St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-18
MOSTLY HAIR-sPLITTING.

The Horr-Harvey debate will not
reach its maximum interest for
hOughtful people until the dispu-
tants come to the fundamental prop
OSitiOn of the whole controversy,
which is the possibility. and desira-
hility of free coinage by the United
States alone at the ratio OF 10 to /.
The opening chapters of this plat
,Orm meeting are devoted mostly TO
financial hair-spGtting. 1t really
does not cut the slightest figure in
the merits of the silver question
whether the original money unit es-
tablished in this country was of sill
yer or of gold or, as Mr., Horn seemed
10 establish, of copper. Time given
to the discussion of this point is
absolutely wasted. For example,
there was time when the long ton
and the long hundred weight were
universal measures of quantity in
this country, Men now living can
remember we'll that in their boyhood
the customer who called for a hun
dred weight of flour received 112
pounds; for a half hundred weight,
b6 pounds, and for a quarter hundred
weight, IS pounds. The weights in
mills and shops were adapted to
this scale, and in certain parts of the
country it still prevails in the ton
unit of 2,240 pounds for coal. Now,
what earthly difference does it make
to us that the unit of weight known
as the hundred weight has been
changed by common consent from
112 to 100 pounds? Contracts be-
tween individuals never run long
enough to make a change of this
kind effect injustice. They are re-
vised sufficiently often for the
change Of standard to be taken into
account in adjusting the equities of
debtor and creditor. By no possi-
bility can it make the slightest prac-
teal difference to any living human
being, or to any corpora ton or COM
munity today, what was the unit of
value in 1892 or 17S5. SO that, while
talk on this point may serve to show
the intellectual activity of the gen.
tlemen facing each other at Chicago,
1t is, after all, mere financial hair
splitting. 1t has no more to do with
the question whether we ought to
90 ell,
the existing ratio than does the
weight Of copper coins of the Roman
empire in the reign of Augustus.
A great deal else that these gem
tlemen had to say to each other has
no place in the discussion except to
appeal to passion and prejudice. Mr..
Harvey is very earnest in talking
about the money of the constitu-
ton" Now all that this amounts to
is that the constitution says, mo
state shall coin money or make any,
thing but gold or silver coin a ten
der in payment of debts" On this
slender basis is built up a cry that
the money of the constitution must
be gold and silver. Suppose it were
80; this clause does not say gold
and silver at the ratio of 16 to 1
1t makes no mention of ratio
which is vital to the cues.
ton at issue. But if it did
1t does not define money of the
constitution" 1t is purely negative
1t does not apply to the action of the
United States government. 1t de
MES to the states the right to max,
anything but gold and silver a ten
der in payment of debts. The con
stitution also gives to congress tn,
power TO pass uniform laws on tn
subject Of bankruptcy. Does tina
make it obligatory to do SO? Their
have been periods when we had /,
national bankruptcy law. At pres
ent we have none. Is the constitu
ton violated? Yet 1t is certainI,
as logicsl TO say that a bankruptc,
law is required by the constitution
and that we set II aside when suc]
"a" is ispeslsd, as X is to say tina