Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-05-23
SILVER.

Uuder the above caption the DtS-
patch asks after defining its own pos
ition on the question "which one DO
you advocate Brother BraInerdT'
Now in the first place we take it that
the unsupported opinion OF either
Brother Royce or Brother Bralnerd
would have but little weight upon
this question. The populist party
has for some time past, demanded
the free and unlimited coinage OF
silver at a ratio OF l6 to 1 The re-
publican party leaders in this state
last fall az an Offset to the popullst
views started out upon the gold stand
ard side of finance, but finding this
was not what the people wanted,
called their orators in and told them
to talk of free coinage Of American
silver with a tariff upon foreign sill
YER. This would perhaps be a step
towards what the people want il these
gentlemen really believed and would
legislate in that direction.
Now the campaign Of 1894 has been
fought and won or lost as the reader
may view it. and another fight is
uLder way. The lines are being
drawn and at present the financial
question seems to be the all absorb
ing topic. The Dispatch opens the
ball in this county by taking the ultra
gold standard view Of the case, and
states that free coinage of silver
means that every mine owner can
take 55 cents worth OF silver to the
mint and have it returned to him as
one dollar free of any expense what
ever" If this be true the silver
miner would have very profitable
occupation, but would this be so2
Turning to the files Of the Dispatch
we find IN its issue of August 30,
1894, the following from Maj Nor
rill; II believe that the only practl-
cal, sensible solution Of the silver
question ls to provide free coinage for
all the product Of the American
mines, with tariff sufficient to ex
clude all foreign silver. This Mould
at once put siLver at its 8 taotddrd
vaI,,e in this country 1t would open
all # our mines, give new impetus
to business, and would provide for a
healthy and gradual increase in our
currency to meet the demands of our
increasing population" v
Further down the column we 6ud
the following act Senator Plumb in
troduced in the senate by THAT from
and after the date of the passage of
this act the unit Of value In the United
States shall be the dollar and the
same way be coined Of 412s grains of
standard silver or 25S grains OF
standard gold, and the SAID coins
shall be legal tender for all debts
public and private" For this meas
ure where 1t reached the house, Con-
gressmen Morrill,, Anderson, Funston,
Kelley, Perkins, Peters and Turner,
III Kansas republican voted. The
roadar ill notice that nothing is said
81 Amorican 6, ''usr. In 1880 the re
y,-,r-..,, $3.50 >ued
coinage of silver, not American alone
but all silver at a ratio of 16 to l, and
the republican state convention in
September, came out for free coin
age of silver.
Later on such stalwart papers as
the Kansas City Journal, the Chicago
Inter- Ocean, the Atchison Champion
and others have constantly and fear
lessly advocated the popullst idea of
silver, the coinage of the white metal
at as Senator Plum put it 4129 grains
Of silver or rs 8 grains of gold This
is where Brother Bralnerd stands,
with the republicans of 80 and with
the republican papers named above
of '95 II they are wrong he is
wrong, if they are right he is right.
What the people of this country do
want is currency, one dollar of which
is just as good as another, no poor
mans dollar, or q rich mans dollar,
but dollars enough to do the business
Of the country, currency safe and
flexible, issued by the general gov
eminent only, and legal tender for
all debts public and private, and we