking Mr.. Atkinson
if silver was more unstable rs a standard
of value than gold, receiving an affirm
ative reply.
Why was the gold standard an inyariable oner
Because, by the common judgment of man.
kind it has been established standard of
value.
s.How do you arrive at the conclusion that
silver is unstsble?" asked Mr.. Bartine.
at fiuetuates so widely" was the response.
Upon what do You base the opinion that
silver huetuatesg'
Upon the market quotations.
s1Do not recent Investigations disclose the fact
that the purchasing power OF gold has increased
80 per cent. in seventeen or eighteen years."
} Mr.. Atkinson answered this by admit
ting that commodities had fallen gener-
ally, but not in all cases. Wages, how
ever. had in fact risen.
Then came the question as to which he
considered the safest and best test of the
invariability of gold, by comparing il with
promptly said neither, but though pressed
further on that important point he failed
TO make his position clear.
"Has il not been shown that commodities and
silver measured in gold have fallen in almost
the same ratio?' was asked, and Mr. Atkinson
said that such was nearly the case. .sThen il il
be true that commodities have fallen so per
cent. and silver - per cent up TO 1857, what
conclusion would you draw with reference to
the stability OF the value OF sIrer@' pursued the
congressman
To this Mr.. Atkinson replied that the
proposition was wholly unintelligible TO
his mind.
Continuing Mr. Bartine asked if the fact
did hot plainly indicate that compared
with commodities generally, the purchas-
fzftw
and witness evaded the question by adj
yancing the technical quibble that such
transactions were simply cases of barter or
exchange.
No satisfaction being obtained on that
point, Mr.. Bartine catechized student of
domestic economy, in its literal sense, on
whether or not the value of silver could
be affected by legislation. 10 which there
was an emphatic no. Legislation was
wholly powerless in that direction. How
was it, then, was the next in
curry, that as long as the mints
OF France and the states OF the Latin
union were kept open. The value of silver
was maintained at about 155z 10 /, and Mr..
Atkinson said il was because silver coald
go right 10 the mints for coinage, and
thereby it was given use that affected its
value:
rs not that affecting the value of silver by
legislati0n2" ?" quickly put in ME. Bartine.
The other thought not. 1t was the use
that gave il value, not legislation, and
subsequently, he added that the Latin
Union consisted OF nve states and an inter
national agreement, and that this agree
ment had more resstrengthening power than
any legislation by one state.
This colloquy led up to the question il
Mr.. Atkinson thought the legislation OF
1873 had any effect on the value OF silver.
and the great inggier OF numerals con-
siderad q long time. finally admitting that