The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-06-26
THE FREE CoINER AND Ihi
POPIIt~T.

The Louisville CourierJournal argues
chat the free-silver agitation is only
way-station on the road to fiat money
1t makes the following striking remarks:
.erhe mass of those who rally to the
silver banner care nothing for silver nor
vet for gold. What they wish is cheap
currency. The silver miners and their
attorneys tell them that the Government
STAMP can add the fifty cents @acklns IN
the bullion value OF the silver dollar
T'ney admit il. and are strengthened III
the belief that 1t can add 100 cents as
well As So The mining element pro-
poses to throw off % per cent. OF the
debts OF their allies. The latter, not 10
be outdone in generosity. propose TO throw
off the other so per cent?
THE mining element has the most
lnoney. but the others have the numbers,
They look upon free silver only as a way
station to iTredeemable paper III mas
leaked out that the Popoulists on the
committee on resolutions at Memphis com
PEELED the others to strike out the words
Redemption money from the PLATFORM
they being 'agin redemption. They ar
eled that there could be no such thing as
redemption money, as. indeed. there can
not be when the country is flooded with
irredeemablc paper. in quantities so great
as 10 exceed the resources OF the strongest
government TO re lcem There was no
redemption for the French assignats or
the Confederate currency. These are
the models which the Populists propose
for our imitation In establishing a cur
rency."
We have always claimed that there
was no sort of difference in principle be-
tween the man who demanded that the
Government should put its stamp on
90 cents worth OF silver and give it pow
er to pay debt Of a real dollar, and
the man who claimed that the Govern
ment could put it's stamp on piece Of
paper. and convert 1t thereby into a dol
lar The latter is the fat-money man.
known also as the Popul.st. But the
former is just as much a hat-money man
as the Populst is. II the Government
can communicate 10 the silver half-dol-
lar another half-dollar OF value by its
stamp. II can just as well communicate
to piece of paper a whole dollar of
value by its stamp. There is no real
difference between the free coiner and
the Populist or fat-money man. ami why
they do not flock together We have never
bttu dhit 10 OllotIctdIus ne Tree tnll-
ers belong in the Populist party. They
may call themselves Democrats but they
are not Democrats. Democracy POUNDS
itself upon the proposition that the laws
shall bear In exactly the same way upon
all. and secure Justice TO all. There is
no equality OF laws when the law al
lows the debtor TO hand his creditor a
half-dollar and force him TO receive II
as fun payment OF dollar due 10 him.
That is law made for the benefit of
debtor at the expense Of the creditor and
n man may call himself what he pleases.
but he Is no Democrat when he advocates
such a law as that. He wholly ignores
the rights OF one set Of men TO legis-
late In the interests Of another set.
That is "a most interesting statement
Of the courlcr-Journai. too. that the
Populists compelled the free coiners to
drop from their resolution all reference
20 redemption money" That is the
Popuhsts' faith. and we are not sur
pr,sed. though we had not heard Of this
action before. The Popui.st has no idea
Of redoem!ng anything. In his view the
Government stamp Is good enough for
ANYBODY. ana he don't propose to hold
out any hops OF redemption" In nifty
can't dollars any more than In whole dol