Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-08-01
''H'ORR | and 4 HARVEY
The War Of Words on the Silver
\ Question Continues at
Chicago.
5lrm;:' y
Ho1r and Harvey Give Each Other
Some Hard Nuts to
Crack.

Chicago, July "a. .Dack dates" were
thrown to the dogs to-day In the debate
between Horr and Harvey. 1t was .lore
than ever = case of Greek meets Greek.
and Interest In the tug-of-war heightened
at once when 1t was seen that the days Of
Perlclcs rs well us 1902. 1916. 1873 and
other years, no matter how historic or I'm.
portant, We're all barred more or less In
favor Of 1898.
Mr.. Horr opened the dispute with writ
ten argument touching the impussl5ii!ty Of
maintaining fixed rule between gu:l and
silver Mr.. Harvey charged that Senator
Morrill, erred In saying that no silver dol
lars had been coined for forty years prior
to 1873. Mr.. Harvey read from the report
of the director Of the mint, showing that
silver dollars In greater or less amounts
had been coined nearly every year.
Mr.. Herr said that Mr.. Morrill, had not
meant to say that not II dollar had Eeen
coined, but that none to speak of had been.
Mr.. Harvey submitted u table to show
that from 1857 up to 1873 the commercial
ratio had remained remarkably close to the
legal ratio, Notwithstanding the demonetiza-
tion Of 1t by England and another of the
great nations Of the old world.
Mr.. Horn said this matter of ratio had
little or nothing to do with the question.
The fact was that all of the civilized ma
lions Of the world refused to recognize sill
yer and would only receive it ut Its bullion
value, measured in gold. What might be
II the other nations should join in admitting
silver to free coinage was one thing; for
us to attempt 1t alone was another.
Mr.. Horr then took up the proposition
OF Mr.. Harvey's book, that making a dollar
or one-half the present value would double
the value of everything In the United States
except debts. Mr.. Horr pronounced this
Nv.n NtrpJ,A hot
II we cut our yardsticks In two it would
double the amount Of cloth in the country.
Mr.. Harvey argued that both gold and
silver were the measures Of value until
1873. He asked whether, If half tG-: gold in
the world were destroyed, the value of the
gold dollar would not be doubled.
Mr.. Horn shook his head.
Rendmitting Silver to Coinage.
Mr.. Horr, in reply to the charge that the
demonetization of silver cut the value of
products In two, said that If that were true
prices would at once have dropped 20 per
cent. The fact was that they did not.
Mr.. Horn said that Mr.. Harvey did not care
for ratio. What he wanted was cheap
dollar and the cheapenng of the emolu-
ments Of labor. That was the most pros
porous country in which its workmen were
best paid.
Mr.. Horr said it was in 1870 that we re-
sumed specie payments, and the only mon
ey OF final redemption was gold. He asked,
was distress abroad In the land from that
on? The fact is, the years from 1870 to
1892 found our people better employed and
at better wages than In any other same
number of years since the government was
formed. (Applause.)
Mr.. Harvey: "As to the prosperity of
this country between 1870 and 1892, you
could not break down a great nation like
this In one year. A change in relative
production had no effect as long as the
mints We're open to the two metals" Zap
plause.)
Mr.. Horn: 81 have never said that the
cheap price of silver was not on account of
Its overproductlon. Silver has become
cheap in this world just precisely the same
as wheat and iron and zinc and lead and
other articles have been cheapened Just
precisely for the same reason. applause
All of these articles have been cheapened
by the natural laws which govern the
production of every substance know to the
producers in the world"
w. D. Wilson of Chicago: "How about
gold?"
Mr.. Horn: "Gold the same. 1 am glad
you asked me. Gold has deprecated in
value in less than 100 years SO per cent.
1t Is cheaper now than it was In 1873.
What I find fault with is that the silver
men Invariably leave out Of their calcula-
lions this article of labor, and the article
the civilized world. Cut down the pay of
labor and you paralyze the entire business
of any nation.
Mr. Harvey: "Mr. Horr says that every
thing has been cheapened, including gold.
To say that gold and products cheaper
simultaneously Is financial contradiction.
You buy gold by exchanging ether property
for it. When it takes more property to
buy gold than formerly gold has 'i.;cn. In
stead Of becoming cheaper, gold has be-
come dearer That is the case now. And
yet, Mr.. Horr, by sophistry, REASONS that
laboring man: You can buy more with a
gold dollar now than you ever could, and
then turns to you and says that gold is
growing cheaper all the time.'
This ended the debate for the day
Settled by Sherman.
Mansfield, Ohio, July 22.-1n the Harvey
Horr debate at Chicago ON Saturday Mr.,
Horr said there was provision in the act
of 1873 for 3s4-grain dollar worth five
In the senate before the bill was passed,
Mr.. Harvey denied that it was struck out
by the senate and said that If it were so
he would stop the debate right there. In
an Interview to-day Senator Sherman stated
that this provision was added to the bill
after it reached the house at the instiga-
ton Of the citizens Of California, who pro-
duce both gold and silver, but that it was
struck out when the bill reached the SEN
ate. Mr.. Sherman also disputed a number
Of Mr.. Harvey's statements
Chicago, July 25.-The seating capacity
Of the rooms of the Illinois club was all
!, taken up when the Horr-Harvey debate
opened to-day. While the size of the rooms
do not permit large audience, the officers
of the club are compelled every day to re-
! fuse many applications for seats.
The days talk was opened by Mr.. Har-
vey. He said that the debate Of the last
session was Of value as showing that dur
ing the last forty years silver had been
steadily coined In spite of the assertion to
the contrary; that by the table copied from
the reports of the mints, the commercial
ratio between gold and silver had been
maintained at about the French coinage
ratio of 151a to l for 200 years; that during
the twenty-five years since 1873, as the re-
suit of the demonstration, the commercial
ratio bad declined to so to L; that In the
4 1888 years prior to 1873 the quantity or ratio
n between gold and silver had ranged from
SO Of silver to of gold, to of silver to 1
h of gold, and that during all that time the
commercial ratio had chung closely to the
q legal ratio. During all that time the com.
a-t ctI, IN,,1tt had