Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-09-10

of this indebtedness
PagaIbe finally in bv gold e
creditors in this country and Europe, be-
cause. in little less than three years there,
act of 1878 demonetiz.rs. silver. that is.
lists, and like step taken the succeeding
year of 1874. which took from the silver dol
ment Of sums of IS and less.
Before speaking further concerning Sael I'm!
dence occurring in other parts of the world
of the scheme to discredit the silver of the
coin In ISL Germany demonetized silver;
World W mdS to one do So. England had done so as
far back as 1916, and although the greatest
commercial nation upon the globe, her act
seemed to have absolutely no. effect to re-
duce the silver of the country in popular
as fit Instrument for the discharge OF
money obligations. II
The Conspiracy to Dfscredit Silver.
The occasion. of Germany's action is is
payment in gold of the immense war in
demnty debt from ran fSe on var
PSscsSR Of Taft Snd th e
German statesmen conceived that It's pay. pay
ment in gold, SO far as possible would inure
Then followed, in 1873, the demonetiza-
ton act of our Congress Did anyone ask
known that such measure was pending!
Wassthe necessity for its passage explained
suited about it7 No! On the contrary, un-
til the present and recent campaigns came
on the fact that it passed without the
knowledge even of the members of Con,
gress who voted for it. and that it passed
feet, was an admitted fact. 1t is too late
now for Mr.. Sherman and other gentlemen
to make the claim that this measure was
discussed even in Congress and its char
acter and contemplated effect explained.
viously spoke, Withdrawing from the sill
yer dollars their legal-tender character ex-
sum Of Of $. subsidiary silver coins. that is,
halves, quarters and dimes, had not been
ISIS In this same year, 1874, the countries
of Europe composing what was called the
The Latin union embraced France. Bel
GUM, Italy. Greece and some others whose
through their representatives. to strike sill
yer from the coinage list as England, Ger
These several acts left the silver of the
world discredited, rejected for every pur-s
Of course. it became reduced in value. 1t
became reduced in value because 1t could
not besused for that purpose for which it
for which it is principally designed Ihe
lowed lowed the g general DISQUALIFICATION of gold
as follow led the decentralization of silver in
nli IN as With sive the
debts of the world could no longer be paid
w Would foIIow an enforced legal restriction
upon the use of any article of value II II
longer be used for any purpose except
the making of pancakes. wheat would un-
demand, SO that it would come to be re-
garded as of inconsiderable value
subtle Purpose of the Resumption Act
In 1875 Congress passed what was known
as the resumption act. 1t was an act look
ing to the resumption of specie payments
OF the law is concerned, for one have no
fault to find with it, But it did more than
to tot the resumption of specie payments, that
the greenback legal-tender currency in ex-
circulation ion and destroyed. That was an
other effort to still further contract the
in force until ISIS. and under its operation
many millions of legal-tender dollars were
retired. These various acts of legislation
in this country and in the countries of the
older world brought on, as they inevitably
and Industrial depression fatal if long con-
tinued, to the interest of all the people, ex-
tary circulation and the consequent in
creased purchasing power OF their money.
or before the middle of the 7o's mutterings
of discomfort became loud and prolonged
arose IN aets of egs
lation and these economic practices; and
tests many of the leaders and managers
of the Republican party began to partially
the party Sa Seen h
consistent friend of silver: After perceiv-
tzgaon aeta Of and they IN ssssteS In
partially restoring silver to its rightful con-
did Sc SR agae Of the
pulsion of the aroused public sentiment for
which the Greenhack and Democratic par
1878 assist in prohibiting the further de-
and they did in ISIS ted sTsr
coinage to the extent,I believe, of S2i 600 600 a
year, and did restore to the silver dollar
compelled to do SO by an aroused sense of
the great public wrongs they had previous
- perpetrated upon the people.
Fear Sent the Bill Over Hayes, Veto
Even then divided was that party
in its allegiance to the people on the one
hand and the money changers upon the
other that its President Mr.. r. B. HAYES
vetoed the Bland bill, as it was called, for