Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-08-16
THE SILVER QUESTION.
sPEEoH OF MR.. EDMUNDs AT PHlLADeL-
PHIA REVIEWED.

plenty or scarce, ana II IL Is desirable
that the necessares of life should be
plenty and cheap, why is it not desirable
that money, which commands those
necessaries, as well as the luxuries and
all the comforts of life, should be
plenty and cheap? Why is not it better,
by one movement, to get at the result
wished for than, by many movements,
to approach to it? When money is
plenty and cheap it follows that more of
it can be had for the price given, whether
that price be in merchandise or
labor There is, it is true, a difference
between commodities being plenty and
cheap, and money being plenty and
cheap, in this respect-cOmmoditles,
wht n plenty and cheap, might be and,
it is expected, will be equally good for
consumption as when scarce and dear.
But it may be objected TO money being
plenty and cheap, that, if so, it is less
valuable and would command less of
other things. This is undoubtedly true,
but within limits. Always the money of
!
mand the use or ownership of every com
modify and there is this advantage to the
use of either gold or silver for money, that
the money from them is always reasonably
good. So, too, any money backed by
the credit of government that is rich
and kept within limits must be, and
is, reasonably good. Let it then be
plenty and to that extent, cheap, so
the masses of the people can get hold
of 1t easily, and in fair abundance, and
they may well take chances upon its pur-
chasing power after they have got it,
There is an old proverb that half a
loaf is better than no bread; there is
another that a bird in the hand is worth
two in the bush, and so, certainly, far
amount of reasonably good money in
ones hand is better than no money at all'
or than a very small amount that has
but little larger purchasing power.
With the decentralization of silver has
come an increased demand for gold, and
this increased demand has been followed
by its natural resut-an increased sup
ply. If 1t were certain that the supply
were large enough to abuudantly fill all
the purposes of money, anQ if it were
equally certain that that supply could
be commanded with little or no delay,
it might not be important to return to
bmetallsm. But unless this is certain,
such return should be made at once; that
is if we are to continue to use these met
ais for our money For we cannot afford
to continue foolish experiments in mat
ter of such great magnitude, especially
as under no circumstances could any
important benefit result.
In the recent debate at Chicago, be-
fore referred to, between Mr.. Harvey
and Mr.. IIorr. the conclusion of Mr..
HOrr's argument is most noticeable in
this respect, that he comes out unquali.
fiedly, as Mr.. Cleveland has done, for
the use of the single gold standard.
Mr.. Horr is now one of the editors OF
the New York Tribune, has Away
claimed and we suppose claims still tc
of finance he occupies precisely the same
ground as Mr.. Cleveland. In this re-
gard he does not represent the great
body of the Republican party, which
have been and are bimetallsts. But MIR
Herr, as it seems to US. does represent
the only logical ground that can be oc
cupied by those who oppose the free
coinage of silver at some fixed ratio, by
the United States Those American;
who believe the single gold standard tC
, be the best standard of money will OF
course, or should maintain it; but We
do not understand how Americans, WHIT
believe otherwise, can be brought to sup
port this standard, or refuse much l0nge
to right what they believe to be a heinou:
, wrong. Independent action by the grea
body of Americans is certainly most nat
ural, and, though a few party leaders
} whose own personal interests lie in the di
rection of the single gold STANDARD
may undertake by sOphistries to in
duce their constituents, whose interest
4
and betray cause, that, instinctively
they would support, we do not believ
@ that they will succeed. Their position
- too transparent, for it can not be to-
carefully considered that in this matter
= unlike other questions in politics, man.
/ leaders of the party have distinct ant
1 different interests from the great body o
o their followers. This being O,those fol
lowers have simply to select new leader
8 from among themselves. In othe
e words. the great body of the Republi
can party should quit any leaders tina
9 undertake to lead them directly or ind
rectly into the support of the singh
gold standard.
/ Mr.. Horr, who like Mr. Morrill,, MI
3 Edmunds and Mr.. Powers, is native @
Vermont, born in the town of Waits