Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-07-19
SIXTEEN TO ONE.

l. Since that time a good deal has
been written on the subject, and many
men of national fame have tried To give
reasons why the United States ought
not 10 provide for free coinage. unless
there can be an international himetalic
union.
| have read most that has been writ
ten in favor of the single gold standard,
and So far have failed 10 lind anyone
who has named nation or people that
ever suffered loss or detrimeut from
having too much silver money. Con-
sideriug the population of the world,
and the need people have TO use money,
there is no possible chance for silver to
so depreciate as TO materially affect our
commercial relations.
Among the facts gold men admit are:
(a) That if silver is remonetized,
prices will raise. This admission is
pregnant with the fact that prices went
down because silver was dcmonetized.
CO.. Secretary Carlisle j., now assist
ing in educating the people on the
subject. He has been on both sides of
the question. No one has used stronger
language than he did on the 2lSt of
February, 1873, i'm favor OF free coinage
of silver. This Is his language: The
cousummation of such a scheme would
ultimately entail more misery upon the
human race than all the wars pestilence
and famine that ever occurred in the
history of the world. He was refer
ring to scheme to establish the single
gold standard.
Now we find him put forward as the
spokesman of the administration, en-
deavoring to prove that his former idea
was wrong, and that silver ought to re-
main demonetized, and all values meas
ured in the single gold standard.
He was wrong in 1873, or he is in
error now. Has there anything occur
red since 1873 to indicate he was in er-
ror then? Has not the whole drift Of
events continued TO emphasize the fact
that it was great mistake TO adopt the
law of 1873. which demonetized silver?
Not a particle of good has come from
that law, and more than any other one
fact it has tended to produce the So
called hard times. This is admitted
substantially, when gold men agree
that to 90 back to free coinage at the
old ratio would result in higher prices
for if remonetizing silver would make
higher prices, demonetizing must have
made them lower.
1t was the avowed object of gold men
to make gold dearer-or to make prices
fall This was openly declared in this
country and England. Read the fol-
lowing cold blooded, heartless views of
an English capitalist regarding the
matter. take it from the Washington
Post and as you read the quotation re-
member that the same spirit actuates
our gold standard leaders here. 1t is
selfishness condensed; Shylockism gone
to seed; the most utter disregard of the
rights of labor, and the misery which
flows from the unjust laws
The spirit by which the gold monOmetal-
lists of London are animated i aptly illus
trated by the testimony of Bertram W. Cur
RE, a conspicuous representative Of his class.
Given before the Gold and Silver Commits
sion III 1887. wherein he thus defined his
heartless and despotc attitude
q. But think you said that a demand
for gold increased it, value, IL there were a
fresh demand by America referring to the
American imports gold must have pro tanto
have increased In value. a. But what evil
has been done If 1t has:
O. Do you think that fall of prices due
to an appreciation of the standard Is no evil
A. / think a fall in prices Is no evil
q. A fall of prices due to a cheaper pro-
duction of commodities would be a gain: A.
/ ask no questions as a consumer. a fall IN
prices benefits me.
O. l. il not fact that, owing TO the low
prices, large tracts of country that were for
merly proftably cultivated in England have
gone out of cultivation and are now produc-
ing nothing? A. II that Is so, IL Is because
they are unsuited to the production OF these
commodities.
u. But l am speaking OF ldnu WUlcH pro
duce1 these commodities at great profit not
very long agoy A. That Is the general fate
of mankind. somebody else has found that
he can produce them cheaper and better. |
know the feeling of the class TO which | be
long. and know that any change is damet-
ricaly opposed TO our feelings, and that
whatever change Is made, to whatever extent
We can, we will be clear of 1t. II we lend a
man 81 900, we will say to him, Under
stand, we are not 10 be paid back in this new
stuff; we must have gOld".
Silver advocates should lose no OPP
portunity to resent the charge made by
gold men that we favor dishonest de.
preciated currency. There is no truth
in this; free coinage men are not fiat
lists" We do not seek TO create a dis
honest dollar nor to repudiate contracts,
but rather to return TO the peoples