People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-05-02
The Silver Question.

people OF thls country at the present,
That is OF &c much interest as that of
the silver question; none that is be-
ing discussed by the press and the
people of all classes and adherents to
all political creedS.
Some favor free and unlimited
coinage, some free coinage, some a
a gold standard while Others favor un-
limited coinage Of our own product,
with sufficient tariff to protect our
own product. The last named would
be my choice, | am for America and
American interests, first, last and all
the time, whether England or any
other nation under the sun likes it or
not. This question of the remonetiz-
ing OF silver; placing it On an equality
with gold will be one of, if not the
main issue in 1916, and the party that
will place a conservative plank in
their platform on the reconciliation
OF silver will in my judgement.
elect the next president. If the Re-
publican party will improve the op-
pOrtnnity now offered, and | believe
it will, that of putting a free coinage
plank in their platform in 1916, a reas-
enable protective tariff plank and the
restoration of the reciprocity feature
of the tariff in our trade relations
with other countries with any good
man like Ben Harrison at the head of
the ticket, the result would, it seems
to me, be certain victory.
In recent editorial of the Globe
Democrat, supposed to be a good Re-
publican paper, occurs the following
in speaking of the silver element in
Democratic party:
"a declaration for free silver at the
16 to l ratio by the National Democ-
racy would be crime less henious
than was that of secession, and the re-
tributiOn which it would bring To the
party would be as instantaneous and
remOrseless."
Is it possible this paper voices the
feeling of the Republican party on
the silver question? Is the Republi-
can party and Cleveland in the same
boat on this question? / do not, |
cannot believe the Republican is or
ever will be gold bug party.
Silver must have its place in the f.
nancial policy of this country and the
political parties may we'll look to it
as an issue that will not down, it
must be heard and settled once for
ali. Ny candid opinion is that the
party that advocates the single gold
standard will not be in it in 1896.
The amount of gold and silver in the
world, is said, by good authority to
be about equal, Up to 1873 both were
used as money by nearly all nations.
At that time the capitalists, not only
of our own nation but of the whole
commercial world decided to double
the purchasing power of their capital
by demOnetizing either gold or silver,
it made but little difference which, so
that either one being demOnetize1
the value of money would be reduced
one half, which would double the
purchasing power of every dollar they
had. Capital has leisure, power and
influence but not much conscience, it
has silver demOnetiZed when 4l2t
grains of the standard silver dollar
were worth three cents more than a
gold dollar and capital and its allies
are urging the adoption Of the gold
standard and reducing everything to
a gold standard. G. W. BAILEY.
The above appears in the Daily
Mail. Mr.. Bailey is a good citizen
and Republican. But there are
some points on the coinage of the
American product which he and
others ought to have. We cannot
do better than quote what Coin says
in his Financial school''on this point
in reply to Senator Cullom:
ITO restate your proposition, Sena-
tor, it is to leave the minis Of the
United States open to the free coin
age Of the gold Of the world, and to
open them to the free coinage Of the
silver of this government only. Such
policy is good as far as it goes, but
it does not 90 far enough to furnish a
remedy. Such a policy leaves us at
the mercy of gold standard countries
, in the settlement of balances with
them. When the minis Of this coun-
try, a powerful dominating govern