The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-10-19

1A'C cA
Trade In the United States.
Governor O'Ferrall of Virginia adds
another name to the already long list
Of prominent men who have changed
their position on the silver question aft
er long and careful study. His recent
four column open letter in the Rich
mond Dispatch will give cold comfort
to the friends Of silver" We reprint
the following extracts from it:
81 am opposed to the free coinage Of
silver il the United States except
through an international agreement
with the great commercial countries of
the world.
Il do not believe this country alone
a maintain a parity between gold and
silver at any fixed ratio.
eve are strong i'll resources and in
all the elements that go to make a ma
tioR powerful, but we are not strong
enough to live within ourselves, trade
only with ourselves, raise and manufac-
ture all we need, consume and use all we
produce and make, import nothing, ex-
port nothing and have no commercial re-
latiOns with other countries. To deal,
then, with other countries our money
must be measured by their standard
when we are in their markets and the
principal countries whose markets we
seek and with which we must deal in
selling and buying have a gold standard.
cit may BE surprising to some to
know It. yet it is an inc~ontrovertiblc
fact that gold standard countries furnish
S7% per cent OF the international COM
merce Of the world, and that about 81
per cent Of the exports of the United
States are 20 countries having Il gold
standard, and about so per cent Of our
imports are from countries having the
same standard.
"Shall we cut loose in our monetary
system from these countries Of such
commercial power and attach ourselves
to the small and weak nationaIities to
which We sell scarcely anything, and
from which or purchases are absolute
ly insignificant?
"There is 10 country that mas a dUu-
bic monetary standard. Wherever there
is free silver coinage, silver monometal-
Ism prevails. All countries with 4 gold
standard utilize silver as far as it can
be kept at = parity with gold. That IS,
gold countries use both metals aS mon
ey; silver countries only silver. The in
dependent free coinage Of silver in the
United States would place her on Il sill
yer standard and III direct IntagoniSm
to the standard of the countries with
which she does nearly all Of her bust
ness.
"Win the United States lower her
crest, withdraw from the strong sister
hood Of nations which Wlitens the seas
with the sails Of commerce and unite
her monetary fortunes with the weak
combination whose craft are scarcely
ever seen and whose products and fruits
constitute so small a percentage in the
grand total:
"Will she continue to stand with
Germany, Austria. France and England.
or link her destiny with China, japan
and Mexico?
"'These are my views, stated briefly
and concisciy as possible.
"Eur the reasons given I am opposed
TO the doctrine Of free and unlimited
silver coinage without international
agreement with the principal CONNER
cial countries Of the world. We cannot
adopt 4 monetary system different from
these great natiOnalities and force them
to recognize il. We cannot float q 80
cent silver dollar rs a sound dollar n
this country, much less in the markets
Of Germany, France, Austria or Eng
land, with whom our interests are close
" identified. There are many things
we can do regardless Of the opinions or
wishes Of other lands. We can amend
or change our system Cf government,
Slanage Il internal affairs and enact
laws to govern cur own people without
let or hindrance from any foreign source,
but there IS one thing we cannot do.
We cannot cocrCe other peoples and
lands to recognize any money we may
see proper to engravG or coin as Il me
dunn Of exchange between them and us.
As well might we attempt TO change
the laws Of gravitation or make water
run up hill.
Il am FOR a sound dollar, and what |
mean by :: sound dollar is one that will
pass for LOG centSand be as good as any
other dollar anywhere within the limits
Of the civilized world. Gold is that dol
lar now. Silver may also be if kept Oh
a parity with gold. But this can only
be done by international agreement.
What 1 mean by a sound dollar is one
that the farmer. the mechanic and the Ia
boring man can use with 4 purchasing
power Of 100 cents and buy as much
with it as any other dollar. What l
mean by a sound dollar IS one that its
holder may lay away to buy 4 home, save
for a rainy day or provide for himself
III old age with absolute certainty that
it will be as good Is any other dollar
when he Wants.tO use it. Gold is that
dollar. Silver cannot be unless by inter
national agreement it Is made equiva-
lent to a gold dollar.
Il am for Il sound dollar for the poor
man as well as for therich man. 1 shall
never consent to a monetary system
which viii place it in the power Of the
rich man TO hoard his gold and pay his
poor creditor i'll 4 deprecated dollar.
= Surprising Spectacle.
IF Won see = man dodge around and