Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-09-10
(YAN CHEAP DOLLAR
Sole Aim is to Reduce the
Value Of the Monetary
Standard.
SEES HIS ARGUMENTS ON 1T
lptrap by Which the Orator Seeks
to Capture Foolish
Voters.

4 Mr. Bryan's informal speech accept
u the nomination for the presidency
,ls carefully written beforehand. and it
abk about two hours time to deliver it.
hI can hardly be necessary, therefore, to
Chit for his formal letter" in order to
trn his views on the issues of the cam
-|ign.
atrhe most of his long and prosy speech
Il devoted to what he calls 1.-THE para
l|bunt question of the campaign-the
cbney question" And as this is in fact
De real issue other parts of his speech
day be dsregarded, or at least comment
j them may be postponed.
In discussing the money question Mr..
Ryan assumes at every step that the
Iandard dollar we now have is too valu-
BILE. That assumption lies at the bot
Im of the whole argument. He COM
Jams that the dollar is too dear, and
bat it is growing dearer; and to this he
tributes all our economic woes, real or
Imaginary.
As remedy he proposes something
| hich he calls bimetallism, but which,
J. far from that, is silver monometal-
bm.
He has much to say about bimetallism,
bclaring that no party opposes it, but
that he really proposes is, in his own
lords, 'the immediate restoration of
be free and unlimited coinage of silver
nd gold at the present legal ratio of 16
l without waiting for the aid or con-
ent of any other nation"
Tbps is to say, he proposes to permit
ny6he who has sixteen ounces of sill
err to take it to the mint and have it
lade into as many dollars as are made
rom one ounce of gold, or $20.67.
He proposes this when he knows, or
nay know by referring to the published
uota tions, that sixteen ounces of sill
er are worth only $11 in gold. He
aust know that an ounce of gold is
forth in the market nearly twice six
cen ounces of silver.
What he really proposes, therefore. is
0 substitute the silver dollar for the
old dollar as our standard, and to make
he substitution because the silver dol
lr is cheaper.
Indeed, he virtually admits this ut al
lost every step in his labored argument.
LII his arguments addressed to farmers,
0 men who work for wages, to holders
f insurance policies and so on virtually
Omit that he proposes to substitute q
heaper dollar as the standard.
He tries to conceal the admission by
alking about n ''rising standard" and
alking about influences which are now
perating to destroy silver in the United
'tates." But while the attempt is adroit
/ will not succeed.
We have no 'rising standard" We
ave the same standard that we have
lad in all coin payments for siXty-twO
ears. An ounce of gold may exchange
or more of commodities in general than
t would twenty or thirty years ago. 1t
nay, and probably does, go farther in
aging the necessary cost of living. But
will not go further in paying for labor.
Its value measured by the labor stand
I'd is less than it was years ago. A
nan can earn more of it by working the
anne number of hours. If, then. he can
uy more with the ounce of gold he is
letter off in two ways: He gets more
old for his labor and he gets more of
he necessaries and comforts of life for
lis gold.
There are no influences operating to
lestroy silver in the United States"
We now have at least ten times as much
liver serving as money, including actual
DIN, its representative certificates and
sherman notes, as we ever had when
he 0inage of silver was free.
There are no influences operating to
Iestroy one dollar of this mass of silver,
amounting to about $550,000,000, or
bout S50,000,00O more than gold csti-
mated to be in circulation.
The simple truth is, and there is no
Use in trying to disguise or hide it, that
Bryan and the men behind him are en-
ragged in a desperate attempt to lower
he value of the dollar. If that is not
What they are after there is not a CLEAN
# sense in Mr.. Bryan's speech.
1t is true that he says, "We believe
hat silver dollar will be worth as
much as a gold dollar" 1t is true that
Re says, II am firmly convinced that by
our minis to free and unlimited
coinage at the present ratio we can
reate demand for silver that will keep
he price of silver bullion at 81 20 per
,unce measured by gold"
But il Mr.. Bryan is firmly convinced
,f that, what is he making all this ado
bout? The dollar would still be as
lear as ii is now, and it is the dear