The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-10-13


80; Four years old. A number
When we reflect that his speech, care
fully prepared and made as q bid for
the presidency, contains no illusions to
his views on the two great issues of
silver coinage and the iucome tax, it is
not surprising that he should add men,
dacity to political COW wardice.
Tho democratic party has repealed
both the federal election law aud the
Sherman act, while the oppressive pro-
visions of the Mckinley tariff have
been either entirely eliminated, or
greatly modified, and governmental
expenses largely decreased.
/ shall not be so disingenuous as to
evade the fact that the repeal of that
portion of the Sherman act which
authorized the purchase of silver by the
government was accompanied by serious
and irritating diversity OF opinion in
both the republican and democratic
parties. While every democratic
senator voted against the Sherman act,
which degraded silver by treating 1t as
a commodity and not as money, many
of us we're unable to agree with MIR.
Cleveland IN policy which con-
tracted the circulating medinm forty
millions of dollars annually, by repeal
ing the purchasing clause of the Sher-
man law, without making any provision
for supplying the money necessary to
increasing population and business.
We believed then and believe now
that no country can be prosperous
with increasing population and de-
creasing money. History will he
searched in vain for such an example,
but its pages areifilled with the proof
that poverty and distress invariably
come to the masses from contraction of
the circulating medium while popula-
ton and business are Increasing.
Those of us who disagreed with the
president did not believe that it was
either polite or right for the United
States to follow England in adopting
the gold standard; nor were we able
to appreciate the consistency of those
republicans, who for years have been
denouncing British free trade and
British gold, but are now willing to
follow the dictation of Great Britain in
finance. England is creditor nation,
with all the world paying her interest,
W hile the United States is debtor by
reason of the vast sums borrowed by
our people abroad for purposes OF
development, and the national debt
created by the last war. 1t is natural
and logical that England should favor
the gold standard, for closing the
mints to silver has increased enormous
ly the purchasing power of gold and
tho value of incomes.
| Besides, England is a commercial
nation, and gold is the money of com
merce and capital. There is not a
usurer nor money-lender in the world
who doesn't worship gold, for it is
easily stored and transported, and Is
the red divinity of the bank and
counting house. 1t is no wonder that
its vOtarics denounce silver as dishon.
est money, and those of us who favor
the free coinage of both metals as
cranks and demagOgues. For myself
| desire no higher encomium than the
abuse of such men. l have no sym
pathy with them living, and IL per
mitted to furnish an epitaph for then
graves would write:
Here lies old twenty. five per cent,
The more he made the less he spent;
The more he made the more he shaved
Great Godi can such sQul be. saved?
What matters 1t to these people tha
the debtor must pay, by reason of the
gold standard, twice the amount h,
contracted to payp What matters i
that the price of all commodities geel
down, by reason of the increased pur
chasing power Of goldP Their constan
cry is for honest money, as If the use o
silver meant dishonest dollar. They
talk fiippantly of intrinsic value, as j
there were intrinsic value in gold no
to be found in silver.
The intrinsic value of gold and silve
is almost nothing, but the value whicl
tempts the honor of man and tn
virtue of woman is created by th'
money stamp put upon them by legis
lation. AS money, they represent al
things; us metals, they represen
trinkets and ornaments. The gol,
worshipers first close the mints Il
silver and then point to its fall il
value. or gold and silver in the worl'
there are about 80, 900, 900, 900 in gol'
and $4,000. 100000 in silver. Thi
constitutes the circulating medium
and the basis of all values. Can ther
be any doubt that the striking of silve
out of circulation as standard none
must destroy its value and enormousl
increase the value of goldP
Suppose that the transportation OF
community could be done only by re
and white horses, and that law shoul
be enacted making it criminal to us
white horses; what must be the effect
lWould not white horses become wortl
less. and red horses double value
This is exactly what the moner-lendel
have done to silver and gold, unde
the pretense OF having honest money.
We are told, however, that th
country can not without danger flo:
more silver money than is now
circulation as com or silver certificate
amounting to $500, 100000 M
Cleveland vetoed bill, passed durin
the last session of congress, providin
for the coinage of 100000, 900 Of silv'
which we have paid for and now hay
in the treasury vaults. 1t lies thel
useless, and the reason given for Il
presidents veto was that its coinas
would endanger the public credit, al
add so many dishonest dollars TO Il
circulation. France, with one-half o
lpopuiaiion, and not one-tenih o
resources, maintains S700,000,000