Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-05-09


From the New Y ork outlook,
The Financial Issue.
The paragraph on another page
shows that gradually the country is
beginning to understand the question
involved in bimetallism; and there is
good reason to hope that at the next
Presidential election we shall not
have two platforms to choose between,
one declaring in favor Of free silver
so long as gold is kept the standard,
and the other in favor of gold as the
standard so long as silver is freely
coined. The Administration is prac-
tically affirming its faith, in measur-
ably explicit statements, that there IS
and can be but one standard-namely,
gold; and, on the other hand, the pub
lished utterance of Mr.. Crisp, late
leader of the democratic party in the
House, is equally explicit in his de-
mand for tho free coinage of silver,
apparently withoutregard to the ques-
ton whether it is possible for this
country alone to maintain gold and
silver at q parity. We are very glad
of this prospect, Nothing is more
desirable at such time than a clear
statement of the questions at issue,
that voters may both understand what
that issue is and may pronounce them
selves upon it.
For this reason we are sorry to see
in the usually clearheaded New York
"Sun" misstatement of the issue:
"The issue is between gold and sill
YER as the standard of currency, the
Valate of each metal, pcith respect to
each other and to other commodities,
being totally beyond the porcer of any
financial legislation or convention to
change. The silver proposition is to
discard the gold standard and to sub
stitute the standard of silver; to meas
ure things by silver instead OF by
gold, We measure by gold now, and
not by silver. The silver men pro-
pose to abolish our present system
aad to substitute another, pleading
certain advantages and denying the
opposed disadvantages"
The statement which we have print
ed in italc is, of course, the Que which
all bimetalists deny. They, on thu
contrary, affirm not only that it II
wholly in the power Of international
agreement to maintain a parity be
tween the two metals; not only that j
has been done in the past; but tina
even now, by Legislative action of thu
country alone, four hundred million
of irredeemable silver are kept in cir
culation in this country at par, Al
though the amount Of silver in q si
yer dollar, if offered for sale in tn
market for purposes Of commerce
would not bring more than sixty cent
in gold.
Thus there are In this country for
parties;
/. A party, represented by sue
, journals as the New York "EUenin
POST and such public men rs Seer
tsry Morton, which is in favor OF or
standard of values, namely, gold, an
: Of the circulation of silver only
, subsidiary coinage, measured, by an
> Reasonable in gold.
. II. A party, represented by sui
! men as General Francis A. Walk
o and President E. Benjamin Andrew
which believes that 1T is possible
, maintain gold and silver at a part
+. by international agreement, and d
. sires to secure such an agreement,
o III A party, represented by pc
X sons like Speaker Crisp, which eth
q believes that the United States ca
J. by proper legislation, secure the G
r culation OF silver and gold in Il
10 country at a parity, as 1t has alrea'