Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1893-08-19
THE DAM.
AN AMERICAN POLICY.

<A<N 1Ahk A&s1SANN - OAAS
The following from the Denver Re-
publican, is 50 pointed and good, that
We reproduce it, long as it is:
England is a creditor country. For
many years it has been the pawnbroker
natjon of The civilized world. In a re-
cent speech Mr.. Gladstone said that
debts amounting TO S10,000,0O 1000,
nearly ali payable IN gold, both interest
and principal, and that it would be bad
policy for thu British government to
favor bi metallism, because whatever
crease the wealth and power of the
English creditors who have debts due
teen from others countries.
Viewed from the standpoint Of the
creditor, Me-. Gladstone's position is
sound, although IN large sense We
believe that cred tors aewell as debtors
would reap more benefits in the long
run from financial policy tat would
promote the general welfare than from
one That would paralJ "a enterprise by
rGinous contract on of the circulating
medium of ;he world.
But why shoult the people of the
United States, wLo owe S3,UOU,t 10000 TO
NC -t,NOO,OOO.ONV vi u dJLlS
Iefe red to 10y Mr.. Gladstone, adopt a
financial policy directly designed to
enhance the value OF those debts by
max ng gold toe only money of ultimate
REDEEM ptICn in this country? Assuming
our present Indebtedness to England to
S3,000,0 100000. and that We pay per
cent. IN dividends, or int rest on tue
whole amount, it is evident that We
must annually pay at least Sl50,OO0,O 900
to our English creditors. Now, whether
We pay in cash or its equivalent In
products, We certainly have nothing to
gain and muck to lose by making the
interest and principal of our debts
payable in gold alone. That would be
a good policy for England but a very
bad policy for the United States, and
yet it Is exactly the policy which
President Cleveland favors when he
demands the unconditional repeal of the
purchasing clause OF the Sherman law
and the absolute characterization of
silver in this country.
England has never hesitated to adopt
airy policy that would be most favorable
to it's own interests. and why should We
not also protect and promote our own
welfare by the adoption of such policies
as are most favorable to the development
of our resources md the enrichment of
our people? Why should a president of
the United States Or any other public
official or private citizen Of this country
urge our government to adopt the single
gold standard our of deference to Eng
land, when everybody who has given
any thought TO the subject must know
that England las adopted that stand
and for purely selfish reasons, AID not
becaus IL is Just or right?
Four generations ago, VIII wha: is |
now the UGitsd States WAS merely a |
fringe of struggling colonies stretched |
along the Atlantic coast of this CONT |
nent, without an army or navy, without |
capital or or, dit, without trade or CON-
merce worth mentioning without rail- |
reads or telegraphs, without foreign |
alliances OF any kind, with hostile |
savages threatening their very existence, |
and with less than 3,O00,O00 inhabitants, |
not one of whom possessed a fortune |
amounting to 100000, our forefathers, |
under the leadership of such statesmen,
warriors and patriots as George Wash |
ingion, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin |
Franklin, John Adams and Patrick /
Henry, had the foresight to perceive ard |
I l6 W luhI Iulc
vas not good for this country, and they |
pied ked and rsked their lives, their
fortunes and their sacred honor tC abide
by the principles of the declaration of |
independence.
They not Only threw off the British
yoke. bat they framed a goverDmanta as
unlike that which they repudiatsd as
possible. They even went 50 far in
Al Iato Ipa 70 ont l0A.a /
English methods and policies as to dis
card the monetary system of England
and to adopt a decimal system in Its
stead. The pound sterilng was tabooed
AMI the dollar, the standard silver dol
lar, containing 37l4 grains of pure
white metal, was made the unit of value
In ITS stead.
Shall we now, when the country has
grown to be the greatest, richest and
most powerful Of all nations of the
earth, deliberately, and with a full
know ledge of the vast cost I'D unspeakl
able injury to all our Interests which it
" ould entail, place our necks under the
fathers threw off, by adopting EngIand's
gold standard policy for Eng ads en-
ri ehment and cur own imp0verjshment?
That is what President Cleveland vir-
tually advises this country to do in his
latest message to congress.
We have amazed t. Q world and broken
all past records in the marvellous success
we have achieved in solving the problem
Of popular self-government. We have
church from state nave dispens
ed with a hereditary peerage, have
made one man as good as another before
the law, have developed continent,
have fought successful wars both at
home and abroad, have made an educa-
ton and Homestead the birthright of
every child in the land, have freed 4,0O0,-
BOO slaves, have taken the foremost place !.
in the industrial arts, and have increased
in population to 100000, all without
following English presidents or being .
governed by English policies, |;