The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-09-12
EVERYBODY Is DROPPING 1T.

General Henry Kyd Douglas has re-
turned to his home in Maryland from
his summer vacation. Speaking Of the
people he met at Bar Harbor, which is
cosmopolitan resort. where one en-
counters representatives OF every quarter
Of the United States. Gen. Douglas said:
Nobody at Bar Harbor seemed to take
the least interest in the silver question.
IL is regarded as q dead issue. Neither
Democ or Republicans contemplate
anything but an interchangeable curreE-
cy lie suggestion OF a pos sible silver
basis is not tolerated for an instant.
Such a consummation is entirely outside
the domain of political thought"
That is the state and condition which
the silver discussion has 1ow reached.
Ard how could it be expected that PEG
pie as intelligent as those of the Cnitei
States could reach any other conclu-
sion when the subject was fully ventl-
lated and discussed before them? Let
any candid man who can reason safiici-
entity to add two TO two, and see that
four is the result, consider What is asked
by the Gree coiners.' and then ask
himself whether the people were not
bourd TO arrive at this result. We say
he will be compelled TO admit TO HIM
self that they were. The free eoiners
ask that this government shall throw
its mnts open and coin for each indi-
vidual all the silver he brings 10 them.
They shall coin ii into dollars contain
ing 81 Ii grains of pure silver. or AZ IL
grains Of alleged silver, which dollars
81 all be legal tender in payment Of all
demands for dollars although the silver
in them is worth in the market only fifty
cents. Now. isn't that one Of the very
craft 81 propositions that ever came from
any man out of Bedlam? 1t Is ether a
scheme to cheat man who has dollars
due him Of one-half of what is his, or 1t
proceeds upon the belief that the sov-
errmont can turn a ffty-ccnt piece into
a dollar piece by stampiqg on il that 1t IS
a dollar piece. Honest men Will not con-
slider the first proposition at all, and
men who can sincerely entertain the Sec
oad proposition are plainly men Of weak
minds. The great majority OF the men
of the United states are men OF sound
minds. and it Is not surprising, there
fore that as soon as they learn clearly
what IL is that the free coiners' are
after. they should laugh in their faces
ana tell them that they are not fools to
attach themselves to absurd ideas like
that.
Is it possible that any considerable
part of the Virginia people are going 10
allow themselves TO be caught in this
collection OF weak-mIndod people, now
that they see that all the sensible people
Of the United States are turning away
from them? We cannot believe it.
Meantime. we will give them some
thing 80 think OH that viii explain 10
them why silver has so faiI-n in value.
We copy from the Baltimore sun the
following Instructive article.
Tho come elton between the total an
pual production Of silver and its price
Is very plain. From 1872 10 1872 silver
stood at Sl29 per ounce and above, and
during these eighty years the total pro-
GuctlOn was S-s4rl, tt-,v1u, OF an tNtl 1S'
of S34ll3.o2o 4 year.
In the twenty vars from 1873 to 1892
the worlds total product Of silver was
s. $40, Os5 90. or an average OF slls,343o0 .
year. with the average annual prodUc-
ton increased more than thrcefold il
is rot surprising that the price has tum-
bied. ChCSpened production mas led 10
overproduction, with the usual result 1t
Is in fact the miners of silver who put
the price dcwn by continuing 10 sell al
lower ana lower prices, which they could
not do II they We're not st.ll making prof
its. II they cOuld not afford 10 sell
silver at S. cents an ounce with profit
they would long ago have closed their
mines But they are increasing their
production yearly instead Of decreasing
II. Iney are not bankrupt, but are max
ing money at the present prices of sill
yer There are recognized methods OF
putting up the I rice Of an article. such as
for example. as ceasing 70 produce il in
excess OF the demand. Scarcity Of silver
will advance It's pricc-a thing the Sher-
man silver act could not do. The RENE
dy for the low price of their product be-
ing with the mine-owners themselves,
let them apply IL instead of trying to
tinker the currency