The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-06-14
4rHE ENGLISH SYSTEM

Chicago IrlDune'
orator Bryan of Nebraska told the
convention of free Silver beetles at
Springfield that
There are those among us VINO would
fas.ea upon us the English system of
finance. lust as there were those among
our revolutionary fathers who sought to
continue the political supremacy OF Great
Britain. These gentlemen, having sus'
pended the coinage of silver and estap-
lished the gold standard, are urging us
not 10 disturb party harmony by de-
mandlng restoration of the gold and
silver coinage Of the constitution, just al
the tories cried peace, peace when
Patrick Henry and his compatriots sought
a restoration of the rights of the colon
lists, but there Is no peace"
Why not equally denounce those who
would fasten upon us the English sys-
TEN" of measuring by the bushel and the
quart, the foot rule and yard stick, the
ounce and pound, the mile, the rod?
Why, having adopted any or all Of these
English scales of measurement for use
In this country, should we feel called
upon to change to some other units for
no better reason than that those now
common are used by the hated English?
What comparison can any but the YER
lest blathersldte draw between a just de-
mand for mo taxation without represent
alton" and an iniquitous demand that
the American currency system shall be
altered and debased for the avowed pur>
pose of enabling those who owe money to
repudiate one-half their just indebted
ness?
There are three great systems of money
In the world, outside of the cowrie or
leather type used only by savages. There
Is the English system in which gold is
the standard, and silver is used only for
fractional currency ito be redeemed In gold
when Presented in small quantity. There
is the French system of a gold standard
with suspended silver coinage, hitched
to gold and held up by 1t, so that the
silver coins circulate at par with gold.
Then there Is the Mexican system of al
legged "blmetallism," the free coinage of
both gold and silver at ratio which
In Mexico is 1914 to /, without waiting
for the help of any other nation" Under
this system the people of Mexico are
furnished with silver money only, and
that circulates at bullion value, except
the difference due to charge for minting.
Not single gold piece Is coined for use
among the people, because a gold dollar
Is worth as much as two silver dollars,
and If any one Of them wants to obtain
possession of a gold coin without steal
ing 1t they have to buy 1t at the rate
Of more than 30 grains of silver in the
silver coin for each grain of gold there
is in the gold coin. The Mexican must
pay about 10 Of his silver dollars for
one of our gold eagles, which can be
got In exchange for 10 Of our silver doll
lars, though the American silver dollar
does not contain as many grains of sill
yer as are in the Mexican dollar; but
they are held up to par with gold, and
Bryan's scheme would drop them down
to the Mexican level.
Under the French system some 700 mil
lions of gold are employed to hold up
about coo millions of silver to gold par,
giving to France 1900 millions of hard
money" or as much of 1t as the people
choose to use Practically we are using
the French system, not the English one,
The free sllverltes In this country, In
Guiding Bryan and the crowd he talked
to at Springfield, want to have silver
used only at its commercial value. They
denounce the English gold system, but
what they are endeavoring to break up In
this country is the French system and
force us to substitute for 1t that Of Mex
lCo. lHul is WHtIt tic Nly VI
comes In, and 1t must be admitted to be
most absurdly out of place. 1t Is not
question of "toryism," but of plain hon
esty and business sense.
At least Mr.. Bryan ought to be able
to show some advantage which his Mex
lcanizing scheme has secured to those
who have tried that plan before he urges
It upon the people of the United States.
But he cannot do so. What are the facts?
Great Britain has not been impoverished
by the use Of the first plan, nor has
France by the second During the time
they have been upon the gold basis, the
one with a subsidiary silver coinage and
the other with q limited silver coinage,
they have prospered wonderfully. On.
the other hand, Mexico is as poor as
the typical church mouse" Its people
are poverty stricken, and the toilers
among them receive less than half the
wages in half worth silver than do those
OF the workers in England and France IN
gold. The same miserable wages are
paid In every other free silver country on
the face OF the globe. WIN Mr.. Bryan
be good enough to consider that fact be-
fore he rants any more in behalf of the
Mexico silver beetle systemG