The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1895-07-04
The Silver Issue IN a Nutshell.

AhO III q lNNhSIOths
Every people OF the world civilized,
pagan crutterly benighted, has fixed |
standard of value for commercial
In all the leading
civilized countries of the world the
standard OF value is gold; in all the
pagan and semi civilized countries of
the world the standard is silver, and
in the regions of the savage the stand
srd OF value is elephants tusks, etc.
All the great countries OF the world
with which we have business relations
have the gold standards as it has not
huctuated for centuries, and silveris
used in those countries only as
subsidiary coin, or within the limited
scope that enables the government to
maintain the parity of the two metals.
The standard of civilization, therefore,
is the gold standard, and all progressive
peoplesof the world of necessity &C.
cept it.
In this country we have maintained
the gold standard from the organiza
ton OF the government. We main
tanned the credit of the government
during the war solely by adhering to
the gold standard, although it cost
the people more than a billion and a
half to do it. 1t was our scrupulously
maintained credit that saved the I'm.
ion from overthrow, as we thus com
manded the confidence of the money
centers OF the world.
In this country we maintain the
gold standard, although we have near.
ly as many silver dollars coined as we
have gold. We sustain silver solely
by the government paying fifty cent
in gold to make up the deficiency on
every silver dollar it issues. The sill
yer dollar is only fiat money, and in
order to enable it to circulate at home
and abroad the government is bound
to redeem it in gold and has ever
done 80.
The pagan and semi-civilized nations
OF the world use the standard of silver
II the laborer earns a dollar day hi
can purchase just fifty cents worth o
the necessaKies OF life for it. Wher
China and Japan required war loan
they were compelled to obligate them
selves TO pay 80 for one if they Dor
rowed anywhere outside OF their owl
country. The gold standard is thu
accepted everywhere, as where they
have the silver standard they simpl,
pay so for 81 worth of product.
The class of people in this countr,
that would be specially benefited b,
the silver standard would be the EN-
ployers of labor. With the gold stan
dard overthrow they could get So 70
every present dollars worth of good
they produce, and they would not pa
labor fifty per cent. increase of wages
1t is the laborers Of the country tina
suffer most by the acceptance of tn
silver standard, as no one dreams ths
; under the silver policy wages OF labo
would be doubled, as they must be
, pay workingmen the present con
r"nsation for their labor.
The deliverances glittering with b
] NJ tallism and maintaining the part
. OF gold and silver are delusion and
fraud unless they declare in favor
the intrinsic value of every coin
maintain the parity of the two metal
Bimetallism is possible only by an il
: ternatlonal agreement, and that
impossible for the reason that til
2 civilized nations of the world will II,
J. double the value OF the money of II
r pagan nations OF the world witho,
5 any corresponding benefit to ther
n selves. We can have bimetallism he,
It only by the government paying fiji
q cents in gold 10 make good every fl
n silver dollar the government issu
q and stamps as legal tender.
D. 1t is idle to assume that bime
l. allism, unless based upon the intrins
x value oil the coins, can be maintain,
O. by any country without the Cover
ment assuming to pay the differsn
y in gold. Any other standard mea,
g the overthrow OF gold and the accer
At ance of silver that would convulse II
q whole business and industrial interes
u OF the country, lessen the wages
s. labor nearly or quite one half, al
re would make it impossible for this 60