People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-08-01
HOrr-Harvey Debate.
Continued from page two.j

NHlCdgO, July ID ut ldoG udg "
Haryey-HOrr silver siege opened thi!
afternoon. Today's attack was di
rected at the question of the feasibil
i:y of independent action by The
United States on the reconciliation
Of silver and its free and unlimitet
coinage at a ratio of 16 to l with gold
regardless of the action Of other ma
tions. Mr.. Harvey urged for such
action. Mr.. HOrr against it.
The discussion was opened by Mr.
HQrr, with statement that the tig
ures of prices of corn referred to by
Mr.. Harvey on a former day showed
that the fluctuations for a series Of
wears had been normal ones in view OF
supply and demand, and showed that
silver legislation had nothing to dc
With the matter. The fact was that
il vas impossible to show that silver
legislation had affected the price OF
agricultural products. Mr.. Harvey'S
figures, Mr.. Horn declared, were made
I'D from English not American prices.
On the subject of city and farm ter
ancy Mr.. Horr said Mr.. Harvey had
quoted only part of paragraph. Mr..
Harr said that the question at issue
was net one of city but one of farm
tenancy. This tenancy, Nr. HOrr
ayerred, was misQuOted by Mr.. Har-
vey to show an increase, whereas
there was an actual decrease as shown
by the census tables.
Taking up the regular discussion
Mr.. Harvey presented table showing
the coinage Of gold and silver from
I7ss to 1873. He did this 10 show that
gold did not seek the minis for the
first fifty years Of the nation and that
silver did not from 1887 till 1873. Mr..
Harvey then quoted from his book
the total amount Of gold and silver in
the world for coinage uses in view of
the fact that the amount diverted
from the coinage for use in arts mad
greatly increased within the past few
years.
Mr.. Horn coming down to the ques-
ton at hand declared that it was USE
less to try to fix the relative value of
any two substances by legislation.
Suppose congress should try to fix tie
relative value of a buShel of wheat
and a buShel of oats. As soon as one
OF them had large crop up would GO
the ratio, and legislation by the
nations of the whole world would not
maintain the ratio any more than it
wsuld make water run up hill. The
law of gravity would stand in the
way. 1t was so in the matter of the
ratio between silver and gold. The
Law OF supply and demand stepped in
theN and the history of the worlds
legislation showed that it was impOs-
sible to maintain fixed ratio between
the precious metals.
Dir. Harvey said that when he
reached the matter contained in Nr.
HGr'S last talk he thought his liar.
Veg's) answer would be satisfactory.
Continuing his line of arguments Mr..
Harvey quoted estimates as to the
consumption of gold in the arts and
otherwise and for boarding to the
effect that these uses eeualled if they
did not exceed the production so that
the amount of that metal for coinage
Wss at a Standstill or decreasing. Mr.
Harvey then took up the question OF
what is becoming of the silver that is
b9ng produced at present. He first
quoted statements made by authOri
ties that the increase of the use oil
che metals in the arts had grown sc
Large that there was always a ridicu
fously small supply in Europe anC
there was practically demand for al
OF the article the United States pro
daced. Proceeding Mr.. Harvey sale
that gold was irregularly produced
aDd was boarded up by the few rich
Silver on the contrary when more
valuable than gold was boarded BY
the mass Of the people, thereby con
ferring general benefit. 1t was fol
this reason that silver had been &
more stable metal in the past thar
gold.
Ar. Horr said that Mr.. Harvey haC
The unfortunate habit of comparing
things which had no relation. Thai
was what was the matter with hi:
cube argument on gold and silver
The cubic space which they would
Ocupy had nothing to do with theil
value. Resuming his argument anC
referring TO Mr.. Haryey's statement
chat the reconciliation of silver
would reduce debts about one-half
Mr. Horn said that by far the largest
part of the debts in the United States
were less than one year old. The ole
time debts were those of large cOrpor
stiens. The short time debts were
contracted under the existing golC
5NoS9c a-n1 20 roluoo .loro 80 III.