Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-08-01

rao1cal olnerenceS OF opinion. Those differ
ences OF opinion make the necessity for polit-
ical parties. Parties are formed so that citi-
zens having substantially the same views may
cooperate.
There is no need of two parties for two sets
OF men having the same opinions and advo-
eating the same policies. The democratic
and republican parties have hereto
fore represented opposing ideas. The
question Of silver coinage was one of the
great questions about which they differed. The
republican party. since 1873. has opposed the
free coinage OF silver: the democratic party
favored it, But II Mr.. Cleveland is to have his
way. then we will have the anomaly of two
great opposing parties entirely agreed upon
the leading issue OF the age. This can only be
done By complete surrender of and reversal
of the policy of the democratic party. am
positively. obstinately and unalterably opposed
to that For twenty years have been stand
ing in the ranks of the Missouri democracy,
fighting for the free coinage of silver. desire
TO continue the fight right in the same line and
by the side OF the same old democratic war
zriors. II others have lost courage or changed
their convictions. they are at liberty to seek
other party affiliations But protest against
and oppose any man or set Of men either lead
ing or kicking the democratic party into the
republican camp 1 account that man the
enemy OF my party who undertakes it,
The question is: Where will the democratic
party stand in the future? This question must
be settled among ourselves. It must be set
tied first We con not proceed until IL Is sat
tied There is need to disguise the gravity
of the situation. 1t Is not the hour for timid
men, for time-serving and soft palavering.
The very existence Of the democratic party
the old democratic party which many of
have served for more than quarter of a cent
ury-is at stake, and we can not afford to
stand passive and be silent L have no faith
in the sincerity and patience with the pre-
tense Of those who say they are in favor of free
silver coinage, but are afraid or unwilling to
fight for it.
Shall our flag be lifted as the emblem of
plutocracy. shall it still represent the
great principles and politics of that old
democracy which came 10 Us from our
fathers: 1t is exasperatirg to me that
there should be a question to where
the democratic party stands upon this question
of silver coinage Il is astounding that men
pretending to be democrats should undertake
to commit US to the republican doctrine of gold
recommendation.
THE STATE CONVENTION.
Here is this convention of democratic editors,
and a few days hence are to have state
democratic convention to declare the position
Of the party in this state. The fact that such
convention that called for August is
seemingly necessary, and that battle is to be
fought for Its control. is alone sufficient to in
dictate 4 startling departure. a dangerous men
ace to our ancient faith. Time and again the
Missouri democracy has declared for the free
coinage Of silver, but now the country is told
that Missouri is doubtful upon that question.
Gentleman g.. The press, none can do more
than you to set this doubt at rest. Arouse the
democracy of the state; rekindIe in their hearts
their love for the old party of the people; put
into their blood the fire of battle. and we will
teach plutOcracy, both in Missouri and out Of
it, that the democracy of this great state is still
true to the memory of Jefferson and Jackson
and Benton. uuapproachabie, unconquerable
and invincible.''
Referring to the cry of sound money" the
governor said:
These are merely catch words. Catch words
a device invented by smart politicians.
They are bait with which more than one lone
fisherman angles for the unwary. There are
people whose votes are controlled more By a
party cry than party principle. Party slogans
are more often high-sounding receptions than
anything else. Gold monometallistS are for
ever shouting for sound money Sound mon
ey' and honest money are in substance the
same thing. The declaration is all right, but
its use is all wrong, for it is used to deceive.
II our gold standard friends were willing TO
coin money as they are to coin cheap and mis-
leading phrases we would have free coinage at
once Every sensible, patriotic, self-respect-
ing American believes absolutely in both
sound and honest money, and will be satisfied
with nothing else
No honest man will tolerate a ffty-cent
dollar an eighty-cent dollar or any other
dollar that will not honestly pay hundred
cents of debt and promptly purchase a hun
dred cents worth of the necessaries of
life Neither is any honest man in IA
vor of hundred and ffty-cent dollar.
fifty-cent dollar would defraud the
creditor; One-hundred-a nd-ffty-cent dollar
would defraud the debtor. The democrats
with whom 1 cooperate are opposed to both.
The solicitude of the money changers for the
farmers ana wage-earnerS is positively heart
rending. OF course. when the Morgan-Bel-
mont syndicate Of Wall street bankers accept
our gold bonds from the secretary of the treas
ury at 10i cents and sell them at 123 they
pocket the difference with trembling appre-
hension of the dangers menacing the working
man as the result of silver coinage. OF course,
when the option bears gamble in the products
of the field and buy bank stocks with their hon.
est 81 gains. thes forthwith seek their closets
and pray the good Lord to protect the plow-
man from the silver craze. 1t is by such
pharisaical pretenseS. by such balderdash,
that plain people are to be confused and de-
ceived
RATIO OF THE TWO METALS,
There is great outcry against the specific
ratio of Is to l. We are .old that the CONNER
cial value of the the .wo metals is now about
80 to /. and not Is to /, and that silver coinage.
il had at all, should &c upon the former basis.
What fixes commercial values: Supply and
demand. When silver was demonetiZe1 IN
1873 Is ounces of silver were worth more than
one ounce of gold. What has since de-
preciated silver appreciated gold? What
widened the margin between the two metals
.,f silver? That Is false The relative amounts
of gold and silver in the world are not far
different to-day from what they were in
1873. The commercial consumption and use
of the two metals has not materially changed
since 1878 Both are now used in the arts and
industries in the same way and substantially
to the same extent as they were then used.
But the monetary demand for silver has
been greatly decreased since 1873, while that of
gold has been corgeSpondingly increased.
Prior to 1878 the chief source OF consumption
and, therefore. of demand for both metals was
for coinage or monetary uses. Since then that
source of demand has been denied silver as the
result of legislative enactment. II it should be
restored would not the inevitable effect be to
enhance the commercial value of silver by in
creasing its consumption, and to lower the
commercial value of gold by admitting into its
principal market a rival and competitor where
now Ii has none2
That the free coinage Of silver on equal terms
with gold would lessen the difference in the
commercial value of the two metals admits OF
no reasonable doubt, but whether it would re-
| duce the relative values from 80 to down to
| 16 to is question to be determined. main
tain that the increase in the difference of value
| from Is to up to 80 to I is due chiefly to the
demonstration of silver. Remove the cause
of this increase in the difference Of value by re-
| storing silver to its old mintage rights, and
| believe that the two metals will soon find
abou. the same level Of relative values they
| sustained to each other prior to the disastrous
| crusade begun in 1873
| lam in favor. therefore, of beginning where
we left OF. If we coin at all we must coin at
some ratio. We can not begin on the present
| commercial basis of 30 to 1, for the very day we
restore silver to the minis its value VIII be in
/ creased and the existing margin between the
| two metals will be reduced To begin the coin
age of both metals at the existing commercial
ratio would be discrimination against silver