Marble Hill press., 1896-09-03
CAN'T HIDE THE TRUTH,
The Greatest of Gold Standard Liars
Lets the Cat Out of the Rag

Ahe greatest OF Gold Standard Liars
Let's the Cat Out of the Rag.
The Chicago Tribune is the leading
exponent of the gold standard lunacy.
AS such it is doing great service for
olmetallism. From recent issue of
that paper we clip the following letter
and reply. Comment is entirely un-
necessary. The clipping was brought
to this office by three Republicans who
have changed their views to Bryan
since the latter appeared in the Trib,
une's columns.
THE LETTER.
Chicago, July 31.-Editor of the
Trloune.)-Will you please inform me
why silver was demonetized? I am a
Republican and expect to vote for Nc
kinley, but it seems to me that nohead-
way can be made declaring "16 to /"
dishonest dollar until the present dol
lar is justified. If "16 to l" was an hon
est dollar before demonetization 1t
would again be an honest dollar unless
you justify demonetiZation; if you can
DO that then the dishonesty of "16 to T.
would be as plain as the nose on
mans face; but among the lay advo-
Gates OF gold have not found one man
VINO could give a single reason, either
good or bad, for demonetization. It
seems surprisingly strange to me that
the gold advocates do not see the abso-
lute necessity of justifying that act
every day of the week as a premise to
the charge of dishonesty against "16
to L. | know among the middle
classes with whom l associate this
has got to be done or every mothers
son OF them will be converted to free
silver. This question involves just
exactly one-half of the "silver and
gold controversy, and yet you are
silent on this point. If there is no
FAIR and square reason for the so-called
crime of '73," the people are going to
know it in a very few weeks, and they
are going to vote for silver.
J. w. Curry.
THE TRIBUNE'S REPLY.
Ihe coinage of silver dollars was
stopped in 1888 for the sole reason
that such dollars coined at the ratio
OF Ii to l were more valuable than the
gold dollars and consequently would
not circulate. They were melted down
ABOUT as fast as they were coined and
nothing was to be gained by coming
more. (Had congress increased the
amount of gold in the gold dollar in
stead OF wiping out the silver dollar,
there would have been no crime. But
the destruction of one-half of our
money was the design, and it was car
rled out by this act.)
The 16 to 1 dollar of 1873 was too
good. If the bullion value of silver
were today what it was in 1873 the sill
yer dollar of 371A grains would be
SO good dollar that no owner of bull
lion would have his silver minted, for
1t would be worth more uncoined. The
dollar would be so good it would not
circulate. Free silverites wbuld not
nave such dollar on any terms.
But silver is worth only arpdt halt
as much per ounce today as in 1873.
Therefore a free coinage dollsf of 1896
cannot be the honest silver dollar of
1873. The free coinage of SILK grains
OF silver now will not and can not re-
suit in dollar worth more than about
half as much as one coined out of the
same quantity Of silver neaily quar-
ter of century ago. Silver costs to
produce only about half what 1t did
then.
Comment Is unnecessary.