Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-10
ALABAMA.
HON. R. H. CLARKE
Addresses a Representative Mafengo County Audience on the Money Question
 at Linden.

Linden, July S.-(Special Correspond ence.) .)--About 250 white voters heard Hon. R. H. Clarke knock the smithereens out of the free silver fallacy today at the court house in this place. The address was full exhaustive and entertaining throughout. and was received with marked attention and applause. MT. Clarke said in part as follows;
 Fellow Citizens "A friend of mine sug- gested to me that allow him to select friend to introduce me but told him no; I did not wish any one to introduce me to an audience among whom l saw so many with whom I was raised, and who ought to know me as well as l know my self 1 intend to address you more in the nature of a talk than formal speech You all know that the main question, the all important one before the people or the United States today. is whether the free and unlimited coinage of silver at a ratio of l6 to 1 would work more ad- vantageously to us than the continuance of the present regime, which provides for a gold basis, with the use of as much silver as can be safely maintained.
 Now my friends. l have no harsh words to throw at any one who differs from me on this question, for great deal may be said on both sides. and am fully aware that there are people who adVo- c1IH the tree COlli1Se Ol SliNti NlthA et' much honesty of purpose as l oppose 1t. But what we want to get at Is this: Which principle will bring about the most beneficial results to our country? con tend and will endeaVor to prove that so far from bringing about the relief we need. that the proposed scheme will re- suit most disastrously to our hnanclal policy The cry is bimetallism. wei, that's all right that's what We all want. Now let us see what bimetalliSm is. True At,ln.f twenty silver dollars can exchange them at any time for twenty dollars Tn gold' without having to pay any premium. This is precisely the condition or aiIalfS now. consequently those who cry that the advocates of gold are monometallists are clearly and indisputably proven in error
 "Now I do not think that we can have too much money, provided it is of the same value all the world over The same amount of gold bullion will bring as much in London as it will in the United States, less the expense of transporta- tion: the same cannot be said of silver by half If free coinage of silver would bring about this, then we ought to nave it, and we cannot get 1t too qulck. But let us see if this would be the case In Mexfco the native silver dollar has eight grains more of silver in 1t than the American, and yet the Mexican dollar is worth just half as much as the Amer ican Why does rot the free coinage 1n Mexico put her silver on an equality? Some of my distinguished opponents as sert that it is because Mexico is weak country and it would be too great q strain upon her. We'll if it is strain ola Mexico would it not likewise be a strain upon us, though we might be able to withstand it a little longer? or course this must be clear. But 1 re-aftirm that no man on earth can state positively that AiK nf Ci about a reign of plenty or one of abso- lute distress, yet friend of mine and congressman did say night or two ago that he would guarantee the country against loss of S5,0O0,000 if this plan was adopted Now l affirm and l hope to show that so far from saving the coun- try $5000, coo it would cost her quite, if not more, than that amount" He then took up the financial history of the coun- try from 1792 to 1906. from which he ad- duced statistical evidence to prove clear ly and conclusiVely that ms asseftloh was well grounded.
 During this part of his speech he made eulOgistic reference to George s. Hous- ton, which was most enthusiastically re- ceived. He said further that many claim ed that this legislation was made neces- sary in order to free the country from debt. In rebutta1 of this argument hn said that such might be the case if the creditor was fool enough to sit down ahi see the debt which had been contracted upon sound money basis paid in de preciated coin. But he asked is 1t req sonable to suppose that the merchant. who is by no means the bigger fool of the two. is going to sit quietly by and have such thing done to him. Was it reason able to suppose such thing. No, cer- tainly it was not In the latter part oi his speech he invited and received a good many questions from the audience. all of which he answered rapidly and easily.
 He closed by denying the report as ab- solutely false to the effect that he was going to make the race for governor. So far from it was he that he said that ne could not conceive of any circumstances under which he would consent to make the race.
 The speech was finely delivered and re- ceived with a great deal of applause Il has done lot of good in this country.