The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-20
"THE SILVER CRAZE

Noldlte organs which voice the senti-
ments and desires of the bankers.
money spectators. bond dealers and
sound money syndicates. are con-
graduating themselves and their SIM
porters on the supposed subsistence of
the silver craze" They affect to
treat the growing movement for free
silver coinage as a sort of mental epi-
demic which will wear itself out. like
some Of the zymotic physical disorders
that have periodical run and then
pass away.
This notion started in New York.
the hotbed of the goldfte heresy, and
has spread through the land, being
repeated from paper to paper and i'm
pressed upon the people wherever that
IS possible. 1t is something like the
traditional boast of the antediI1vians
after the flood commenced: "Oh, 1t
isn't going to be much of sho er,
after ALL
The truth is that in spite of the ridi-
cule cast upon the silver movement.
the sophistries of the goldite organs
the literature which is being scattered
throughout the land in favor of gold
recommendation, or bogus bimetallism.
! winch amounts to the same thing
there are more people today than ever
who see that return to the currency
of the country before 1873 is the one
thing needful to establish permanent
prosperity.
Even many Of the papers that are
afraid of Independent free coinage of
both gold and silver by the United
States without the concurrence of
European nations, perceive the need
of true bimetallism, and have adj
Vanced far enough to admit that if
can be safely adopted without the
aid or consent of Great Britain. This
IS an encouraging sign and indicates
that they may yet progress until they
endorse Independent bimetallism and
rise fully into the spirit of the SILVER
craze"
The following. which is a step for
ward and quite surprising from that
quarter. is taken from the editorial
columns of the New York World:
The agreement of French and Ger
man delegates in a proposal for an
international bimetallic conference to
habilitate silver at a ratio of 1913 10
IS result Of necessities stronger
than the hostility the two peoples feel
for each other.
In both Germany and France the
landholders and peasants are seriously
affected by the depreciation and I'M
certain status of silver as a money
metal In Germany the IandhoIders
are the main support of the empire
They control the actual tillers of the
soil and speak for them in all nuhIic
affairs In France the agricultural
worker is somewhat more independent
than IN Germany and the landhold-
lngs are smaller. The class of great
landholderS who exercise such an in
huence in the imperial affairs of Ger
many hardly exist in France. but as a
class the French landholders and yeo-
men farmers are great power in
French politics. capable of disputing
political supremacy with the financial
and commercial classes of the cities.
France is better prepared for war
than is Germany. It's war chest is
the best in Europe, but the hoard of
coin in the Bank of France does NOT
relieve while it may exagerate the
condition of landowners and peasant
farmers In addition TO this France
has in actual circulation or boarded
by its people a very large amount of
silver, the value of which is being
taken away by the English policy
a policy under which, as the great
creditor country of the world. En-
gland "sits at home at ease and
transfers to it's own credit the money
of other countries. or. what is essenti-
ally the same thing. the value of it.
Both France and Germany are deep
ly affected by this policy. and as they
have at last learned the secret of En-
glish financieTing they may be relied
upon to do something. The interna-
tionaI bimetallic conference is not
nearly as far off as it was year ago.
The goldites will find that the silver
movement is a vital force which will
not be spent until it reaches fruition.
It is a living political issue. 1t will
not down. 1t cannot be jeered away
nor stamped out. 1t is making good
Roadway and will have more method
in it's fancied madness as it goes on
ward to victory. The "craze" is
popular demand for what is right and
some time it is sure to succeed.