Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-05-16
Barker to Llewellyn.

MEXICO, Mo-, May 9.-Mr. Llewellyn
in the LEDGER yesterday only In
swered a portion of the questions ask
ed by me, and those he did answer
mainly by denying the facts as stated
by me. In an ordinary newspaper
article it is impossible to give all
sources of such information, as such
facts are usually the concrete results
of many other facts gathered from the
four of history, and if the
facts of history cannot be agreed up
on, conclusions are unsatisfactory.
1t do not wish to proleng 81 useless
controversy, but some of the state
ments made by Mr.. Llewellyn are
such mistakes that l will make a few
more statements so plain that all who
wish to know the facts as they are
can readily find out.
First, our coin was all on a silver
basis, the unit of value being the sill
yer dollar from 1898 until 1873, when
by the last act of 1878 the unit of
value was changed from silver to gold.
(See section 3511 L. S. statutes 1875,
and the older statutes.) At the time
of the passage of that rascally act the
silver dollar was worth three cents
more than the gold dollar. Second, l
put the debts of the American peo-
pie to the Europeans at three thousand
million dollars, national, State, cor
porate and municipal, because it is
the lowest estimate | have ever seen,
while Mr.. Llewellyn states that it is
only five hundred million. Most of
the statistics place that debt at fire
thousand millions of dollars. The lat
ter figures are the more correct and
anyone may satisfy himself on this
by consulting any well read mar they
| feel willing to trust. Such a slight
| difference as that should not make
any difference, however, with any
patriotic American gentleman who
stands ready to pay that debt, prin-
cipal, interest and all in gold, on the
slightest provocation and notwith-
standing the right to pay in silver eX-
lists. In round numbers about one
hundred and fifty million dollars in
| silver of all denominations were
| coined by our minis before 1873. Since
the foundation of our Government to
| the end of 1898 our entire coinage of
| gold and silver was 1925, 500, All 80.
| (See pages 80 to SO in coinage laws.)
This vast sum would not to-day pay
one-half of the debt from the Amer
leans to the Europeans, yet the gold
standard patriot says it must be paid
in gold.
We have a large number of nice
fellows who say and honestly think
that our balance in trade will aid us
largely in meeting these obligations,
but there is nothing in that. The bust
ness of the merchant and bond gam
bier is as separate and distinct as day
and night, and the same difference in
the character of their dealings. The
bond gambler does not take any of
your turnips in his; he is not built
that way.
The gold advocate says that people
will not accept the silver, but one of our
leading cashiers told me within a week
that he used a thousand dollars in sill
yer where he used one dollar in gold.
ask Mr.. Arnold.)
Now let US change the tune. Yes
terday's Republic says that the Nor
gan-Rothschild Company has a new
ncinch" on the throat of the Amer
AN people by a little private under
landing with Cleveland and Carlisle,
made at the secret sale of the sixty
millions of bonds to them. 1t is stat
ed, as a sort of "moral'' obligation,
and that the federal treasury is per-
fectly "helpless" and it is bound to
have all the bonds necessary to be is
sued by October ], and that the afore-
said Rothschild and company are now
getting the necessity" ready, and
will have it on time by "cor-
nering'' all the gold land all American
bidders are to be excluded again, OF
course, because, as was said, it is much
easier to deal NTH n pdrty.) There
is little doubt that all stated by the
Republic is true, but what an awful
condition it is for a people who pre-
tend to be free.
One European usurer, by the help
of his tools at Washington, now has
the finances of America by the throat.
and if his hold is not broken by the
vote of the great Mississippi Valley
there is nothing left but revolution OF
the man on horseback whose sombre
shadows are now being cast before
him. JOHN NJ. BARKER.