The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-09-25
A FARMER ON FINANCE

much absorbed and engrossed in the hay
seed and back wheat trade as to lose sight
| OF the very lively discussion recently in
dulged In by Messrs. Harvey and Horr.
and now that Mr.. Horr has returned to
his wonted place on the New York Trib-
une, considerable wiser and somewhat
sadder and perhaps little madden than
he was when he took his departure for
Chicago and has forthwith engaged in is
suing what he calls broadaides against
Brother Harvey, whom he designates by
the euphonious title Of Cook, thought it
might not be out of place for hayseeder
to record his impressions as to the merits
and true inwardness of the discussion on
the metallic question as put forth by these
| eminent worthless.
In the first place think Mr.. Horr made
mistake in accepting Mr.. Harvey's
financial school as the gage of battle for
he seems to have placed himself in the
hands of his opponent though it may have
been a chivalrous act on his part. In
the second place think he failed to come
up to the sounding terms of his
manifesto when he said propose to show
you during this discussion that no law
has ever been passed by an American
congress which was ever freer from faint,
which was more carefully examined and
which was more completely and fully un-
derstood than the law of 1878. Had Mr.
Horn made good these declarations l
| think his standing in court would have
been VASTLY improved for I consider this
one OF the main questions at bar and the
| one. too, that he most signally failed to
meet The contention of Mr.. Harvey is
| that the law of 1878 was brought about
| through juggling and chicane and that
| silver was demonetiZed without the
knowledge of Gen. Grant, who signed the
bill or JAS G. Blaine, or Gen. Garfield
| and a number of others so that Senator
Allison was justified in declaring that
the bill was doctored, and Watch Dog
| Holman was right when he denounced
| it as colossal fraud and that it had not
the moral effect or binding force Of law.
Mr.. Horn expressly declares that Hon
est John Sherman had invested In that
bill a provision for a 1884 grain dollar,
equal to the French five-franc piece,
which was to be so good that it would
| float all around the world. Now by what
process was this clause eliminated from
the bill and what became of this 384 grain
dollar? Was it not lost in the substitute
bill and was not the substitute bill the
elimination and consumation of the
fraud? Just as Mr.. Harvey alleges, had
this monumental cheat otherwise known
as Honest John Sherman been in earnest
| in providing such a dollar why has he
never expressed any dissatisfaction or de-
nounced the law at any time but on the
| contrary has always shown himself as
| highly elated with the provisions. What
| shall we call such conduct but shamming
| and the work of financial mountebank.
What ails Honest John Sherman is that
| he has become intoxicated by slipping the
| nectar that the gold bug sips, and it has
| turned his head. Again l aver that Mr..
Horn is off his base when he attempts to
| malign the Peoples party by associating
| with it communism, socialism, anarchy,
etc., though l am aware that he is only
| following in the footsteps of the two old
| parties and that he has shown himself
an apt scholar in the villanies they
| teach. There can be no greater anarchist
| than a millionaire for as Chauncey' NJ.
| Depew has we'll said, that any man that
| amasses an immense fortune for his own
| exclusive benefit is doing more to pro-
| mitigate anarchy than all the masses and
| all the men that were hung in the city Of
| Chicago. Nobler words than these never
| fell from the lips of man and had he
| been inspired he could not have uttered
a greater truth.
And now without attempting to cover
| too much ground there are a few points
| in that discussion that l should like to
! deal upon for short time and the first
| is as to the intrinsic value OF gold. Mr..
| Horn says that gold should be the stand
ard metal because it is the metal par ex-
| cellence that never fluctuates and that
it's coin and commercial value are always
| ONLY nd
| no bolstering If this be true why was
| it thought necessary in 1914 during Sir
| Robert Peels administration to pass an
| act in parliament making an ounce of
| gold worth 1882 at any and all times
| and for all purposes. Suppose the United
| States should pass an act making an
| ounce of silver worth $1.00 for any and
| all purposes Can anyone be so fatuous
as to deny that such law would place
| silver upon its legs.
Again as to gold Mr.. Horn asserts that
all enlightened nations have adopted the
| gold standard while less enlightened ma
| lions have adopted the silver standard.
| Would he have it inferred from this that
| gold has made these nations more en-
| lightened or that these nations have made
! gold more lum nous and attractive? Then
| how was it when both gold and silver
! were SLanQdTu HueldlS! WoiS HoI Ih0oO
nations Just as enlightened then as now?
| Besides, as Mr.. Harvey has said, it is not
| always the most enlightened nations that
| are the most virtuous. Lord Chatham
said that if England were just for "a hours
| she would be ruined. Carlyle said that
| England has done many just things but
nothing because it was just. Yet England
| is an enlightened nation and enjoyed not
| many years since the luxury of an African
| slave trade and slavery in the West In
| dies. So too in our own country the
highest tribunal in the land only few
short years ago decided that one portion
| of the human race had no rights that
another portion was bound to respect.
! And there was the Acknowledgement and
| powers, an act as rapaciOus as it was bar
| barous, and yet one of these nations at
| least was highly enlightened. Whatever
| may be said of the other two, there was
another point we'll made by Mr. Harvey
| as to dual standard in our own monetary
| system likening it to many things in ma
| ture that have dual existence. So the
| gold and silver standard might be called
| the two legs and these might be supple
| mented with a body of greenbacks equal
| to as many dollars as there are dollars
| in the two metals which would make
| about so dollars per capita, which would
| be ample for present needs. AS for Mr..
| Horrs allegation that the restoration Of
| silver to its former standard would bring
| ruin upon the laboring man that Is the
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