San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-07-10
SCENES IN WONDERLAND.
The Drop on Silver-How to Restore
It-School Examinatlon-Church
Observation-Disclosures Caught 1t
Personal Notes, Etc.
LA CONCORDIA, MONTEREY,
july 4, 1898.

To the San Antonio LIGHT.
The drop which silver got last
week has almost caused a panic in
this city. AS soon as the news
was received that the silver fell
from S04 to 60 groups of merchants
could be seen in stores discussing
the silver question; manufacture
ers and miners would meet in the
Hobbies of the hotels and talk about
it. Many Of them remarked that
if the silver question was not set
tied soon that they would have to
shut down the mines. Some of
them have already done so.
Your correspondent interviewed
a number of prominent citizens, in
order to get their views on the
silver question. Every one of them
had a remedy of:their ownI to sug-
gest to restore the white metal.
Some of them wanted the govern
ment to make silver and gold the
standard of value, sixteen to
one. while others favored silver
alone. AS this is a silver pro-
ducing country, and Europe
and the continent must have silver
to carry on their business, they
would have to send to this cOun-
try for silver.
HOW TO RESTORE SILVER.
Your correspondent would sug-
gest the following:
LIST Let congress pass a law max
ing silver, gold and currency a
legal tender for all debts, both
public and private.
End. AL debts from ten dol
lars and upwards to be payable in
gold, silver or currency at the OPP
ton of the payer.
3rd That all the contra cts
that are made from this on by the
government, states, citizens or
chartered corporations be specified
that payments be made in gold,
silver or currency at the option of
the payer.
4th. That the government,
states, counties, cities and all
chartered corporations be prohibit
ed from Issuing any gold bonds, or
any bond that calls for gold inter-
est.
9TH. When states, counties, cities
and chartered corporations issue
bonds for public Improvements that
they be required to issue one half
of the total amounts in $4,000, 100,
and the balance in 5000 to $500
bonds, so as to put them within
the reach of the working people
and home citizens and thus keep
the interest at home in place of
sending it abroad.
If such a law was inforced it
would put a stop to the present
panic, and prevent future ones.
1t would put a stop to this mad
rush after gold.
And last they should put a
Chinese law around the banks of
the country. They should hold
the president and board of directors
responsible for all money deposited
with them, and whenever they
fail to pay it out to the depositors
when called for, that they be
criminally prosecuted and the
death penalty be assessed; and
that all their personal property
and homestead be subject to forced
sale until all the depositOrs are
paid in full.
These may be extreme views,
and such laws may be
harsh, but no honest man
will suffer from the enactment of
such laws. Whenever a train is
held up and robbed, or highway
robbery is committed men will
arm themselves and follow the
robbers to capture or shoot them
down. But when a bank fails and
the officers rob their depositors the
sympathy of the community is ex-
tended to them. They will say,
at is too bad that they failed, they
were such nice people; they are
deacons and elders in the church
es, teachers in the Sunday schools,
leaders at the prayer meetings and
in the choir. 1t is too bad, they are
such honest and pious men,"
They rob the depositors of mil
lions of dollars without mourning
any risk of being that. But it is
not so with the train robbers and
highway-men, they run the risk of
being shot in the act; but if they
should get away the country would
rise up in arms, hunt them down
and shoot and lynch them. Which
of the two think you is
the greatest criminal? Ninety
out of a hundred will say the
bankers, the pillars of the church,
4 q u nnllAI LAaA-