Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-07-28
GEN. WEAVER ON SILVER.
Extracts Frsn HIS speech In the 6reas
Quadrasgular Debate.

4 4
Snow, ! suppose there is not per-
son in this house tonight who would
feel in the least injured, or who
would feel that the community had
been injured, if, when he or she
wakes up tomorrow morning there
should be fund Of $50 in the stock
ing Of every member of the family.
II there is any such person in this
audience hold up your right hand.
Laughter.] Would you not be ben
fitted? l think you would. We are
going to have more money. But you
do not believe in the unlimited coin
age Of silver. 1t is in our platform.
IF you do that England will dump
all her silver right over here please
be quiet moment said Smith. i
am praying man. Oh, Lord, let
them begin to dump now Applause. !
| What would they dump it upon us
for? To give it to US? Oh, reckon
not; they will dump it to take our
produce. That would not hurt you.
'Ob, but they would take all our gold
away Well, have you got any sur
plus gold about your pants? The
bankers have it. Is it worth any
more to them than silver? Why then
would they exchange it for silver if
silver is worth less?
aNow, suppose they took it all and
left us nothing but silver in the place
of it-now hold your breath-who is
hurt? lLaughter.] Is not silver
good enough? 1t was good enough
for Andrew Jackson aud George
Washington, and from their day
down to Abraham Lincoln, and it has
been good enough all the way down
through the rise and fall of empires,
and it is good enough for anybody.
1t is better than gold and will serve
US better because it will circulate
more rapidly. But there is not
dollars worth of silver in dollar!'
Oh, that is what is troubling you.
Are you dealing in bullion? No.
| am selling my work as blacksmith;
| am selling my produce as farmer.
All right; you will have no trouble.
Here are two half dollars; they weigh
365 grains, nine-tenths fine. Can't
you get dollars worth Of groceries
for these two half dollars? Yes.
Can't you get dollars worth of
credit in the bank? Yes. Here is
dollar weighing 4124 grains. Can
you get any more for that dollar than
for the two half dollars? OF course
not. Can you get any more credit
for it at the bank? No. Then what do
you care for the difference in weight
between 365 and 4124 grains? Well,
here is a trade dollar, it has 420
grains in it, and that is worth only 65
cents. Now said Smith, 'if 365
grains, nine-tenths fine, is worth
dollar in payment of taxes and in
the purchasing of groceries and pay
ing debts, and another dollar, 4124
grains, is worth just as much and no
more, and this dollar with 42O grains
is worth only 65 cents, can you tell
me how many grains you would have
to put in dollar to make it worth
nothing Laughter and applause.]
"My brothers, the idea about the
number OF grains in the dollar has
been put in your heads by Wall
street. But what does the constitu-
ton say? The constitution says,
Congress shall have power to coin
money and regulate the value of it,
Now, Wall street regulates the value
of it, and Lombard street and Thread
needle street. Congress, says the con-
stitution, shall have power to regulate
its value, and they have said that 4124
grains and 365 grains, nine-tenths
fine, shall each be dollar, and that
settles it, no matter what Wall street
says. The dollar is not in the metal,
but in the law. If this were no. so,
the trade dollar would be worth more
than either of the other silver dollars.
[Applause.