The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-08-07
HORR'S CLOSING ARGUMENT.

soon approve and adopt it.
HoRR's CLOSING ARGUMENT.
| From the Minneapolis Penny Press
In the final debate which took place
at the Illinois Club rooms, in Chicago
| between Messrs. Harvey and Horn, and
where the subject was Can the United
States alone restore silver as a primary
| money on a ratio of 16 to IT, in accord
ance with the original agreement, Mr..
Horn practically never touched the sub
| ject under consideration, from the time
he opened his mouth in the beginning
| until he had had his full time at the
close.
Instead of addressing himself to the
subject as to the ability of the United
States to restore silver to it's original
position as primary money without the
assistance of other nations, Mr. Horr
simply made a stump speech character
istic of his palmy days as a campaign
| orator, devoting his time and attention
almost wholly to the effect upon four
classes of people in case such a law
should be enacted. These classes of peo-
pie include the following:
Servant girls to the number of $780,
900 who were engaged at weekly service:
Factory hands and skilled laborers to
the number of 5,091 $780, These include
| shop girls and store clerks:
Then came the great army of pen
sioners, exceeding 100000, whose pen
sions amounted to S13S, 100000 last year
And finally the Savings Bank depos-
itors, numbering 4,7S1 sos, and having
| deposits to the amount of $1,712,O26
When this array Of facts were being
! placed before his audience, after enum-
Grating each division of class, Mr.. Horn
| would exclaim: 'And you would reduce
the wages Of these servant girls one
half by your cheap dollar, would you ?''
"You would send this great army of pen
sioners out into the world with their
pesions reduced one-half would you %
"You would turn these millions Of depos-
itors in saving banks out into the cold
| world, with dollar worth but one-half
as the dollar they put into the bank
would your" And these are samples of
the arguments which Mr.. Horn advanced
as reason why the United States could
not adopt bimetallism, which involves
the free coinage of silver and gold alike.
What rot! What demagogy! What
an appeal to make to mankind! What
an argument to be advanced with refer
ence to a great principle such as was
involved in this discussion! The entire
argument advanced by Mr. Horn is as
fallacious, as inaccurate, as lame and
hating as the customary arguments ad-
vanced by the advocates of the gold
standard. Let us examine the situation
for moment, under a supposition that
this country had returned to bi-metal-
lism, and see how it would affect these
very classes of people.
Tht instant that the government enact
ed the law declaring silver to have an
equal standing with gold on a basis of 16
to 1.-THE ratio that now exists between
the silver dollar and the gold dolar-that
instant the silver dollar in the United
States IS as good as the gold dollar and is
circulated on the same basis. 1t will buy
just as many goods for the servant girl,
Will pay just as much house rent for the
savings bank depositor, will go just as
far towards clothing the family of the
skilled laborer, soldier and mechanic; and
IN case the savings bank depositor should
happen to take a note to make a little in
vestment in real estate, or buy a home, or
improve his present home, his money will
buy just as much land, pay for just as
many improvements or build just as good
house as the gold dollars.
On the other hand the man who has no
deposits in asavings bank, but has already
invested It in little home on which
there is mortgage maturing next year,
will be able to pay therefor in silver as
we'll as gold; and generally the man who
owes a dollar in this world will be able to
meet his liabilities and liquidate his obi
cations upon precisely the same basis and
the same conditions which existed on the
day in which they were created.
Mr.. Harvey demonstrated beyond per-
adventure, how, instantly, when the laws
of the country should make silver a legal
tender, and place it on an equal basis with
gold, the sudden and great demand for
silver, would not only raise the price of
that article in the market, but would tend
to reduce the price Of god, thus bringing
the two metals to common level.
Win regard TO the TACT That the silver
dollar will buy just as many goods as the
gold dollar, embracing all the comforts of
life which can be produced within the
limits of the United States, we beg to
refer to Mexico as complete proof. There
the Mexican minister says that the Next
can dollar, within the limits of the Next
can nation, will buy just as much as the
gold dollar. The only difference is when
one undertakes to purchase an imported
article for which he must double the
amount of silver, when compared with
gold.
Happily the United States is not COM
PEELED to import a single article of any
name or nature necessary for the comfort
of the American people, as she already
manufactures or produces everyone OF
| them now.