Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-08-08
mines, leaving silver principally for
our and other markets."

NlItN ~ I 4 we
leaving silver principally tor
,ura and other markets"
Mr.. BLAND's REPLY.
Unless one argument advanced by
Bland stood good, the statement That
he United States could coin silver at
!, ratio of 10 to l, could not be main
aimed. That argument he would now
,uote, and the speaker read an ex-
;ract from the Sedalia speech, in
which Mr.. Bland asked that the minis
the United States be opened to
Tree coinage at once, and that all the
nations of the earth be invitedto bring
heir silver bullion here. The United
States was to back up its offer by an
nouncing its intention to put its &c.,
Doc, 600, 900 in view and offer it in eX-
change for silver at 16 to l.
"What if they should take you up,
friends?" asked Mr.. Hall. "Before
making a bluff, look at what the con-
sequences might be, and stop to think
before you offer your homestead for
silver at l6 to / when it is selling in the
markets of the world at a ratio OF ~
to I.
Ex-Congressman Bland was greeted
with a tumultous applause, and he
started bodily into the contest. The
hit of his speech came at the very be-
ginning. His voice IA unusually clear
and he had, for him, an unusual
amount of fire. He denied that it was
his mission to convince the spectators
beyond a doubt, but said that the our
den of proof lay with MI. Hall to show
that present conditions were not the
| result of adverse legislation.
"Mr. Hall has gone further in this
debate" said the silver orator, as he
raised himself on tiptoe, 'than had
expected him to 60. He has said b a
the free coinage of silver at ID to
would bring about ruin and disaster.
Yet he tells you that he will vote for
such a bill. My friends, what sort OF
a showing does he make before this
audience? If l believed that a vote OF
mine in Congress would bring ruin to
this country, / would not vote, nc
matter what pledges l had made.
would resign my seat in Congress
That is what l would do"
"Hit 'em again, Dick" shouted
spectator, ornamented with a 16 to
badge, and Mr.. Bland proceeded. Mr.
Hall, he said, had read from his article
in the North american Rerieic, in which
he stated that he was in favor of the
lowest ratio that would keep the met
ais at a parity, but Mr.. Hall had reae
only a part of the article.
"That reminds me of the man who
said that he could prove from the
Bible that there was no God. Tbt
man started to read: Here it u.s. sale
he, there is no God Some one in the
audience cried out: Now read wha-
is before that 1t ran this way: 'Tht
fool hath said in his heart there is nc
God
"My position was then, and it il
now, that the hostile Legislation
demonetizing silver was the cause o
it's losing it's commercial value"
In reply to the statement that hi
could not name any acknowledged
authority of political economy wit
advocated the free coinage of silve
by one country alone, Mr.. Bland quot
ed from a reply of Ceemuschi to
United States Senator, i'll which tn
, Frenchman said hat France has mad
a serious mistake by not continuin
, the free coinage of silver.
i Referring to Mr.. Halls attitud
about ratio, Mr.. Bland declared tina
, an intimate acquaintance with tn
legislators of the country had con
y WINGED him that there was not a tru
friend of bimetallism in the countr
who wanted any other ratio than 10 t
all. The trouble with men like Ha
n was they offered no solution of tt
question. Congress had not in recel
years sought to change this ratio, an
the most votes polled for any propo
sition looking to the continued silv'
coinage during the Sherman repe
extra session was on a ballot in favt
y of the ratio of 16 to 1.
dl MR.. HALL CLOSED.
d Mr.. Bland, in reply to the argumel
O that the United States had a mut
II larger per capita circulation than ar
d of the silver countries, reviewed Il
argument advanced in his Sedal
h speech, in which he quoted from ii
statistics furnished by Mulhall, Il
1t English statistician, as to the produ'
y tive power Of the people of the Unite
ID States as compared with other coul
Of tries. The productive power of oil
h American was equal to that of 10 Me-
n leans or 10 Cinnamon. If the Unit,
10 States produced more, it would ha'
,e to have a larger per capita circulatio
le Otherwise the property would get il
D. to the hands of the bondholders.
"They tell u.s." said Mr.. Bland, 9Th
le If 81, 200, 900 in silver coin were melt,
lie into bullion, it would only be wor
D $500, 900. They call that a knock-dov
argument The man who makes til
1. kind of argument ought to be knock
O. down. No less a distinguished state
to man than the Secretary of Agricultu
Id has told US that money ought to
Oh tested by fire. II l had my wa,
n would fire both him and his chief, t
IN President Of the United States.
ty "Silver cannot be converted ba
We into money, as a gold, because y
h. can take the gold back to the Tressu
he and have it coined again, but y
cy can't do that with silver"
in Mr.. Bland quoted Ernest Seyd
Dir stating that the United States shot