The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-15

Of ex-Speaker Crisp before the joint ses-
sion Of the legislature on Wednesday
| night. The speech viii be read very gem
I orally because OF a desire to know if a
man who has been so highly honored IL
. The Democratic party as Mr. Crisp has
+ been has any stronger argument in behalf
Of the IS 10 ] idea than has been made
/ by other silrerites We do not think il
VIII De found that he has strengthened
/ the cause Of silver The arguments he ad-
+ vanced are the stock arguments Of the
silverites. and have been fully answered
not only by the sound money advocates.
recent elections. with the fate
Of Senator Blackburn before MIN
Mr. Crisp, in adherins to the
cause Of silver. must feel that he has a
stronger hold upon the people Of Georgia
than Senator Blackburn had upon the
people Of Kentucky. In saying this we
do not take into account Mr.. Crisp's CON
victions i'm respect to silver. but refer
only to his candidacy for the Senate.
1T viii be noticed that AIs. Crisp says
The value OF a silver dollar should be a
dollar From this we infer that he wants
the commercial value of the silver in the
silver dollar 90 be worth a dollar I'm gold
In fact. he said as much The Inference
is. therefore, that he would oppose the
free and unlimited coinage of silver at the
ratio Of 16 TO if he did not believe that
free silver coinage at that ratio would
make the silver in a silver dollar worth
a dollar in gold.
Assuming that we have stated his posi-
lion correctly. what was the use Of his
attempting to show that the majority OF
democrats in congress have always been
in favor Of free and unlimited silver
coinage. or that gold has appreciated. or
that wages and prices have fallen since
our minis We're closed to free and unlim-
tied silver coinage? Why didn't he de-
vote his whole time TO proving
that If we should make the coin
age of silver free and unlimited
at the ratio Of 16 to ! a silver dollar would
circulate on a parity with a gold dollar,
even if the government should with
draw all Of its support from the silver
dollar? We ask, why didn't he do that?
We suppose the reason he didn't is that
he couldn't lie knew if he should at
tempt to do that he would fail. and so
he contented himself with asserting that
he believed that il our mints were opened
to siiyer at the ratio of Is to / the COM
mercial value of silver would advance
until silver dollar would circulate on a
parity with a gold dollar because of
the commercial value Of the metal it con-
tanned.
But when Mr.. Crisp abandons proof and
relies upon his belief he will be forced to
admit that the commercial world and
nnaIiciers do not share his belief. They
believe that the opening of the minis to
silver at 16 to / would not cause a silver
dollar to have a commercial value equal
to that of the gold dollar the world over
and they have abundant and very con-
vincing reasons for their belief. OF two
beliefs therefore. one having little or
nothing to support it and the other being
founded on facts and arguments that have
guided the financial world for centuries.
it is not at all strange that the people
should accept the latter. If Mr.. Crisp
depends wholly upon his belief, he is
likely to discover the people are not with
him.
1t may be true that in congress the ma
jorty of democrats have been on the
side of silver when the silver issue has
been presented, but when that issue has
been dearly made in that body the gap
between silver and gold was so small
that there was still hope that the support
Of silver by the United States could close
it, but the gap shas become so wide en-
account of the enormous production of
silver that that hope has been practically
destroyed.
We think that Mr. Crisp would find it
impossible to suhshttate his statement
that gold has appredidted since 1873 He
says 1t has, and points to wages and prices
of products to support his assertion. The
facts, however-facts gathered by a COM
mittee Of congress of which he was
member-show the contrary. But, as
Stunning that gold has appreciated he does
not claim that the opening of our mints
to silver would cause gold to depreciate
He says it would cause silver to appre-
ciate until silver dollar would be on
parity with a gold dollar. That being
the case would prices advance? If they
would Mr. trispp should show why they
would. He mid not do So ia his Atlanta
/ speech We doubt if he can do so.
Mr.. Crisp's speech was remarkable for
/ leaving in doubt the things the people
want to know. 1t may be his purpose to
endeavor to explain these things at some
/ future time.
An inventive yankee-a resident OF Con-
necticut, might be supposed-has dis
covered a new use for the bicycle He is
a musician, with a penchant for wind in
struments. He plays an organ. the sup
plying of wind for which usually requires
the services of a second person, or entails
considerable wearisome leg exercise when
the old apparatus is used. The genius has
set a bicvoIa IN q FRA mo ,oaEo n a.. NIL