The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-01-08
A Gle AR STATEMENT. \
sx-sPEAKER CRISP ON SILVER.

standard than upon the single gold
basis. Silver can be used in this coun-
try as long as it can be used for any,
thing for which gold can be used and
until the people get tired Of Carving
1t about, and even then we can issue
paper substitutes. I understand ii
has been said by a prominent Demo-
GRAFT that double standard is physi.
cal and metaphysical absurdity.
| Thomas Jefferson thought different,
and SO wrote on one occasion to Alex.
ander Hamilton. I will take my
| place beside Jefferson. They say they
are opposed to a 5o-cent silver dollar.
! Why call it so? A silver dollar will
buy all that gold dollar will ia this
country or abroad. Perhaps the
| bullion in that dollar is worth but 60
cents. The value Of everything is
fixed by supply and demand. Silver
Is not coin except to limited extent.
1t has not the privilege of free coin
age. Take piece OF silver metal,
and you cannot buy anything with it..
Let law be passed authorizing the
free coinage of silver, with ALA grains
to the dollar, and silver bullion would
purchase anything in Atlanta and pay
for anything from the street car fare
to hotel bill. \
II you drive nail through the CEN
ter OF silver dollar it 10 worth but
so cents, so it is claimed, and gold
dollar, under the same test, remains
worth dollar. True, but pass law
which will permit man to take that
mutilated dollar to the mint and have
it recOned. 1t will be worth then just
as much as the gold dollar. There was
no question Of the commercial value
of silver previous to 1873. Some claim
that law authorizing free coinage Of
silver would have given US food of
silver. Where would it come from?
Not from abroad, for it takes fifteen
| and one-half pounds OF silver to buy a
pound OF gold there, while it takes
sixteen pounds here. Men will
scarcely bring it all that distance in
| order to lose the half pound.
say gold is too valuable. Others
say that is impossible. If I say gold
has risen and you say that silver has
fallen, we argue all night and are no
nearer a solution. The only way is to
compare golG and silver with the
values of all other commodities. We
are in the habit OF talking of dollar
as fixed thing that cannot go up or
down. That is mistake, for the
value Of a dollar does change. The
constant falling Of prices is destruc-
tive to all values and results In the
boarding of money. 1t is of benefit
to only one class. those who live on a
fixed income.
1t may be true that the coinage of
all metals does not act upon the CON-
mercial values Of the metals. The
thing that does affect the value is the
fact that such metal has the right to
be SO coined. A contraction OF cur
rency means the reduction of prices,
and the reduction of prices means the
supremacy of gold. Although the cot
during the decade just before the war,
the price increased 40 per cent. The
talk OF Overproduction is all mis-
take. A fter the war there was a pro-
portionate increase in the cotton crop
and like increase in the price.
But after the act Of 1873, while there
was an increase in the cotton crop, as
should have been expected, there was
an actual decrease in the price. 1t
simply shows that there is scarcity
in the amount of money of final re-
oemption. There are $75, OOO, 900 less
money in circulation today than one
year ago. What are we going to do
for money? You diminish the value
Of gold and you increase the value Of
cotton and corn and all other pro-
ducts. We don't want imitation.
The trouble with paper money is
that there is at times a tendency to
imitation, which is unjust to the
creditor, and again to depression,
which is unjust to the debtor. The
only true system is the so-called auto
matte system which regulates the
amount Of money by the quantity Of
metals dug from the earth. 1t is an
open question il the arts and sciences
to-day do not consume every ounce Of
gold that is dug from the earth.
The Democratic party has to do
"ith the question OF finance to-day
what it did with the tariff We finally
placed the party on record for tariff
reform. We are confronted by class
Of good, true and tried Democrats
who are in favor Of the single gold
standard. Let us look out for the in
terest of Georgia and let other states
take care of themselves. Farm lands
have gone down here, labor has gone
down, our railroads are in the hands
of receivers. Who are the ones ben e,
flied? None but those who have tixe d
incomes, and l am sorry to say men of
this kind are few in this state.
Look around and you will see the
monument erected to a single gold
standard in ruined farms, reduced
prices and mortgages al infnitnm on
the books al every county recorders
Office. Next year we will have anoth-
er convention and the Democratic
party OF this state should take firm
position on finance Soon you will
hear tho north begin to talk about re-
firing the 500,000,000 OF silver now in
circulation.
This is all very we'll; but is not ex-
Speaker Crisp simply playing a three
card monte game on the people Of his
state? Is nc not talking pretty" to
them with full knowledge that the
Democratic party will resolve against
free silver; and that he will then try
to induce the honest people OF his
state to support the Democratic
party?
This is kind of swinding that is
very common. 1t deserves the pcni-
Tertiary. 1t is preaching the truth
and serving the lie:-adoring God and
helping the devil.
If he takes that course next year he
ought to be burned to Il crisp.
I. VI. ROBERTS SUPPLY HOUSE.