The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-06-01
THOUGHTS on SILVER.
Will Free Coinage Give Us tho Hs'"''' ""o
soutb American Trader


ouotb Senator Teller: I'VE ought on a
silver basis to take the entire AsIatic trade
from Great Britain. We ought on silver
basis TO take the entire South American trade
from Great Britain :,
II the senator really believes his own
words. instead of 'purposng merely 10
INIT silver bullion 10 par" he comes far
sbor, of his duty AZ senator and patriot II he
saeks not at once 10 put the country on
str;ctlv silver basis" The parity Of silver
with gold is a mere trifle compared with TAX
ING Great Britain's entire Asiatc aud
south American trade. more than thousand
million annually. The struggle for supremacy
has been the struggle 10 control the Aslatic
trade. and the state controlling II
has ever been weightlest and WEALTH.
est. The Gorgeous East" Is not only
true commercially. but from earliest times 1t
has uossessed a witchery over the human
mind. and. In the alembic of the poets brain.
has become one OF the grandest images IN
our language. But for the Asletic trade many
famous cities would never have been. and
but for this trade Great Britain might have
remained the semi barbarOus isle of tour cen
turtles ago. Let the United States control
this trade and goodbye 10 the despairing cry
of the agriculturst 10 labor troubles ana 10
the innumeraDle ills attending the strife for
existence "a strife not lessened but augmented
by the artificial requirement Of civilization.
Control of the AsAtlc trade means untold
wealth. agricultural. mechauical. commercial
and almost as much u means the GRIPPING OF
Great Britain our most dangerous and hurt
full competitor. With her crippled. no more
alarms of battered sea-coast cities. no more
disputed sovereignty over seas thousands OF
miles wide. no more Canadas, no more
caveats" at any time or any place. and no
check 70 the destiny Of the great American
uatiOn-our Golfers filled TO repletlOn, our
pride 10 bursting.
The Senator believes all these things and
more and vet his purpose Is only 10 put
silver bullion % par" which will still leave
our greatest and most dangerous rival II
possession of that Asiatc trade when has
been the principal cause why the sun never
sets upon her possessions. and why her
drum beat il one continuous roll around
earths circumference. impossible. We eau
only credit his sincerity at the expense OF his
patriotism, but we had rather question the
former than the latter. because his patriotism
is OF that burning quality that would lead q
crusade in favor of a silver basis II he really
thought silver basis would take the entire
Asiatc and South American trade from treat
Britain. enrching his beloved land beyond
the poets fancy and cnpplng perhdious
Albion" The Senator -eally does not
believe what he says. In college phrase. he
is merely making q curl, or perhaps throwing
"A tub 10 the whale.
Figures generally are like dry bones yet We
must give Is few specimens 70 show our beg
carly share of Asiatic trade under a non
silver basis. The United States statistics are
for 1889 those for Great Britain or rather
England are for lS76-rather old and much
less than in 1889. but they answer the pun
poses of the argument
Commerce Jetrccn the United States and the