The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-19
EXPLAINS BIMETALLISM
Students Clearly Shown the
Aims of the Silver
Champions.
OF Decentralization.
Producing Classes Suffered When
the White Metals Coinage
Was Curtailed.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CAL, Sept.
18.-Stanford students were to-day given
the opportunity of hearing the free silver
question discussed by ex-Congressman w.
J. Bryan of Nebraska. The auditorium
was crowded with students. In the course
OF his remarks ex-Congressman Bryan
said:
1 regard the money question as the most
important in the world to-day, and its settle
ment affects more vitality the interests of our
people than the settlement of any other ques-
ton that has been brought up since the time of
peace. In a country like this, where laws
arise from the people, where government is of
the people and where every citizen is q
sovereign, it is doubly important.
This question is one on WI ich people differ,
yet difference of opinion will depend upon
difference of interest. You will generally find
a man on the side of his interests. Parties
vote as they believe; men expect their votes
to protect their interests.
want to show you now what bimetallism is
and how we shall obtain it. If we find that
the people desire it it would do no good unless
we had some way of obtaining it. / remember
one man who said he was in favor of bimetal-
lism because he thought that the Government
should buy whatever kind of money it wanted
There is q gentleman in Congress who said
that he believed bimetallism would come, but
that gold would be the basis. Bimetaliism
simply means two-metallism-the fixing of the
relation between the two metals making both
an equal legal tender.
There is misunderstanding as to what 16 to
l means. Does it mean that the Government
will coin sixteen silver dollars every time It
coins one of gold? A KENTUCKY ''gold-bug"
paper said that the reason the people of the
South were in favor of free silver was because
the Government would give $40 to one person.
Sixteen to l means that the silver dollar will
weigh sixteen times as much as one of gold.
In paying power one ounce of gold will equal
sixteen ounces OF silver.
By free coinage we mean that If you have
silver bullion you NAV take it to the mint and
have it made into money without cost 1t
simply means that the Government will make
silver money as it does gold. both without
charge. The reasons for this are apparent.
In the first place coming money is function
of Government, and, secondly, unless you
have gratuitious coinage you can have but
one sound dollar that you know anything
about-that is, sound money that is worth as
much in bullion as in gold. For example, if
you take 100 cents worth of bullion to the
mint and it costs you 5 cents to have it coined
into silver dollar it will not be worth 100
cents, but % cents only.
to have no other kind of money than gold, vet
they want to have National bank notes. The
Government fixes the value of money when it
stamps it; why not the same with silver?
There would not be any difference between the
bullion value and the coinage value.
By unlimited coinage we mean to treat silver
as we do gold Some people believe that if we
have unlimited coinage of silver the country
would be flooded with silver from abroad. Sup
pose the Englishman brings his silver to the
mint and has it coined, what viii he do with
him; it would be useless in his own country
So, when he brings it here to be coined, he
must use it here. This he can do in one of sew
eral ways: He can give us the money and go
home. This he would hardly be likely to do.
He can exchange the silver for gold and take
the gold home. This is what our opponents
are afraid of. Mr.. Carlisle, in speech made
by him, said that over $500, 600, 900 would go
out of circulation in this country, and this
amount did go out of circulation. The cur
rency would be so contracted that silver would
become dearer, and it would require fifteen
years to coin enough to take its place.
In conclusion, the speaker quoted many
authorities to show that by the demoneti.
cation of silver the great producing classes
had been irreparably injured.
The speaker was listened to with the
closest attention and he was frequently APP
plauded, receiving an ovation at the termi-
nation of his speech.