The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-03-03
SILVER LEGISLATION.

The telegraph informs US that the anti
o~;,ror Democrats admit. after a count OF their
forces in the House OF Representative '""'
tho free silver men have a majority OF from
,~a,tv 10 twenty-five. IL thus seems PROB
~. .ho, a vote on the silver question will be
- IN tbs House. We can say no moro
~ lass than that this will be most
da,lorable. II Is as plain as the nose
81, q mans face that IL tho Demo-
cratic party goes into the next election
tied 10 free coinage il will be beaten. Why
cannot the silver men allow this matter to lie
over until tho next election is held? Can
those who are pressing this agitation really
be Democrats? DO they realize the vast i'm
p~ortance TO us Of the South that the President
should be q Democrat TO appoint to once
down here persons who are Of the people ana
in sympathy and feeling with them! we
sometimes feel disposed TO question their
loyalty TO their party. and certainly feel as
posed to think them wholly indifferent 10
the fate Of the people of the South.
We are also informed by the telegraph that
Mr.. Reed. speaking for the Republicans OF 'he
House, who pose as the advocates OF SOUND
money and opponents OF silver, SAID mat MS
party would not vote with the anti-slNer
Democrats to prevent q discussion or ana vote
on. the question. though they should Yoto
against the bill on its passage. ms must Do
conceded 10 be a most small and contempt
BILE order of politics-a triaing with vast ehu
serious interests in the hope that a petty
party advantage may be worked out of 1t.
VIII the Republican party ever have a states
man equal to dealing with great public ques-
tions from q s~tatesman's standpoint. or must
their leaders always bo pot-hOuse politicians,
never aiming higher than party advantage?
On Monday last Mr.. VOORHEES, made another
set speech on silver in the Senate. Mr..
Voorhees, has. ever since the war, fought the
South's battles go bravely and 30 manfu'y
that it would be hard for him to do anything
that would make US down here quarrel with
him. But we do not think the argument OF
that speech measures up TO Mr.. Voorhees,
standard as a statesman or a senator. Inc
burden of it was that a silver dollar OF inc
present weight and fineness will buy as nucn
as a gold dollar of the present weight ana
fneness. therefore he concludes that II tAe
Government should put out an unlimited
number Of silver dollars of the present weight
and fneness. each one would continue to buy
as much as the gold dollar Of the present weight
and fneness. But we submit that this isa com-
plete non s%equit0. The silver dollar contains
APP grains ~ofsilver 10th fine. Thegold dollar
contains % s-1Oth grains of gold 9-lOth fine,
which is worth at the jewelers. thirty cents
more than the silver dollar. 1t ought to be
plain that the silver dollar will buy as much
as the gold dollar in the United states (and
only there), because the law-making power
gives it the power to pay as much debt as the
gold dollar. and this will continue to be the
case while the number of silver dollars Is, as
now, limited. But if the Government should
coin all the silver in the world into dollars 1t
is plain there would be so many of them that
gold would disappear as a circulating medium
and then the silver dollar would not buy as
much as the gold dollar by thirty cents.