The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-09
A STRADDLE-BUG VIEW.

The Review Of Reviews, in comment
ing upon the industrial and financial
condition Of Mexico under silver stan
dard, admits that it is obvious thai
| while the system cuts off much of hel
import trade, thereby acting as a high
| protective law, there is, obviously
great prosperity among that people
better times than they ever expert
enced. Home industries of every char
cter have been immensely stimulated
Many things which they formerly pur-
| chased of the United States are new
| being produced ON Mexican soil, and
| so forth. A parity of reason would
starve Europe, especially England, if
America should take such action on
silver as to drive gold out of her cur
rency. The Review of Reviews says
| that all this does not prove anything,
one way or the other, for the United
States, yet admits that the people of
this country would do well to more
candidly study the monetary situation
in silver Mexico, which country is pros
pering in a phenomenal way notwith-
standing her disadvantage of having
to pay the interest on her foreign debt
in gold at a great sacrifice
Judge Caldwell of the United States
circuit court, in his letter, published in
yesterday mornings Eagle, declares
that while he respects the avowed
"goldbug' he has only contempt for
the ''straddle-bug;;" we submit for q
''straddle-bug" the foregoing admission
made by the Review of Reviews, touch
ing Mexico and her free silver, is not
void of close observation and much
good conservative sense.
The gold papers are doing their best
to make something on of CarliSle's five
propositions" by the mere force of repi-
tition. The gist of the whole thing is
comparison between the conditions
that prevail in such countries as the
United States and Great Britain, with
the conditions that prevail in such
countries as Mexico and China, and the
intimation that the difference is due
10 the fact that the gold standard pre-
walls in the former and the silver STAN
dard in the latter. 1t is q miserable
sort of petifogging unworthy of a
place in any serious discussion of the
question. The difference between the
countries compared existed long before
the gold standard propaganda. and the
alleged argument amounts to nothing
more than an assertion that the gold
standard has not reduced the United
States to the line of Mexico. or the
silver standard lifted Mexico TO the
line of the United States. Mexico and
other free coinage countries have 10
gold, first because they do not need il.
and, second. because they are unable
and unwilling 10 pay the prices the
gold standard countries are compelled
10 pay by the ruinous sacrifice of prop
eriy TO obtain ii. 1t is only by bidding
large and ever increasing quantities of
commodities for gold that the gold
standard countries have been able tn
obtain it and then all of them have
been forced 10 exc out their scantv
supply 10y silver and paper money.
But comparing countries somewhat in
the same class will not give a very
fiatterins result Turkey is n gold
standard country and has only about
one-half the per capita circulation Of
Mexico, and we think we hazard moth
Ing in saying that the butchers OF Ar-
menian Christians, despite the fact that
they have the standard of civilization
and Christianity" are very much lower
IN the scale than Mexico or any OF the
South American countries that have
the silver standard. Egypt has the
standard of civilization and Chris
tanity," and presents the edifylny spe,-
taele OF nation in the hands OF a re-
ceiyer, because il is too poor TO pay