The National tribune., 1895-08-08
A FREE SILNERITE,s PLANT.

so disguised with your position on the SILL
yer question when / was a subscriber for
The NATIONAL TRIBUNE that | did not
care to invest another dollar for it. / then
gave you credit for being honest, but the in
closed editorials from sample copy you
sent ME does away with all my belief in
your honesty in your position toward silver
and those who advocate bimetallSm-tbc
coinage of gold and silver at 4 ration of 16
10 !.
You know-for you are in position to
know-tiIat the reason the people do not
! take the coined silver ont of the United
! States Treasury is because the Treasury is
so manipulated by the Secretary and the
banks of~the country that they cannot get
/ IL. You turn UP your nose at what you call
! a boycott of National bsnl-notes by the
order of Grand Master Workman Sovereign
! that they be refused, with the very object In
view; that their place be filed with the sill
yer you claim (!alsely) that the people do
not want
| In dealings where stock, produce, or prop
| eriy are bought and sold, and where pay
ment is made to labor nearly all payments
are made in bank checks. The banks pay
out the money received in the business of
the day. The only money that could be re-
fused in these transactions is National bank
notes. All other is a full legal-tender. But
suppose the people would demand silver on
these checks If the banks did not have it,
how are they going TO get it? They cannot
get to The L. s. Treasury, and you know it.
They can refuse to take National bank notes,
and that is all they can do. Hundreds of
thousands of dollars are paid in checks every
month, where the maker Of the check has no
money on deposit but they are paid by the
han To
holding these checks should demand silver
and refuse to take any other form of
money-iust what you say they ought TO
do; how many banks outside of the one
drawn on would handle them?
YOU know that III the last panic the Sec
rotary of the Treasury refused to exchange
silver for gold or greenbacks, and the only
way it could he got was by silver certificates,
and the demand was 80 great that silver went
to a premium. 1t is not because the people
do not want silver that il is not in circula-
ton, but because the Secretary of the Treas
ury will not put it In circulation. You
know be can pay every pension with it and
nobody would complain, but be glad to get
it the same as TO get any other form OF
money. But recogeize am wasting time.
Your action toward silver assures me that
you are under the The thumb of the London
and Wall street brokers, or you would never
put forward snch a claim, that the people
do not want silver. You know they cannot
get it. II you say the bankers do not want
it, then you strike the truth, bat they are
not the people by long ways, if they do
hold the silver out of circulation; a power
they must he shorn OF to insure peace and
prosperity in our country.
Respectfully yours, II. Fl. Cook,
Ottawa Kan.
Mr.. Cook seems to be one of those
unpleasant persons, who thinks that
everybody who docs not exactly agree
with him is a scoundrel, who can only
be actuated by the basest motives. This
is 50 absurd, so illogical, that it is be-
ginning to be recognized generally by
physicians as definite mental disease
a fungus on the brain, something like
smut on oats.
If Mr. Cook would reflect for an In
slant he would see that we have quite as
much reason for denouncing him as
lobbyist in the pay of a ring of silver
mine gamblers, as he has to charge us
with being in the interest Of Wall street
bankers. One charge is just as likely
to be true as the other, and no more so.
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE has care
fully kept out Of the financial discus
sion, because we needed all our space
for other matters, and there were enough
papers in the country making that
speciality.
Our sole venture into the fray was a
bit Of sound, practical advice to those
who wish to see silver restored to1oits
monetary use to begin the work them
selves by making the utmost use they
could of silver in their own business.
This apparently innocent suggestion in
furiated many men of Mr.. Cooks
stamp-probably because it was sound
and practical. That is clearly not the
kind of ideas they want.
Now, the things he alleges az facts are
not facts, and every well-informed man
knows they are not. The Treasury has
constantly tried to get the silver dollars
into circulation. 1t has sent and will
send, at IFS oacn expense, silver dollars to
any portion Of the country. Silver dol
lars and subsidiary coins are the only
money that the Treasury sends out at. lis
own expense. The consignees must pay
the charges on all other kinds of money.
This fact was at one time quite largely
taken advantage Of by some banks in
making up their balances.
Mr.. Cook, or any other friend of sill
yer, can get all the silver dollars he
wants at any time by applying to the