Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-15
wealth and population as she mover grew
before" he predicts.
So Il seems 20 US.
a Ranmhlioan flomnromise.

II is said that caucus Of the Republican
members Of the House Of Representatives
will be held tomorrow night for the pur-
pose of eaecting on the silver question
compromise which will command Their
support a. Republicans. Tina caucus was
called al the request of members who are
ia favor Of opening the minis OF this coun-
try TO all the silver produced in this conn
Try but closing them to the silver produced
elsewhere.
This proposition itself tells as soon as IT
Is stated that les advocates are not bime-
tallists at heart but are masquerading a.
such because the people OF the United
States are known 70 be in favor OF placing
silver upon the same high plane already
occupied by gold. These pretended fnends
Of the white metal would like 10 secure Tor
their compromise measure Democratic
votes enough in the two houses OF Congress
10 make M for the Republican votes which
win be cast in good faith for the free coin
ace of silver. There are very few Demo
cratic monometallists in either house
only three In the Senate, 1t is reported, ana
not many moro III the lower house IN pro-
norton 10 the numerical strength OF the
Democrats In this body. In order TO get
these Democrats to march under the mono
motsilistic banner, the Republicans profess
TO be willing to accept the compromise
above referred TO.
But Is it q COMPROMISED What conces-
sions do the Republican monometalllsts
make TO the Democratic bimetallists we
might say that the compromise, so-calied'
il simply a proposition to stab silver under
the fifth rib whilst pretending to be Its
friend. Silver is either entitled to DO
placed upon an equality with gold, or it IS
not. II il IS entitled to this treatment the
coming of it should be done on the ssme
terms as the coming Of gold is done. Who
proposes 10 coin only the gold producedin
this country? Nobody. Our minis stand
open all the year round for the recep-
ton of gold bullion and its con.
version into golden money. And II
il were proposed to coin only our
own gold, the men who have patched up
this so-called compromise would be among
the first TO object to it. For them, there
fore, TO profess to believe that the minis OF
this country ought TO be closed to all the.
silver produced outside of it is to confess
that they know perfectly well that thus to
treat silver would be to discredit it forth
with. For if silver is really as valuable as
rold-that y, in the ratio of sixteen
TO one-it is Just as much entitled
TO be recognized as the worlds
money as is gold. If. on the other hand,
silver is not as valuable as gold in the pro-
portion Of sixteen TO one, then let us cease
our clamorous calls for the free coinage of
the white metal and join the grand army
of monometallists. The real friends OF
silver argue that inasmuch as silver is
coined in Europe in the proportion OF
fifteen and half to one, thus recognizing
il rs more valuable in proportion to gold
than il is in this country. there is no dam
ger that England. France, and Germany
will send their silver hither to be re-
duced in value by the coming process.
However this might be, it is certainly true
that to build q Chinese wall around our
minis and exclude all foreign silver there
from would be to declare in the plainest
language that bimetallism is a sham. de-
fusion.
In word, bimetallism is on trial. Silver
Is to be proved by actual experiment to be
equal to gold in the proportion in which
the two metals are used, or else it is to be
proved to be unequal to gold. For us to
declare in passing law on the subject
that American silver is as good as gold, but
foreign silver is not. would be to give up
our whole case-would be to confess that
we are hypocrites who dare not practice
what we preach.