Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-09-10
THE SILVER QUESTION.

.v"uer On every ISSUE anu questioh'
York Press.
THE SILVER QUESTION.
Rev. Theodore L. Cuylsr Disoour.es ON
Its Moral Aspects.
Unless l mistake the signs of the
times, the principle of universal suf-
fragc Will be subjected to a more severe
strain. this year than at any previous
time during the present generation, The
Civil war imposed but slight strain:
slavery was sectional institution, which
went down under the superior forces of
the free states; and the preservation Of
the nations life appealed to- all classes,
rich or poor, educated or ignorant. The
humblest hodcarrier in an Eastern city,
and the toughest miner in Western
camp. could understand why the flag
should be fought for and the Rebellion
suppressed. The issues then were plain,
distinct and simple.
The great, burning question which is
to be submitted to the SURFACES of thir-
teen millions of voters this year is one
that requires some study and intelligence
to comprehend it, and an honest con-
science to decide the moral issues in
volved. The currency question is far
more vital than high or low tariff, or any
policy towards foreign nations. 1t fixes
the value of every dollar that the shop
keeper puts into his till, every dollar
that the housewife carries to market,
and every dollar that is put into the
honesty in the currency taints every
business transaction in the land. I'm
happily there is no question ON which
there are more plausible sophistries cur
rent and more demagogueish appeals to
unreasoning prejudice. The silver in
terest, also, is immensely powerful. and
its propaganda have sown Its specious
t,,v hrAa t. a,- L.
barroom or grocery in the South, or a
saloon in the vast West, in which tracts
OF, papers cannot be found in advocacy
of "cheap money!" or "the dollar of
our fathers" or "the poor mans coin,"
or some kindred financial farrago. 1t is
not surprising that the free silver lun-
acy is widely extended and deeply seat
ed.
Politics and finance belong to the do
main of ethics, and there are some moral
aspects of this free silver agitation for
all good citizens. One of them is the
current delusion that there can be dou-
BILE standard of values. This is as abb
surd and as immoral as the use of two
yard sticks in dry goods store, or two
| kinds of Il multiplication table in count
| ing room. Yet thousands of ignorant
voters in every Southern and Western
state are made to believe that both
gold and n silver standard are possible
and are desirable.
(2) Another immortality connected with
| this free silver crusade is the temptation
which ii offers to the debtor class to dis
| charge their debts i'm "cheap" currency.
| 1t is a very attractive idea to a man who
| is heavily in debt that he may pay off
| his obligations in a dollar that is only
worth 80 or GO cents. That the same
sort of deprecated currency may be
passed off ON to himself does not seem
| to enter his thick skull. An unstable
| standard of values is a constant incen-
| tive to dishonesty. 1t bases the credit
! system on quicksand.
| % One of the worst features of free
silver demagoguery is its attempts to ex-
| cite hostility between classes. According
to the lingo of these crossroads poll
ticians. gold is the money of the rich,
! the silver is the money of the poor Ia
borer; therefore, silver should be thrown
into the most enormous circulation. what
I cruel fact connected with this delusion
is. that under a deprecated currency and
| i'm time of financial panic or depression.
the poor laboring classes are uniformly
the severest sufferers. If the reckless
experiment of n free coinage of silver
panic should ensue, should not feel half
| as much pity for the so-called "gOldbugs
| of Wall street" as should for, the poor
negro on cotton plantation or poor
carman in the streets of st. Louis. If
| anyone wants to see the incendiary at
| tempts to array one class against an
other, let him read the recent address
of the Populists, issued from st. Louis
after the Republican convention had
wisely declared for the existing gold
gies of Senator Teller with the shame
less statement that the existence of a
gold standard is "a tyranny more grind
ing than that of cars or enperors," and
that "the common people will be in no
better condition than that of the black
next four months we may expect a del
uge of this misunderstanding nonsense
| among the more ignorant classes in all
parts of the land. Universal suffrage
| puts a ballot alike into the hands of the
intelligent md the ignorant, of the wise
| and OF the foolish and this fact involves
the necessity of the most constant, pa
4 tient and thorough enlightenment of the
| Masses of.our countrymen on the simple
A, B, @ principles Of honest currency.
One. of the most dangerous symp-
toms just now Is the rapid spread Of che
Populistic heresies in regard to the
standard of values, the functions Of gov
| eminent, and the sacredness Of national
honor. These immoral ideas have in
fected many members of both the old
parties as well as become the cardinal
doctrines of the new. party. We had
n melancholy exhibition of this in the
United States Senate when a senator
from North Carolina introduced a bill
that really involved the reputation of
national obligations! This measure was
denounced by Senator Hawley of Con-
necticut as the most iniquitous and dis
graceful mea sure he had ever known to
be introduced into that body" Yet this
same disgraceful bill actually passed the
Senate, receiving the unanimous votes
Of the free silverites In the Republican,
Democratic and Populist parties! That
the highest legislative body Of our land
which once echoed to the lofty patriotic
eloqucnce Of Clay, Webster, Wright
Seward Sumner and Edmunds--shsdld
stoop to such an ignoble travesty of legis-
lation Is enough to make every American
4 blush for his country.
We hear great deal about the duties
of Christians in purifying municipal gov
eminent, and about the application of
"Christian citizenship" to the role of the
"Endeavor society and not one. syllable
too much In either direction. I submit
I whether this free silver mania, which
4 Overcoming the land and rupturmg