The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-26
False rIcndIng for wropE.
From the Chicago Tribune.


The Atlanta Constitution is pleading for
a slump to the silver basis. II says that
without any new law the government may
lawfully pay its bonds. currency and treas
ury notes in either gold or silver. at Its
own discretion, and adds:
Some people pretend TO think that II
would hurt our credit II the government
paid out silver as well as gold in redeem
ing its pledges Yet the Bank of France
at Its discretion 80 pays out gold, silver.
or paper, but II does not hurt the credit
OF France in England or anywhere else.
The Georgia paper Is trying to confuse
things for the obfuscation of Its readers,
lust as all the free slVerlte papers and
orators do Its editor must know that the
Bank OF France is not the government Of
France any more than the Bank OF Eng
land Is the government OF England But
the French government long ago stopped
the free coinage OF silver and the bank OF
that country does not pay out any silver
that is not rated as high In France as Is
the gold Of equal nominal value. COnse-
quently II the French bank should pay
out to a party In England a lot OF five
franc pieces IL would be very easy for the
Englishman 10 convert that silver into
French gold, the only cost or the operation
being the expense OF transportation and
that due to the delay OF a few hours In
effecting the conversion If the silver s.
half francs at home being at a discount
OF 50 per cent. there, such payment would
not be attempted. Does the Constitution
suppose the Bank of France would at
tempt or think II could afford to attempt
to liquidate Its gold contracts in any coun-
try with silver coins that would buy only
half as much as gold coins OF the same
nominal amount? The mere asking OF the
question is sufficient to show that TO make
such an attempt would be fatal to the
credit Of the Bank OF France In those coun-
tries; and similarly, II a French citizen
had a gold draft on the Bank of France
the bank could not afford to offer him in
payment money worth only half the gold
value OF the draft
The free silverites persist in closing their
eyes to the fact that their proposition Is to
pay only half Of what they really owe and
to use the government as an instrumental
ity to protect under the form of law what
without that law would be SO dishonest
that Il deserves to be branded as rank
scoundrelism which ought to be punished
by Imprisonment. Their proposition Is that
the government shall authorize them TO
pay 30 per cent of Indebtedness and cancel
the other so per cent. They talk and write
as if they thought this scoundrelism can
be legislated into honesty, that the govern
ment can lawfully depress the silver dol
lar to its bullion value and reduce the
weights of the gold coins one-half TO make
them correspond In -the debasement OF the
currency unit" "Coin" breaches this doc
trine in his fake pamphlet. This Is what
they want to have done, and they demand
II for the purpose Of being able to cheat
their creditors. Except the handful OF sill
yer miners among them they can have no
other motive than this, and II Is undeniable
that all the people In the United States
who do not want to repudiate their honest
debts are opposed to the preparation OF
this scoundrelism by act of Congress
The government may do--that is, It has
the power to do-a great many things
which are not honest, honorable. or neces-
sary, and which would not promote the
welfare of the people. II cut down the tar
III in 1893, but even the democrats will not
now claim that the action has done good
to the country; and an act TO authorize
the administration to repudiate one-half OF
of the government Indebtedness by paying
out silver instead of gold would not make
such reputation honest. The citizen who
takes advantage of the forms OF law to
do wrong, who is no more honest than the
law allows, does not stand very high in
the scale OF morals and is to be avoided to
be engaged in better business than in
teaching such dishonest lessons to the peo-
pie Of Georgia when the great majority of
them would be vastly injured by the carry
ing out OF the policy of contemplation
to which 1t seems pledged. 1t Is a pitiable
position to be taken by a newspaper the
conductors Of which want to have 1t rec
ognized as a great one, an organ Of the
people.