The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-02

20" w. - ttAa-.-a'
There isapcreistei,t EFFORT on the part of
papers that advocate The free coinage Of
silver tc create the impression that The ma
tional democratic platform calls for the
froo coinage Of silver at the present ratio
o.! coinage, namely. sixteen fo one. I'm
discussing the silver question, and the
position OF the National democratic plat
form in respect 10 10, why not be per
fect'v frank Why try 10 influence pub
lc sentiment in favor Of free silver coin
age 10y misleading statements If silver
has merits, let it stand on them squarely
This is what the national democratic
platform says about gold and silver;
I'VE denouce the republican lerisla-
lation known as the Sherman act Of 1890
as a cowardly makeshift, fraught with
possibilities of danger in the future,
which should make all of its supporters,
as well rs ITS author, anxious for its
speedy repeal We hold to the use Of
both gold and silver as the standard
money Of the country, and to the coinage
of both gold and silver without
discriminating against either metal or
charge for mintaee, but the dollar unit
Of coinage of both metals must
be of intrinsic and exchangcable value, or
be adjusted through international agree
ment or by such safeguards of legislation
as shall insure the maintenance of the
parity Of the two metals, and the equal
power of every dollar at all times in the
markets and in the payment of debt; and
we demand that all paper currency shall
l,s,l IL
such coin. We insist upon this policy as
especially necessary for the protection of
the farmers and laboring classes, the first
and most defenseless victims of unstable
money and fluctuating currency"
Those papers that so glibly assert that
the national democratic platform calls
for the free coinage of silver at the
present ratio of sixteen to one should
read it again. They win find it calls for
nothing of the kind 1t favors the free
coinage of both gold and silver, but it
clearly says that the "dollar unit of
coinage of both metals must be of in
trinsic and exchangcable value" In other
words, it demands that the silver dollar
shall have the same purchasing power in
the markets as the gold dollar
Those free silver coinage papers that
are quoting the national democratic plat
form in support of their view neglect to
call attention to the fact that the plat
form calls for the repeal of the Sherman
silver purchase act, and they also neglect
TO say that it demands that the silver
dollar shall have the same power in the
markets and in the payment of debts as
the gold dollar.
The free silver coinage advocates say
that if the coinage of silver were free the
present silver dollar would have the same
power in the markets as gold dollar
What reason have they for thinking SOL
If the coinage of silver were made free no
more silver would be coined than is now
purchased by the government, because
the government takes about the whole
product of our mines, If, therefore, the
price of silver does not rise when the
government takes the whole product of
our mines, it looks reasonable that it
would not rise if the coinage of silver
were free. The simple assertion that it
would is not convincing.
There is no fight against the coinage of
silver dollars that have the same power
in the markets and the payment of debts
as gold dollars. The fight is against the
coinage of silver dollars that would be
worth only Ga cents in the markets if the
coinage of silver were made free. The
national democratic platform doesn't
favor the free coinage of dollars, of that
kind.