The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-07-17
THE DEBATE BEGINS
ABOUT SILVER AND GOLD
"Coln's Financial School" At
tackled and Defended-The Au-
thor of the Little Book Tells
What He Proposes to Do.

Chicago. July l6.-No such big talk"
has ever been planned before. ii is
said, as the ten-days' go-as-you-please
match between chosen representatives
Of the opposing sides Of the money
question-R. G. Horr and William II.
Harvey, which opened to-day. 1t was
2 p. m. when the witty ex-congressman
from Michigan. now a resident Of New
York. and the sharp Colorado news
paper man, now a resident Of Chicago.
signified TO the judges and the select
audience present by invitation at the
Illinois Club on Ashland avenue. that
all was in readiness for the successive
10000 word broadsides that. with three
minute rests. were to last three hours
judges are Hon. H. C. Miller and Judge
A. w. Vincent.
Following Is the opening statement
of the Hon. Roswell G.. Horr. In
the debate begun this afternoon be-
tween him and w. H. Harvey. of
Coins Financial School" Copyright
secured by Azel F. Hatch Of Chicago)
Judges and Gentlemen-It is agreed
between Mr. Harvey and myself that
previous to entering upon the general
discussion. each OF US shall make
brief statement defining In a general
way the position he proposes to occupy
In this debate. The question which We
are about to discuss Is one that Is not
only receiving very great attention
among the people Of the United States.
but 1t is one that is also receiving
some attention from the nations of the
Old World. The question involves the
kind of money that shall be used by
the United States and has to do with
laws which will affect the great busl-
ness interests of this nation. The ques-
ton of finance Is a very complicated
one, and there are some features OF 1t
about which the ablest men of the
world have been differing for years.
THE foundation for the discussion
upon which We are about to enter is
small book published by Mr.. Harvey.
my opponent, and entitled Coins Fl
nancial School" The real aim and OBJ
ject Of that book is to convince the peo-
pie Of the United States that this gov
ernment alone should at once enter
upon the free and unlimited coinage
of silver upon the old ratio Of Is to !.
The wisdom Of such a. course ! dispute.
Mr. Harvey will still maintain the af-
firmative Of that issue. I will state In
the outset that from the beginning to
the end Of the book. there Is hardly
proposition made to which ! give my
assent. ! propose to controvert many
things which are stated as facts. and
shall attempt to prove that the entire
theory set forth by the author. II
adopted by the people Of this country,
would lead only to business disaster
and financial ruin. do not remember
to have examined a book carefully in
which / find so few statements that I
consider worthy of belief. and GER
tainly never saw so many absolute er-
rors crammed into so few pages.
~ am not here as an opponent Of bi-
metallism. / believe In the use Of gold
and silver as money to the fullest ex-
tent that can be done on sound busi-
ness principles. My position on this
question has been too frequently stated
understood. l believe that both gold
and silver are the natural money Of the
world; that in all the larger transac-
tions gold is better adapted to the
needs of the people than silver; that all
the smaller business transactions Of
the human family, for many years,
have been and always should be con-
Quoted with silver. I also believe that
in all transactions of the nations Of
the world between themselves. the two
metals should be used In the settling
Of balances, but only at their CONNER
cial value. I also believe that In the
business Of our nation. the people
should never attempt to use either
metal except at its actual value. only
In cases where one metal may be used
as token money and be made redeem
able in metal at its commercial value.
have always entertained the hope
that the business men Of the world
would yet come together In an inter-
national convention and agree upon
scme basis whereby gold and silver can
both be used as the money of final
settlement among the people of the
entire world. I am very clear In my
idea that until some such arrangement
shall be made. 1t would be simply sui
cidal for this nation to adopt a system
Of the free coinage of silver upon the
old ratio, a ratio which all the civil
lied nations Of the world have long
since discarded. / do not believe that
any one government can fix the value
upon any two metals and name a ratio
which will be accepted by the people
Of the world or of the country itself, so
that the two metals will be used side
by side. Consequently. II our nation
alone should attempt any such action,
1t would simply place our country upon
silver basis and the attempt would
end In silver monometallism.
II believe that the law Of 1873. which
Mr.. Harvey's book denounces as a
crime was honestly conceived. openly
advocated and passed by the American
congress after full deliberation and
because the people at that time who
held seats In the American congress be-
lieved such a law ought 10 be enacted.
do not believe in the teachings Of
this book, that this nation is on the
verge Of a financial ruin or that star
walton is staring our people In the
face. / shall deny most emphatically
that the great majority OF the people
Of this country are in debt and shall
insist that three-fourths Of the Ameri-