Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-08-01
HE'S FOR SILVER !!
A Prominent Dorchester
rlan Tells Why.


elected, says:
From the foundation of the Repub-
lie to the year 1873 both silver and
gold were the recognized money OF
the Government. In the Congress of
that year, by whom and how has never
vet been discovered, without argument
or discussion of any kind and without
the knowledge OF the Congressman and
Senators who unsuspectingly voted for
the bill, unaware that il contained
such provision, there was surrepti-
tiously inserted. in an innocent look
ing revenue bill clause demonetizing
silver, and without the slightest oppo-
sition the bill was enacted into law.
How such things can be done we
have recently had a memorable illus
tration of in the Maryland Legislature,
When the Eastern Shore Senatorial
law was fraudulently repealed by the
apparently unanimous vote Of both
branches Of the General Assembly. |
As soon as the fraud was discovered a
great clamor was raised, and by none
more loudly than by many Senators
and Congressman who had been duped
in the matter; for the necessary result
of the law was to vastly enhance the
purchasing and paying power of gold
as the sole legal tender money-in
other words, to greatly increase the
capital of the creditor class and pro-
portionately the debts of the debtor
class. All other properties, land, corn,
wheat, cotton-in short, merchandise,
or other products of labor, of every
description-immediately began to de-
cline in value as compared with gold,
because as the only legal tender money
became scarcer and harder to obtain,
the greater quantity Of said products
of labor was required to obtain it. 1t
required two bushels of corn, for in
stance, to obtain 81, where before the
act of 1873 but one bushel of corn was
required for the same purpose. And
from that day to the present hour all
commodities-in other words, the pro-
ducts of labor-have gone down, down,
down, while money has risen higher
and higher and became harder and
harder to get, until it has become
simply impossible for any farmer.
planter or laboring man TO make or
accumulate any money, and happy
indeed is he who can make living at
all and keep out Of debt.
At every session of Congress since
1873 bills have been introduced to re.
monetize silver. but they are constant
" defeated by the influence of the
capitalists, excepting on two occasions
when Gas stated above) they were We.
toed by the then President, one Re.
publican and one Democrat. Every
political convention since 1876 has in
a general way declared in favor of the
double standard, but no party has
done anything when in power, until
now in this year, 1896. the Republi.
can convention at St. Louis has speci-
fically declared that it will never re-
monetize silver until by an interna-
tional agreement with other nations
(Which. after rel Gated failures, it is
agreed connot be had), and the Demo-
cratic convention at Chicago has speci-
fically declared that it will remonetize
silver at once without the slightest
reference to what other nations may
do. The respective nominees as Presi-
dent have accepted the nomination
and pledged themselves, if elected, to
carry out the pledges of their respect
i've parties, and thus the matter is at
last fairly and squarely an issue before
the people of the whole country.
The argument of the ''gold" men is
that it would be impossible for this
country to maintain silver on a parity
with gold without the concurrence Of
the other civilized commercial nations;
that the attempt would necessarily re-
suit in driving all the gold out of the
country and reducing us to a silver
basis of currency alone, and finally
that it would be dishonest to the cred
itor class to enable the debtors 10 dis.
charge their obligations in deprecia-
ted currency. To this the "silver"
men reply that to admit that this the
richest and most powerful nation on
earth cannot regulate its own affairs
without reference to any other nation
whatever, is practically to admit that
we are not free, and that the work of
1875 was done in vain. That when
we had the double standard, viz,
down to 1873, gold was sometimes
driven out of the country and some
times flowed back, depending upon
exports. imports, and the like, but it
in no way affected the general pros
perity of the whole people in either
case. That the vast masses of the
people never had or have any use for
gold in their everyday transactions Of
life, whether the same was or is scarce
or abundant, not one man in a hun
dred ever having even seen a gold
piece, anyway. They point out that
..lo. tLa .lo,,hIa s,audar 81 - ,ra, -,