The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-08-16

streets with want staring them in the face.
Scores Of banks, most of them prudently
managed and showing assets which under
ordinary circumstances would place them
above suspicion, are driven TO suspension.
There has been such shrinkage of hun
dreds Of millions in the value of stock and
other property and in agricultural products.
To attribute all this condition TO the rres-
emit silver purchasing law of the United
States is absurd. Under this law since 1890
$3.50, 600, 600 has been added to our currency.
Does anybody believe that the presence OF
this $l5O,OOO,OOO makes money scarce and
dear2 Would we be better off if we were
out of it2 The real object lesson Of the
situation is very different from that which
the gold conspirators intended.
at enables US to see the beginning of the
shrinkage in prices that must take place in
order to go TO a purely gold basis. The
trouble is in the change in the money stand
ard. The value Of money may be doubling
the weight of standard coin or by destroy
ing half of the metal out of which coins are
made. One is as effective as the other. The
establishment Of a single gold standard is
equivalent to putting the value of two dol
lars into one. It is doubling the unit and
putting the property down One.hslf. This
is what is going on. To do this and still
require the same number of dollars in pay
ment of debts and taxes is to sanction the
spoilstion of one class by the other and the
talk of such standard as honest money or
such policy as sound finances is rankest
hypocrisy. Applause.
"The members Of congress, the speaker OF
the house who sigued the bill, the president
who approved, never knew that it demon
etized silver. There was but one man in
the United States senate who knew that the
act Of 1873 demonetized silver, and yet he
has neyer been hung or shot for treason.
TGreat applause at this allusion to John
Sherman. This Rot will be known in his
tory as the crime of 1873. Let the memories
Of those who stand connected with it rot in
oblivion" Great applauee.l Continuing
he said he was willing to have the act of 1896
repealed if it's other Sherman law, it's act Of
1873, can be repealed by the same bill. Lei
both Sherman laws go together and place
the country back upon the constitution and
the law as it stood before 1873.
ALLEN W. THURMAN,
chairman Of the convention:
"The best money, the most honest money
is that which will give to the people as near
as possible stability of value. The claims
of the single standard men that this can bt
maintained onlywith gold alone, believe
has been so often disproved that it is unnec
essary even to refer to it, but the catch
penny phrase that is continually used il
high places OF q sound and stable cur
renoy,' is, in the mouths of these people, al
misleading as it is possible to be. have
no doubt that in the message which is to b'
sent to congress upon the 7th Of this month
this phrase Of "sound and stable" currency
will be used.
81 want the president Of the United States
TO tell the people of this country and thl
members of congress what he means by
"sound and stable currency" will not b
satisfied by his saying that he simply wants
standard that does not fluotuate, but
want him to tell the people Of this country
why he says that gold alone will make tina
stable standard. Give us the reasons TO
the faith that is in him. The people Of thi
country are intelligent enough to under
stand whether the conclusions he reaches
are correct ones from the premises lait
down. II he does not think that the peoplr
are 30, he certainly must think that tn,
members of congress are; to whom thi