The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1895-07-20

shall attempt to prove that the entire
theory as set forth by the author. IL
adopted by the people OF this country.
would lead only to business disaster
and financial ruin. I do not remember
to have examined book carefully In
which found SO few statements that
consider worthy OF belief and GER
tainly never saw 80 many absolute err
rors crammed into SO few pages.
NOT OPPOSED TO SILVER.
am not here as an opponent OF BIZ
nletallism. believe in the use OF gold
and silver as money to the fullest ex-
tent that can be done on sound busi-
ness principles. MY position upon this
question has been too frequently stat
ed within the last five years to be mis-
understood. believe that both gold
and silver are the natural money OF
the world: that in all the larger trans
actions gold is better adapted to the
needs Of the people than silver; that
all the small business transactions OF
human families for many years have
been and always should be conducted
with silver I also believe that In all
transactions of the nations Of the world
between themselves the two metals
should be used in the settling Of bal
ances. but only at their commercial
value. I also believe that in the BUSH
ness Of our nation the people should
never attempt to use either metal ex-
cept at its actual value, only in cases
where one metal may be used as a
token of money and be made redeem
able in metal at it's commercial value.
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT.
have always entertained the hope
that the business men Of the world yet
would come together In an internation-
al convention and agree upon some
basis whereby gold and silver can both
be used as the money Of final settle
ment among the people Of the entire
world. / am very clear in my idea that
until some such arrangements shall be
made it would be simply suicide for
this nation to adopt a system OF free
coinage Of silver upon the old ratio, a
ratio which all the civilized nations Of
the world have long since discarded.
I do not believe that any one govern
ment can fix the value upon any two
metals and name ratio which will be
accepted by the people Of the world
or Of the country itself SO that the two
metals will be used side by side. Con-
4
attempt any such action, it would sim
ply place our country upon a silver
basis and the attempt would end in
silver monometallism. believe that
the law Of 1873, which Mr.. Harvey's
book denounces as a "crime," was hon.
estly conceived, openly advocated and
passed by the American congress after
full deliberation and because the peo-
Dle at that time who hello seats In the
American congress believed such law
ought to be enacted. do not believe
in the teachings Of this book, that this
nation Is on the verge OF financial ruin
or that starvation is staring our people
in the face. shall deny most en-
phatically that the great majority Of
the people Of this country are in debt
and shall insist that three-fourths OF
the American people today are credi.
tors and not debtors and that conse.
quently the system which Mr.. Harvey
advocates would work great injury t
the vast majority Of American citizens
will say still further that IL this book
which we are going to debate is true
then I am all wrong. It seems to me
to be devoid of business sense from be
ginning to end, and I shall enter upor
the work ct attempting to prove that
and hope to be able to do 1t in language
that shall be SO plain and explicit tina
my fellow citizens will be satisfied tina
have accomplished my task.
! OPENING STATEMENT OF MR.. HARVEY
Every Statement in His Little Book Ii,
Will Prove TO Be True.
The statement made by Mr.. Harve.