The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-23

Last night ct the Academy at Music
Senator VIM. M. Stewart. OF Navada,
spoke to the people of this city and seq
tion on the question of free coinage of
silver. The Senator spoke nearly two
hours, and held the undivided sstention
Of his audience, "a large number OF whom
were ladies.
The greater part of the audience was
composed OF grey hesded men, who
showed plainly that they had more at
heart than mere sentiment.
The Academy was we'll filled and the
Senator made a most telling speech in
the interest Of the white metal. He
was utrcduced to the audience by CIV.
Crumpeoker In few choice words.
The Senator's speech will doubtless
do a great deal of good in this com
munity towards the establishments of
true bimetallism II was as follows:
LADIES AND SsrNTLEMBN:-The subject for
consideration this evening Is money. No other
two essential elements of association and civil.
i:ation; the otherrnecessary agency rs language
Written and spoken language make knowledge,
ancient and modern, accessible to ALL Money
makes everything that can be produced by ali
accessible to each member OF society. Both
"m oney and Language are artificial and useless
beings are 80 dependent upon each other that
11an cannot long survive in isolation. The inter-
change OF products necessary to maintain society
by barter alone has been found impossible. No
tribe OF sayages has yet been found Chat did not
have money. When the tribes are small, they
lions have been able to use They take, for
example, certain number Of shells upon which
they make pecultarElarks to identify them, or In
the absence OF SHELLS they use sticke, banks, or
any other convenient substance They II K the
number according to the wants Of the little com
munity, and that number OF pieces ia maintained
oy tne chiefs of tho tribe with great sigor and
exactness. II member OF the tribe should
attempt to destroy any portion of this ctrculat.
Ing medium. he would be dealt with most
severely or II he attempted to add to 1t by coun-
terfeising he would meet with condign punish
ment, because when the community is small
every 1no can understand that II a part of the
money is destroyed, there will not be enough to
20 around, and that great in1uetice will be done
thereby. 1t would befortunate II the people of
our great country could und erstand the Injurious
enects OF destroying one. half OF their m oney of
ultimate payment. which was done by the de-
moLctiBatfon OF silver Ssyages would know that
the distraction OF half of their money was a
great calamity, but many enlightened people OF
the united States have been mado to believe that
the destruction OF one-halt of the basis OF our
circulating medium was an unqualified biessing.
Among tho sayages, as before remarked, the
6noney uDed is OF the simplest and best possible
iSfnd but asthe tribes gre wilarge 1t became diff
cult to prevent counterfetting and preserve the
llrity of thocirculatlng medium. Consequently
Ell sorts OF property have been substituted in
dfnerent agesby different countries, such as cat
tie, fish, tobacco, slaves and the like But The
'inconyenienOeaof these led 80 their abandonment
Al very carly etage OF civilization and among
the most civifised countries ofGncient times gold
and SILVER weres1sed as money, and their use hes