The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-03-18

.t,u maintain my opinion." That Is Inn
noss,ble replied the Doctor. You may
retain IT, but you cannot maintain itl'
What shall he said OF a member OF Con-
gress who fatty denied our statement
that no silver dollars were coined LOT
over thirty years Qrom lsOo 10 IsSo)' anu
declared that he had the very highest
authority for his belief that there was a
large coinage Of American silver dollars
during all that period? lie has no sucn
authority. he cannot find a dollar OF the
dates mentioned and the official state
ments of the minis show that there were
no dies executed during all mat mterFai
of time. OF what use Is IL 10 reason
with a man Of that Character ms is not
question OF mere opinion about when
even intelligent men might diber, but
plump denial OF a plain matter OF lact
about which there ought to be no possible
doubt Yet the speaker Is so intrenched
in his prejudices that the truth, as pam
rs the sun at MONDAY, has no effect upon
him.
In a large bundle Of fresh communica-
lions on this theme the statement mat sh-
yer was "demonetized in 1915 Is repeat
ed An a great variety OF forms. we nave
ventured as our urgent correspondent
requests. to throw a little light on that
question. but the abyss Of darkness sim
remains. out of that abyss comes
voice saving: "You know the gold DUES
are living when they say that SILVER was
not dernonetized by the act or lo5 Up
TO that date large and STEADY rale oi
silver coinage had been maintained ou-
II suIeniy ceased. wiped ont by the one
foul blow" Think Of this from proih-
nent public man who assumes 20 De
ioodor in tits discussiOn For fonr-soore
Of dollars coined
US onlv 7Ss0.6}S: By the act OF 1873 the
trade dollar was substituted and In SIX
vears o 90 nieces were struck al the
mini Loss than eight million dollars
had lean coined IN eighty years up 10
1172 and then about thirty-siN millions
were coined I'm six years, ana thls -
called a trick by which silver was de-
monetlZedi OF what use are nSht anu
knowledge and argument in a discussion
with enc who win sit in the shadow 81
this goat falsehood?
Take another case 10 which still greater
publicity hes been given. Nearly all the
r,pors Of the country haze printed lhe
views OF che who aisumes to be a leader
of public thought on the question AT ISSUE.
lie insists nat he great mistake ana the
origin Of the present trouble Is the act
of 1899 which treated silver as a commo-
dity. whereas 1t was coin that was need
cd and all the silver purchased under
the Sherman law should have been turn
ed into dollars and circulated among the
people. OF what use is an argument
addressed TO the author Of that sallacy
The mint has been coming dollars Tor
more than a dozen yCsIs, until Tour nun
dr. ID millions Of them had been struck
and every possible effort had been made
10 force them into circulation, but with
cut avail. It has 3js 900 now on hand
new and glittcfing, with no demand for
them from any source Why should the
5000 tens OF pig silver nov held and
stored as a commodity" he turned into
dollars. when there is no one who wants
them, and they cannot be made TO take
place IN the circulation Of the country?
The solution Of the problem IS plain
enough If the people will take the proper
steps TO enforce n. Arguing against
prejudice or against the wilful resistance
TO the truth is in either case only wasted
breath We suppose that the country
will come al the last 10 a gold standard
and the large and liberal use OF silver in
fractions Of a dollar as a subsidiary cur
rency supplying the bulk Of the coin in
circulation among the people and a legal
tender for limited sums. No other settle
ment is possible under the present con-
ditions OF production. But how long it
will be- and through what financial con-
WILSON'S we must pass before that solu-
ton is reached no one can tell. We may
have decade OF decentralization before
the lesson is learned that the human will
cannot defy the laws Of nature.