The Forrest City times., 1895-08-16
Free Coinage vs. Monometaliism


 The debate between Messrs. Hasley and Dooley on the currency question took place at the court house Wednes- day afternoon in the presence of about :,50 people Hon. 0. B. Rollwage, who had requested to preside, called the meeting to order about 2 o'clock. and briefly but eloqaently introduced the speakers, MT. Easley first.
 Mr. Hasley, after paying tribute to the eloquence of the presiding officer, thanking the editors of TIE TIMES for their gallant fight in behalf of bimet- aliism, and disclaiming all partisan ship or personality ill his attack upon gold monometallism. began his argu- ment in favor of the restoration of sil- yer to it's place established by Hamil- ton and Jefferson.
 He paid his respects to such political contortionists as Carlisle, Smith, and Morton, and predicted that the Ameri- can people would be further entertained by the efficient performances of those political acrobats. He said that a change of opinion is not proof of dis honesty, but, that, when man tries to deceive the people concerning the change, he merits their contempt.
 Taking up the condition of the farm CT. he denied that it had been brought about by the negligence of God, the failure of Nature. or the laziness of the farmer; but by unjust and discrimi- nating legislation, chief among wEich, in it's evil consequences. was the 'crime of '7S." He said that there was not enough money in circulation and explained why comparison of the ne- cessity for money in this growing coun- try to that required by the old Euro pean countries was manifestly unfair. He denied that over production is the cause of low prices. saying that people ars to unable purchase what they need because of the scarcity of money.
 Mir. Hasley took mp separately all of the stock of arguments @ used by the monometallists to sustain their position. The impossiblity ofa double standard, our inability to maintain a fixed ratio, the cheapness of silver, the possibility of silver flood. the de- struction of confidence in our integrity, the return of securities held by foreign CTS and the withdrawal of foreign capi- Cal, the injury to creditors by allowing debtors to pay in debased currency. the lnJnry to debtors because of the contraction caused by the departure of gold. the disaster to laborers result Ing from tlse increase in prices. and "ali the ills ti,at flesh is heir to, , many of which are contradictory and incon- slstent. and nearly all of which are supported by false theories, were sev- erally adyerted to, and their fallacies exposed.
 He closed in an eloquent euoogy upon the great Jefferson and expressed the wish that the American people would in 1896 right the wrong of '73.
 pr. Dooley was introcuced and i'm mediately took up the subject. He denied that tue silver dollar was ever the unit of valne, for our monetary system. He admitted 1t tO be the unit of silver currency, but said that the gold dollar was ti,e unit. He failed to see how this government could maintain par ity at the ratio of Is to when the commercial ratio is 32 to l, unless the nat of the government gave value to the siver-a theory which he denied.
 He referred to the fact that silver was first demonetiZed in Germany in 1871. and wished to know why Mexico, the Central and South American coun- tries. China and Japan. with the enor- nous amount of silver used by the gold standard countries. could not absorb the silver and maintain the parity at the ratio of Is to l..
 Dr. Dooley asserted that there WAS, Tar more money in circulation per cap-. Aa ip the gqldsstaa1ard countries tlan