The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-11-27
BRYAN ON THE MONEY QUESTION.

BRYAN ON THE MONEY QUESTION.
From the Minneapolis Penny Press.
It every business man in the city Of
Minneapolis could have listened to the lee
ture, by ex-Congressman Bryan at Har-
monia' Hall On Tuesday night, world of
good in the line Of education concerning
the monetary question might have been
accomplished. 1t is to be regretted that
there seems to be so little desire on the
part of the capitalists-the money-loaners
the men who own their property, owe
no debts and have money to loan, are SO
prejudiced and intolerant of the argu-
ments advanced in favor of bi-metallism.
We say 1t is remarkably strange" simply
because we believe that patriotism" or
| the greatest good to the greatest number,
should prevail above "selfishness'' and
personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
There was large audience in attend
ance at Harmonic Hall on the occasion Of
Mr.. Bryan's speech, but the leading mon
etary men of the city were conspicuous
by their absence. They take 1.-The high
and mighty ground" that they know it
ALL need no education, but are bound to
stick blindly to the present gold stand
ard" without regard to whether it is right,
or even desirable for the American PEG.
pie.
Of all the speakers who have presented
this subject to the public in the Northwest
including Mr. Harvey himself as we'll as
the eloquent congressman from Duluth
none have presented such forcible argu-
| ments, so simply put that even child
might comprehend them, as characterized
the lecture of Mr. Bryan on Tuesday
night. We may be pardoned perhaps for
reviewing the lecture and bringing out
prominently the salient points therein
| contained. Mr.. Bryan clearly and plain
ly developed the following interesting
propositions
Cd He began by saying that the prac-
tical ratio between silver and gold has
been so long established and maintained
at one point-16 to Throughout the en-
tire period intervening between 1884 and
1873, that it would be folly in the light
of history to attempt to make any other
ratio.
CD The fact that no act of our govern
ment throughout that entire period of it's
history prior to 1873, had ever even
squinted at amy discrimination be-
tween the two precious metals of silver
and gold in their use as primary money
was pointed out. He reiterated the prop
osition made by Congressman Towne, that
no party had ever attempted to discrimin-
ate against these metals, even down to the
last presidential election of 1892. The
platforms of all recognized the doctrine of
"bi-metallism involves the exact
equal and equitable treatment of both
metals. Mr.. Bryan brought out the fact
that the coinage of money is just as much
function of the government" as the
preparations for the defrayment of other
expenses Of the government, and therefore
should be treated entirely from a ma
t.onal," and not an individual standpoint.
80 His definitions of Sound money"
were based entirely upon the fact that
money of any character could only be the
product of legislative enactment Sound
money" consists simply in selecting that
metal which remains the same whether
in it's bullion form, or in it's money form.
Gold WAS precisely of the same value in
all gold standard countries" because the
price of gold bullion and the price of the
pounds sterling, for example, were exact
| ly the same throughout the British En-
pire. But this was no less true OF silver
in Mexico, where the silver standard pre-
walls.
(4) Mr. Bryan brought out the point that
| there were today, in the entire civilized
world, but eight billions of metallic
money-about equally divided between
! gold and silver-and that the world
needed a great deal more money with
which to transact it's business, than that
| represented by the total amount. This
| fact laid the foundation for an unlimited
demand for limited article and conse-
| quently proved the proposition that BIZ
| metallism, based on gold and silver would
| always maintain each metal at parity
| OF about Is to 1, and each metal in its
| bullion form at precisely the same value
which that bullion represented when
| melted down. and converted into money
90 Mr.. Bryan called attention to the
| fact that in order to maintain any metal
at par it must always be COINED free" If
| the government were to charge five cents
| dollar for coming gold bullion" then
| there would always be five cents differ
erence between the value of the number
| of grains represented in a gold dollar in
bullion and the gold dollar itself. 1t
| would, therefore, follow that "any dis
| elimination" in law made against either
| metal would always render less valuable
| as money, the article Disseminated
| against.
(6) Coming to the question of whether
| the United States can adopt and maintain
| the commercial world Mr.: Bryan made
| the point that it would not do to limit
| the free coinage of gold and silver to the
product of the United States, because
| that would throw the surplus product of
| other nations upon the market in bullion
| FORM which would necessarily be worth
| less in the markets of the world, than an
equal amount of silver bullion, when con-
verified into an American dollar. There
| fore in order to maintain the silver bull
lion at par with the silver dollar, and at
the ratio of "16 to L. the minis of the
United States must be open to the free
coinage of silver from every source.
| CD Mr. Bryan made the point that his
position in favor of the free and unlm-
tied coinage of both metals for the whole
world, could be illustrated by the fact,
that if it were limited to the product Of
this country, then it would be discrim-
ination in favor of the silver producing
states, whereas it should be so regulated
that it would be of equal value to all the
states. Minnesota had mines of neither