People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-07-07
THE SILVER QUESTION.
WILL DISRUPT THE OLD PARTIES,
SAYS MIR. BLAND.
The AgricuIturists must Resist the
Greed of the Commercial Centers.
Free Coinage to be the Issue.

porter, and asked his opinion as to
the effect which the Indian suspension
of free silver coinage would have
on the financial policy of this Gov
eminent and more especially the sill
yer advocates. He replied:
"Heroic measures will be required
on the part Of this Government for
the RECOMMENDATION of silver. The de-
monetization of silver is meant by It's
authors to have an effect upon our
legislators in favor of the gold stand
ard. There may be some timld per
sons who will be influenced thereby.
"No. Most emphatically I do not
think it is knock out for silver in
this country. On the contrary, !
think that if Congress does not adopt
some measure looking to bimetallic
standard it will make the battle of
standards the coming issue in this
country. This battle will disrupt po-
political parties and cause a contest
between thu commercial centers and
the agricultural districts of the
country.
"The masses of the people Of the
Mississippi Valley and the Southwest
will not submit to the single gold
standard, and any political party
seeking to force it upon them will bes
repudiated.
"All political indications at present
seem to be that there is going to be
a fight between the agricultural dis
tricts and the commercial centers
that will disrupt political parties as
now organized. If silver is demone-
tized this fight will be precipitated
"The issue of the new party will
thOn either take the form of the re
monetization of silver or the issuing
of paper fat money. We will not
submit to the gold standard or the
controlling of money by banking IN
situations. If silver is finally demon
etized gold will go with it. They
came together; they will go together.
"Free coinage of silver is demand
ed by the laboring classes, and this
is what free silver men will now de-
mand of Congress. The commercial
centers are trying to force the gold
standard upon us, and we will not
submit, no matter what political party
combines with them to force us.
"The demonstration of silver is
a conspiracy between the banking in
situations Of England and the eastern
portion of the United States, and the
suspension of silver coinage in India
is part of this conspiracy to bulldoze
the Congress of the United States
into the adoption of the single gold
standard. I do not believe that they
will succeed"
els the present stringency caused
by this conspiracy"
"Harry Clews OF New York says
that gold was recently sent to Eng
land beyond any necessity, and this
showed a deliberate purpose on the
part of the gold interests to create
panic in this country If possible.
They are producing a stringency for
no other purpose.
"No. If the Democratic Congress
stands trua to its pledges this con-
spiracy viii not succeed. The low
price Of silver is due to tho facy that
this and other governments are dis
eliminating against it, and that the
money interests of this and other
countries have fought 1t. No import
ant commercial country has recently
had mint for the free exchange of
gold and silver. The effort has been
to dam up silver and prevent It's free
exchange in the commerce of the ma
tiong.
$50 long as silver had free ex-
change the parity was maintained.
Silver cannot compete with gold ex-
cept upon equal terms. This the
Democratic party in their platform
promised to give, and they cannot ig-
more the promise.
"Can the United States by free
coinage restore silver to It's original
value?"
"This was practically admitted by
the British Royal Commission of
1888, consisting of twelve members,
six of them uncompromising gold
moDometallists. They admitted that
France alone could MAINTAIN the par
ity of the two metals Of a nation Of
15@ to /. This country is stronger
in material wealth, developed and I'M
developed, than France and England
combined"
Here Mr.. Bland read the following
report from the commission mention
cd above:
"The fact that the owner of silver
could in the last resort take it to those
minis and have it converted into coin,
which would purchase commodities
at the rate of 153 of silver to ! of
gold would, in our opinion, be likely
to effect the market generally who
ever the purchaser and for whatever
country it was destined. 1t would
enable the seller to stand out for a
price approximating to the legal ratio