Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-01
Silver in MARYLAND.

The resolution in regard to silver coin
age adopted on Thursday last by the Dem
ocratic State Convention of Maryland Is an
oracular utterance.
Maryland stands at the gateway admit
ting the people Of the West to the East and
speeding the people of the East on their
way 10 the West. She thus occupies pc
culinr position. In olden times she was
ono Of the Middle" States. Some per-
sons still apply that adjective to her; but
il would hardly seem to be an appropriate
designation at the present time IN view OF
the northwestern States. western States.
Pacific States. and Rock Mountain States.
which have during the current century
been added TO the Union.
Fit be true that a man is just what his
environment makes him. il is also true that
Q State is just what its environment makes
il. Besides the facts we have just stated,
Baltimore is large city. Hence the oracu-
lar nature OF Maryland's deiverance in
State convention on tho subject of the
free coinage of silver. Let US reproduce
il. We quote:
80. No State can coin money or make any
thing but gold and silver coin a tender In pay
ment Of debts Congress only can coin money
and regulate the value thereof. The dollar is
the unit Of value in tho United States. The
power Of Congress TO coin gold and silver ought
not to be 70 exercised that gold or silver coin
win become a commodity, and so disturb the
operations Of trade, but In such manner that
the dollar In gold coin and the dollar In silver
coin shall DO OF equal exchsngeable value In all
AM mt
20 depreciate by legislation either Of these
metals ought to be deprecated and condemned"
The first three sentences may be ac-
cepted as stating propositions which no
body disputes. The fourth sentence seems
TO touch first the point so often made in
this paper-that to provide for the pur-
chase Of silver bullion to be coined into
dollars is by law to convert silver into
nero commodity. To such conversion the
Maryland Democrats are opposed. if we
might understand them as endorsing our
contention on this point. But we cannot
in fairness claim that they meant their
declaration thus to he interpreted. though
we must acknowledge that if this was not
its meaning we do not know what THAT
meaning was intended to be. The Mary
land Democrats also declare that the silver
Q gold dollar ought to be of equal
exchangeablc value. So we all say
but how to secure this result il the
difficulty. at is condition not a theory
that confronts u.s." One way Of securing
that result is the ridiculous plan proposed
by Mr.. SHERMAN namely. to put more
silver into the silver dollars. Another wayi is
that proposed by wiser men-namely. to
open the minis to the free coinage Of silver.
Just here let us say that the provision in
the Federal Constitution that no State can
make anything but gold and silver legal
tender for debt, ought to be so construed as
to mean that Congress cannot discriminate
against silver by opening the mints to the
free coinage of gold and closing them to
the free coinage Of silver. This discrimi-
nation is violation of the spirit of the
Constitution, and contrary to the decision
Of the Supreme Court Of the United States
rendered in the legal-tender cases before
the bench of that court had been packed
by President GRANT. Congress discredited
silver; but the several States are forbidden
to discredit it. This is inconsistent. We
might well say that it is unconstitu-
tional.
The closing sentence Of the Maryland
resolution Is clearly upon our side Of the
silver question. II declares that any at
tempt to depreciate either silver or gold
by legislation ought to be condemned.
This means free coinage, or else has no
meaning, for it surely does not mean
that the Government ought to charge for
coming gold.
The Maryland resolution testifes I'M
mistakably to the strength of the silver
movement