Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-08-13

reVOlutiOniStS; we are the children OF a
country whose brave men and brave
women, when only few million strong
waged war upon the greatest and most
powerful nation on earth to maintain their
liberty and their independence from the
land beyond the sea. For eight long years
they fought for their homes and their fire.
sides against British cannon, against
British soldiers and hired Indians. a hand
full of powerful. struggling men, and they
conquered And yet. when we have grown
&c, 00O, 900 strong, remote from all the other
nations of the earth, able and patriotic
heroes on land and sea. full of energy and
thrift and courage, we must bow down
and be AFFECT slaves to the Lombard
street in London and not in America. Who
dare not say that we can make our own
financial system for ourselves? Americans
who dare not manage their own internal
relations without the consent of foreigners
beyond the sea! There are no such Ameri-
cans in this campaign. The only Americans
are the ones who say that this government
is big enough and strong enough to make
its own laws and manage it's own affairs,
and do right in themselves; right. indie
pendent of all the kings and pOtentateS of
ali the world.
Now, let US see what this question real
ly means. have been told OF new issue,
and that are advocating something
women to glunce back at history from the
day of civilization until about 1873 Gold
and silver alike have been the money of all
the most civilized nations Of the earth from
the earliest time down to about this period.
All nations alike used these two metals
side by side the money of the world.
England alone demonetized it some years
before. but left all the other nations using
these two metals side by side.
As to Free Coinage.
'Now what does the free and unlimited
coinage of gold and silver mean? think
by proceeding in the regular way L may
answer most of the arguments of the
gentleman. The world, for some reason
or other, has adopted gold and silver the
money of the earth, and provided that these
| metals and these alone are absolutely
| money. Paper is not money-it is a promise
| to pay money; but gold and silver have.
all the years of the world, been considered
alone as money, everything else being pay
able in them, and down to 1873 for more
than 20 years the ratio of gold and silver
| remained substantially the same as to-day,
| fifteen and one-half to one, as such ratios
| are to-day in France. For nearly 10 years
| this period was substantially Undisturbed.
| at am willing to admit if you bring me
| q or % grains of gold, whatever it is, We
| will stamp a dollar mark on it and you may
| take it and go away, and II you bring TO US
| sixteen times the weight in silver we Will
| stamp a dollar mark on that and you take
| it and go away. And these two things only
| are money to be used as the absolute money
| of redemption all over the world, as they
| were practically up to 1873 Now the
| amount of gold and silver in the world Tor
| 100 years and more has been substantially
| equal in value al a ratio Of fifteen and one
4
| not verify all 1 say, of course, without
| some study and investigation, which l
| hope you will give. Applause and cheers. ]
| 1t is very evident that these people DO not
| believe in verifying anything by study and
| investiga tion-Iapplause and laughter
but prefer to take it on the side
| Now, my friends and enemies-political
| enemies of course, 1 mean-I do not ask
| you to believe anything 1 say. Applause
| and cheers.l It is entirely possible L am
mistaken in some things, have been many
-y&, no. oir, Al
hope to do and shall do is to give you some
| thing to think about, and ask you to think
| it out and work it out for yourselves and
| not to be fooled about it.
Cheap Money Advocated.
| "Gold and silver, as have said. have been
the money of the world. And here's an
other fact which even the Intelligent gentle
man will not dispute-that the value OF
everything depends largely upon the amount
| of money there is in the world. The more
money there is in the world the cheaper
| that money is. which is very evident lap
| plausej The more wheat there Is In the
| world the cheaper 1t is. The more of any
| commodity there is in the world the
| cheaper it is; the less there is of any COM
| modify in the world the dearer it Is: and
that applies to money the same as every
| thing else And upon this. strangely
| enough, the gold and silver men agree
| alike. The senator says we wan, a 9o-cenr
dollar, and that there is so much silver IN
the world that If we coined IL II VIII De
| worth only so cents, which proves exactly
the position I take-that the more there Is
the cheaper it Is; the less there is the dearer
IT is.
| Now, up to 1873 every farmer, every
business man, every person who contracted
! a debt or obligation OF any kind knew that
that was payable either In gold or silver,
| and that he had recourse to all the gold anC
silver of the earth from which to draw the
money to pay the obligation which he made
They understood perfectly we'll thai all
the mounts and valleys and hills OF the
| whole world were open to them and from
all of these they could dig OFT the gold and
the silver alike, and that these would be
| taken, either one, the debtor saw fit to
choose, in payment of the obligation that
he made.
| From about 1850 to 1873 was growing UP
the great manufacturing and commercial
| spirit, which has been stronger durir
of the world. Factories, mines, mills, rail-
| tons of the earth, was taking place largely
| also municipal state, national and private
Indebtedness was growing up as we'll. II
| was growing up because of the enterprise
and industry of the people. not alone OF
| America, but of the whole world, too. Dur
| class of people who have not only been a
blight to this age, but the blight of alInoS;
| every age that has gone before-the great
| creditor class of the earth. During those
| years the public and private. the municipal
| ing accum Hated in the hands OF a few peo-
t@1- tn = old IONS Of 10 ~,