The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1895-08-28
FREE SILVER.
Letter From Hon. James Capehart,
of This County.

of This County.
Gu. SesTown Farmers Advocate.
n Democratic Bimetallic League
was formed in Romney, on July
3Oth, at which the following resolu-
tions were adopted:
Resolred, That in the language OF the
Democratic State Convention OF 1890,
we are unalterably in favor OF the free
and unlimited coinage OF silver and
That we favor the immediate restora-
ton of silver to the place it held from
the foundation of the government until
1875 as a full legal standard money,
equally with gold and the free and un-
limited C image of both gold and silver
at a ratio of 10 to l, and without discrim-
ination between the two
That whilst we should be glad to see
an international acceptance OF the bI-
metallic system OF money, our govern
meut owes its first duty to the masses Of
its people, their interest and welfare,
and should without waiting to ask the
cooperation of foreign countries or the
consent of foreign creditors, reverse the
oppressive gold standard system which
IS Gripping the industries and destroy
ing the prosperity OF its people, and lead
ration OF silver to its old position as
money
That the use of public patronage for
the purpose OF moulding public senti-
ment in the interest OF plutocracy IS re-
voting to every generous and virtuOus
instinct OF freedom and tends to the de-
struction OF the rights and liberties OF
the people and therefore we denounce
it.
Hon. Jas. Capehart who was in
vited to speak, addressed the com
mittee in the following letter:
As for silver, 1 am heart and soul
with you in every effort to restore
it to its proper function as a money.
Make its coinage free and make it
legal tender on the same footing
with gold and we will no longer be
dependent on a syndicate of bank
ers to protect our treasury. If the
treasury of this great country must
buy protection at such a price as
as that paid by our great fnanciers,
Grover and John, in their recent
deal with Rothsehild and Morgans,
what can the average citizens do
when gold is demanded in payment
of his obligations? If the treasury
can not keep gold except upon such
ruinous terms, is it possible for
every debtor to pay in this stuff
which is daily mounting in value
while everything else goes down,
down? l believe in gold and silver,
both to be coined free, and both lie,
gal tender on equal terms. But if
we must have monometaIlism, lett
be that of silver not of gold. Better
be Mexicanized than delivered
bound to the tender mercies of those
who are able to control the gold of
the world. They pirate to us of
HONEST money, ofsoUND money; was
there ever a more dishonest dollar
than the gold dollar of to day? By
the decentralization of silver the
debtor was compelled to pay from
one and one half to two dollars for
every dollar he owed, and that is
why silver was struck down, firstIn
Europe then here. Every govern
ment that did it was, and is today,
in the hands of those who were the
direct benefciaries of that legisla-
ton. 1t was a scheme to enrich the
creditor and the office holding class
es, and it was a grand success. But
who foots the bills? Has not the
course of prices been steadily down
ward since It was done? Our lands
and the things we produce from
them are today not worth one half
their yalue.in 1873; and the demon
etization of silver has done the
work. Silver has not declined in
value except when measured by
gold. Measured by land, by wheat,
by cotton, by iron, by clothing,
food and all staples, it will buy as
much as ever-I mean silver bull
ion, not silver dollars; and 1 defy
successful refutation of this state
ment, which l heard Senator Jones,
of Nevada, make on the floor of the
Senate where HE challenged valid
contradiction and there was none
to answer him, although every gold
bug of the Senate was present.
Silver is, therefore, more staple in
its value than gold. 1t is the best
measure of value. Restore it to its
former place and gold will not roost
SO high. Gold, of course, is like
everything else; when everybody is
after it, its price goes up. But give
us another primary money-so
plentiful that the shylocks cannot
corner it, and we can get along
without gold if need be.
We see it daily in the press that
the "silver craze" is fast dying out.
Every office holder from the cabi.
net down to the smallest clerk, on