The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-17
SETTLE. FRIDAY. JULY "a.
THE OHIO PLATFORM.

cluded the following among its resolu-
tons:
We denounce the demonstration of silver in
1873 by the party then in power as an Ubiquitous
alteration of the money standard in favor OF
creditors as against debtors, taxpayers and pro-
ducers and which, by shutting of one source
OF supply Of primary money, operstes continu-
ally TO increase the value Of gold ,depress prices
hamper industry and disparage enterprise, and
we demand the reinstatement CT the constitu-
tional standard OF both gold and silver, with
equal right TO free and unlimited coinage.
This statement is a lie; an old lie that
was coined long after the stoppagc of sill
yer coinage in 1873. The bin was before
congress from April 1870 to February 1873,
during which period action was taken on
it in one house or the other nineteen
times. Its enactment. was one of the
most public proceedings which has ever
taken place in Congress. 1t did not then
attract much popular attention because in
1873 coinage was considered as a question
to be solved by experts, and the opinion of
thirty experts was taken. Mr.. Kelley in
reporting the bill June 9th, 1922 said
1t is impossible 10 retain the double standard
huctuate. You cannot determine this year
what will be the relative values OF gold and
silver next year. They were Is to short time
ago. They are l6 to / now.
It was not until 1876 that the cheap
demagogues discovered that silver had be-
come cheaper than gold to pay debts with,
and then, and not till then, was heard the
lying cry, repeated in the Ohio Democratic
resolutions, that ''silver had been secretly
demonetized in 1878 by conspiracy of the
gold bugs" The logic, therefore, of this
resolution rests on falsehood for its base,
but the situation is today what it was in
1874, when the greenback craze prevailed
with the demagogues of both parties until
Grant stamped it out by his veto of the
imitation bill. The secret of imitation
strength then was not its logic: il had
none then; it has none today. Then as
now its strength was its popularity with
the ignorant, unreaecting, shallow or I'M
prineipled citizens of the North, and with
those of the South who were then, and are
still, nursing their wrath to keep it warm
against the government that conquered
them into sullen submission.
The contest OF 1874 was aptly character
lied as "one of the revenges Of RECONSTRUCT
tom" for the South welcomed imitation
then as the initial step to reputation, 20
spurning off their necks the milestone Of
debt that was piled up in forcing them back
into allegiance TO the Union, and their
stupidity, vindictiveness and dishonesty
was played upon by the local demagogues
and politicians TO make the whites of the
South stand up solid for any measures
that were even remotely hostile TO a full
and frank assumption and discharge of
this war debt. Ii is too late today TO re-
lume the dream of reputation with
any hope Of success, but politically
today the South, more than any
other section of the country, stands
for the incarnation of ignorance. barbar-
ism and rascaIity, and on this, imitation by
free coinage of silver naturally leans with
no unreasonable hope of success. The
South and Southwest will be solid for this
new rascality OF imitation and its sequence
the robbery of practical reputation. With
demagogues of force, determination and
plausibility TO voice their doctrines. thew
will be popularity recommended to a
large class at the Middle West and the Pa
eiac Coast on the specious plea that the
Jaw of 1873 was executed for the benefit of
the gold bugs and against the people; that
free coinage of silver is necessary, because
1.-THE country needs more money" 1t may
be that the country needs more banks 10
distribute money, but it certainly does not
need any more "oheap money" for cheap
money" is always the swindler Of labor.
Under the existing law the Republican
party has provided for the increase Of
money to sn extent greater than the in
crease of business and population. The
government today buys the entire domes-
tic production of silver; TO do more than
this would bring all our money TO the
single silver standard alone, demonetize
gold and detach the United States from
nations of the world, who would seize the
opportunity to damp their boarded silver
at - or - cents above the market price
upon our treasury. This situation would
change the standard of sll contracts, in.
duce special contracts payable in gold,
thus paying gold to capitalists and
silver At an exaggerated price to the
farmer. lsborer and pensioner. The
knavery Of the whole scheme for
free silver coinsge Is seen IN the
tact that it is not more money. that is, not
more good, honest money, they want. but
more cheap money; they want free silver
coinage, which will cheaper the purchss-
Ing power of our money and make a wide
difference between the kinds Of money in
circulation, based on silver and on gold.
The soathern ContedeTacy had plentv Of
cheap money; prices rose. but the purehas-
Ing power of wages did not rise as money
became more plentiful. Daniel Webster
was eternally right when he declared that
sdehased. inflated currency vas The most
effective device of man 10 enable the specu.
lator 10 rob labor of the wages won by the
sweat Of It's face.
Nevertheless the resolutions of the Ohio
and losa Democracy make il certain that