The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-07-31
The Democratic GoIdbug.

before witnessed i'll this country, since the
Populists captured the voting strength of
the party in camp, as it were, with arms
stacked, the goldbug end of the party is
in measure lost in the woods. They
are without organization or party and do
not know where they "are at" Whit
ney has issued couple of manifestoes,
advising nothing and reaching no
conclusion.
Another committee-selfc constituted, OF
seven Pennsylvanians has issued another
distracted, nonsensical appeal, among the
signers to which Mr. w. NJ Sirgerley's
name appears. These protesters all de-
clare the Populists have captured their
party, leaving them a homeless set of
goldbug democratic stragglers.
A third ticket is being seriously con-
sidered, but as that would attract some
thing from McKinley's vote, the repub-
lcans will interfere to prevent such
movement. On the whole the goldbug
part of the democratic party that was, is
about the most disconsolate, dernoralized,
homeless crowd that ever got left. The
manifesto of the Philadelphia company
contains some of the most absurd and
ridiculous things imaginable, among
which these seven wise men of the Quaker
City say of the Chicago platform
ct proposes to debase the coin of the
United States by the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the rate of flfty-three
cents for dollar of one hundred cents,
and by the power of the government to
compel the acceptance of these false and
debased coins-no longer SO limited III
amount as to be convertible into gold-by
the people"
Do "the people" want them converted
into gold?" Nothing could be more
ridiculous and void of sense than this
paragraph. This crazy manifesto con-
tinues
"Thereby cheating honest creditors,
defrauding the laborer of nearly one-half
of his wages, robbing the pensioned
soldier of one-half of the value of his
pension, contracting the currency, by
the expulsion of gold coin from cir
culation."
1t would be difficult to devise plan for
expelling gold from the country faster
than the present gold standard drives it
out. Gold didn't go out under the Bland
Allison law, when two millions ofsilver
dollars month were coined and circulat-
ed, andaunder which four hundred and
thirty millions were added to the circu-
lating medium of the country, every dol
lar Of which is the equal Of every gold
dollar, or "every other dollar"
"Defrauding the laborer of one half of
his wages" is another falsehood these
gold agents never tire of ringing the
changes on. The laborer is now robbed
of one-half his time by enforced idleness,
and that is in the fullest sense robbing
him of half his wages. This thing has
actually come to pass under the present
gold standard. This is one of the actual
facts now existing. No supposition of
something to come to pass but is now
actually in existence-the laborer robbed
of half his time by involuntary idleness,
which is the same as depriving him of
half his wages. All the calamity which
the goldbugs say would result from the
decentralization of silver has already been
brought about by the gold standard.
And the soldier is to be 'robbed of one
half of the value of his pension" During
the war when he was at the front he was
paid $I3 in greenbacks and most of the
time it took one and a-half to two and a
half dollars in greenbacks to buy one
dollar in gold or silver. Now the SI3 he
gets are worth dollar for dollar in gold or
silver. When this same New York gold
gambling ring was robbing the soldiers
by cornering gold during the war not a
word did they say about his being robbed
of one-half his wages.
III the same paragraph they talk of
robbing the laborer and soldier, by remon-
citing silver, they say it will Contract
the currency by the expulsion of gold
coin from circulation" If this were true
and actually occurred it would increase
the value of the dollar of the laborer and
soldiers, because money would become
scarcer and its purchasing power be in
creased. This is what is the matter now.
The scarcity Of money makes its value
very great.
"The expulsion Of gold coin from cir
culation" is good. There is not a gold
coin in actual circulation in the country.
Occasionally one is seen for moment
and is gone into some hoarder's pocket or
the bank. 1t is such ridiculous rot as this
the gold ring claquers strive to fill the
ears of the people with.
Not word, however, is said about the
farmer losing half his wages by having to
sell his crops at half price, the price of
which is forced down by the present gold
standard. The farmers produce is his
wages. Conditions which make money
dear and produce unpro6tably cheap are
cheating the twenty millions of farmers
and those depending on farming, out of
half their wages, and these gentlemen say
nothing about that piece of cheating.
This is to compose the Education"
they propose to convert the people with
from the 'silver craze" between now and
November. Vain hope The people are
NOT rrazy