Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-07-11
SiLvER.S FRIENDS.
Hon. A. III. Garland, OF Arkansas, MI
fleveland's First Attorney-tieneral, Give
His Views.


flevrland's First Attorney-tieneral. Gives
His Views.
Hon. A. 81. Garland, formerly United
States senator from Arkansas and at
torney-general during President Cleve-
lands first administration. was invited
to attend the Memphis free silver con-
ference and in long letter he gave
his reasons for being unable to attend,
and added: 81 am none the less in
full, direct and unequivocal accord
with the objects and purposes of the
calling of this convention, and hope
and pray it will be success in all re-
spects, and its teachings and lessons
may meet the approval of our people.
and serve to bring the country now
debt-ridden and generally depressed
almost beyond hope, back to the ways
and methods of real comfort and
healthy prosperity"
Mr.. Garland then refers to the report
of Alexander Hamilton to congress in
1871. on the financial question then
agitating the country, also the speeches
of other able financiers in favor OF
silver-not forgetting to contrast the
position of Mr.. Carlisle in 1873 with
the sentiments put forth in his late
speeches. Mr.. Garland's letter con-
tinues:
''Silver came here to this country
with our forefathers and foremothers,
hand in hand under the law with gold
it peregrinated, it rusticated it
domiciliated with them and became
thus one of the institutions of our
colonies, and walked thus with gold
and took its place in the constitution;
and our first and greatest secretary of
the treasury, as we have seen. takes it
up with full recognition and fixes its
place in the financial transactions of
the country; and it thus continued on
under all circumstances as such till the
dismal period of 1878 already referred
to. Yes, for eighty-four years after
the adoption of the constitution of the
United States, the right of the people
as gold, was not only distinctly recog-
nized but carefully protected by con-
gress.
81 cannot believe silver is worthless
and valueless. as the single standard
advocates claim it to be, and that it
deserves the treatment they insist it
shall receive. It was current money
with the merchant when Abraham
bought the field of Machelah in which
to bury Sarah, and it has been so al
most ever since, and I cannot believe
any sound reasons can be given why it
should not now be so.
II cannot help believing that our
country is big enough in territory, in
soil and climate, in all the appliances
of the arts and sciences, in all its
variety of productions, in all its differ
ent interests of its people, in energy
and honesty and in name and char
acter, to fix it's own standards of value,
without waiting for. or dancing at
tendance upon, foreign powers. Let
US fix them, and these foreign powers
can follow, if they will, but let US fix
them.
1T is not possible there is any real
basis for the fear sometimes expressed
that bringing silver back to its proper
status will cause foreign nations to
dump all their silver here and smother
us! Where is it, to this extent, to come
from? Who has got it? The emptiness
of this charge was fully exposed by
Senator Jones, of Nevada, in his re-
markable Speech very pandect of in
formation on this question and cognate
questions - delivered in the United
States senate In October, 1898; and in
that speech Senator Jones showed con-
clusively, if there were grounds for
such a fear. we could easily, by wise
and judicious laws, protect ourselves
against any such efforts.
is it fair to degrade, demonetize
silver, and then to complain it is of lit
tie value? This, with all due respect
to everybody. is bordering on the 'vul-
gar legerdemain of sophistry'; it is
that one cannot see after
himself stirring up a dust; it is the
logic the wolf uses against the lam b;
it is to allege the source of the stream
has been befouled aud poisoned by its
mouth-the effect is put before the
indeed it is to vindicate OPP
preston by pointing to the deprava-
duced' This mode of argument
lacks that element without which no
human speech or conduct is of value or
entitled to one moments rcspect-fair-
ness. This absent, and the words are
and empty. And the cause
driven to this kind of assertion must,
in the nature of things. be helpless,
whatever of intellect or high patriotic
purposes may come to its support. The
friends of silver need not dread or fear
such weapons; they can meet them
I am confident, on all
parts of the ground, and they should
put on their armor, and grid themselves
for the struggle, until it is completed
to a finish.
"And now, and here, just as soon as
settled; no more evasion; no more
no more postponing. The
and the business of the coun-
try, regardless of personal or party
am bition Or success. want it settled
and they are entitled to have it settled
as quickly as can be. Let business and
the laws know and understand each
other, and adjust themselves accord
ingly, for not till then will the coun-
try be prosperous and at ease again.
1--WE, of the United States, of all peo-
Pile of the earth by this time. ought to
know, and think we do know, the
great unwisdom of tampering with and
questions vital to the country.
This delayed much more, and sickness.
prostration, paralysis, and death are
near at hand"
The Facts.
In the twenty-one years from the
date that silver was demonetized, it
will be seen that wheat declined in
price nearly one-half, lacking only one