The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-09-25

1 VA ~ ~ -
would correct itself.
Mr.. Currie here means that the diff
Guilty would correct itself" by starv-
ing out miners, which is quite true.
AS a necessary evil" it is not a matter
with which people in his class concern
themselves. AS Consumers they
task no questions" when they find pro-
ducers starving by reason of the artif,
cial and unnatural fall of prices caused
by a contraction of the money volume
"a contraction created for the very
purpose of depressing prices.
Upon Mr.. Currie's admitting that the
fall in the gold price of silver bullion
had been one of the causes of the fall
in the price of wheat he was asked the
question:
"Then we have arrived at this, on
your own admission-that there is n
industry which has been injuriously
effected by the fall in the price of
silver9"
To this he answered, ''There is
commodity the price of which has
been lowered by the fall in the price of
silver"
ANSWER OF ENGLISH BANKERS TO H DE-
MAND FOR BIMETALLIsM.
A few further words from his testi-
mony will give his summing up of the
situation. He said: I believe in the
inherited preference for gold. x = II
1 know the feeling of the class to which
1 belong, and I know that any change
is Numerically opposed to u feeling,
and that whatever change is made, to
whatever extent we can, WI will be
clear of it. If we lend a nan $1,000,
we will say to him: Understand, we
are not to be paid back in this new
stuff. We must have gold"
The matter 1 have quoted is sufficient
to show the temper of the gold standard
bankers and their allies, whether in
Great Britain or elsewhere. There is
no doubt that Mr.. Currie thoroughly
understands the feeling of the class and
condidly sets it forth. That the gov
eminent of Great Britain was in full
accord with the opinions expressed by
him as above quoted is evidenced by
the fact that it appointed him a dele
gate to the Brussels monetary confer
ence in 1892 His remarks before that
conference were in line with the testi-
+mony he had given before the royal
commission, but accompanied by the
extraordinary declaration that his
monetary ideal was "a gold standard
even without a gold currency" This
is the answer of the banking classes to
the demand of the producing masses
for bimetallism. 1t is a proposition not
to have more money, but to have less;
a proposition evincing the monstrous
and cold-hearted determination to
further despoi the masses Of mankind
under the forms of law; a proposition
to produce a maximum depression in
the prices of property and a maximum
reduction in the wages of labor in the
interest solely Of a small coterie of
money lenders; a proposition for the
weighing down of laborers until, as in
former periods of history, they may
receive wages of half a penny a day,
while the owners of national and other
long time bonds may, for every penny
of debt, receive in wealth, or the prod
ucts of labor, the present equivalent of
a dollar.
The advocates of the gold standard
and so-called international b~imetallists
are entirely safe in processing a readi
ness to leave to the arbitrament of Eu-
ropean governments the question
whether the people of the United
States shall have and continue to have
sufficient quantity of money with
which to carry On the processes of in
dustry and enable u people to ex
change the products of their labor
among themselves on equitable terms.
Are the people of this country willing
to wait for the free coinage of silver
until they obtain the consent thereto
of the class of persons represented by
Mr.. CurrieG
If not, the beneficiaries of the stand
ard of contraction PROFOUND to us the
question, "What are you going to do
itgn~
THE MONETARY QUESTION IS MORE IMPOR- |
TAET THAN THE TARIFF.
A change of party afilia lions is not
to be either advised or commended ex-
cept in obedience to the imperative de-
mands of principle. But I submit to
my friends and all who believe with
thot in this nrooE ouoopnano- Eho II