The Forrest City times., 1894-11-02

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 were only allowed to coin the silver and pay ! his debts with it. He was allowed to do this | before 1873 and we demand that his right to uo | it shall be restored.
 | Mir Sherman, in his recent speech at Akron, | Ohio. against the free coinage of silver said'
 "It will double the price of all our productions, | but will it not also double the price of all we have to buygr We are willing for the doubling process to begin. MT. Sherman adds: But | two classes of men will be benefited, the dept. | or who can pay his debts in cheaper money, ana | the owners of silver mines" We ask no more | than this. We are willing to exchange our present condition if we can double the price of | our products and bring prosperity to debtors | and the owners of silver mines.
 Our peopte are under the delusion that every thing including silver, is falling in value when | the truth is it is only the gold standard and me asure Of values that is rising.
 It is said that we cannot remonetize silver | without the co operation of Europe. England demonetzed silver in 1s16. We maintained bi- metalism sixty years without her aid. She IS | the creditor nation of the world and of course | insists upon gold standard with rising value. | As we led the the other European nations into the demonstration of silver, it is only fair that | we lead them back again. If we need gold to buy goods in Europe, we have plenty of gold | in OUT mines to buy all the goods that our tarln | laws will allow us 10 buy. Our trade with Flu rope only constitutes four per cent Of our com | merce. If there is danger Of our gold colns | leaving us we need only to reduce their weight. This course was once adopted for this purpose with our subsidiary coin. If all the gold should leave us we could survive for some while. Many of us have seen prosperous times when we had neither gold nor silver.
 Besides Europe is indifferent in commercial transactions as to the size and ratio Of our coins She takes gold only by weight. She would as soon have gold bullion as gold coin. Some people imaging that England objects to the free coinage of silver because of it's depre- ciated value. That is a mistake It was not depreciated when she had it demonetized. She would not now have it remonetized at any ra- tio because the necessary effect would be to
 reduce gold to its normal value and thereby d. minish the value of gold bonds.
 For the reasons indicated above we are in ia vor of the repeal of the act Of 1873 and the res toration of the free aud unlimited coinage of silver as provided for by the act of l7s2. We believe the simple repeal of the act of 1873 will bring gold down from the exhorbitan. value and purchasing power to which 1t has attained by reason of legislative favoritism.
 We are unwilling that the debtor should be
 required to pay in money the standard of which
 has been doubled in value by fraudulent legis-
 lation. This is tyranny and oppression which
 has no parallel in history.
 We think It would be a mistake to imagine
 that the present situation can be permanently
 relieved by infating the currency with bank
 paper. We appreciate the utility and advan-
 tage of sound paper currency, but 1t will be
 remembered that bank paper is not primary,
 but only secondary money. bank note, like
 any other promssory note IS nothing but an
 evidence of debt and it's value depends upon
 the maintenance of a reserve fund of primary
 coin money with which to redeem it on demand.
 merchant may discount his promissory note
 to tide over temporary pressure, but he must
 not delude himself with the idea that he has increased his cash capital when he has dis counted his note. So long then as bank paper must be redeemed and the only primary money for redeeming it is gold, the supply Of bank paper, like that of gold upon which it is depen- dent, must be restricted. Silver, however, has a purchasing power of it's own and if the gov ernment will only allow it to be coined, and give it the same privileges as gold, it will take care of itself, and, so far from needing 10 be re- deemed, it will itself furnish redemption fund.
 IL may be asked why the necessity of forming silver club and promulgating this address. Our apology Is found in the fact that, while our last democratic state convention, by it's plat form demands the free coinage of silver not one of our candidates for congress, although each of them is an ardent advocate of the free and unlimited coinage of silver. has ever, so far as his speech has been reported in the pub lie press said word on the subject during the present campaign. This makes us fear that they are not sufficiently alive to the importance of this issue. large proportion of our busi- ness men and bankers are opposed to free coin age. We believe it is because the question has never been studied and discussed. The public needs educating. Two of the leading newspa per organs of the democratic party In this state, the Arkansas Gazette and the Arkansas Democrat, are also understood to be opposed to the free coinage of silver-at least they per sistently decline to say anything in it's favor and it is well known fact that the principal stockholders in each paper are believers in the single gold standard policy of Mir. Cleveland. We think 1t unprofitable now to discuss the tariff no candidate for congress proposes to undertake its revision in the immediate future. We see no other means, then. ofprovoking pub lie discussion and educating the public mind except through the organization and instru- mentality of silver clubs. The free coinage of silver is one of the greatest questions that will come before the neU. congress ana enter into the next presidential election and our repre- sentatives ought to be advised and instructed as to our wishes.
 The question is one that will not down at the bidding of gold bugs. Our people are starring with flour at s per barrel They are in rags with cotton at 5 cents and wool at cents pound. There is an abundance of money in our mines which still retains its purshasing power, but our government will not coin it or allow us to coin il. We are blndly worshiping the gold en calf.
 We are amazed at our neighbors in Memphis, Tenn. In the second largest cotton market of the country, with cotton selling at cents a pound, they have nominated for congress pro nounced enemy of free silver. In our opinion this is on their part financial suicide.
 By order Of the Little Rock Silver Club.
 J. T. w. PILLAR P,asjdept
 Attest: c. s. COLLINS, Secretary.