Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-07-27

did it 20 down the day after he was
nominated?
If a man is insured for $1,000 why
should he vote for system which may
permit the insurance company 10 pay
only 500 to his wife after his death?
II the silver men are opposed to class
legislation, why should they pass law
which will make multi millionaires Of
handful Of western mine owners, and il
handful OF western mine owners are
made i.millionaires, why should
the price of wheat 90 up?
BASIL 3. GORDON.
The fact that a man is millionaire
bank president. as suggested by Mr..
Gordon, should not bar him from any
ticket, providing he is an honest man
and believes in the principles enunciat-
ed in the platform upon which he is
nominated. Such is the case with Mr..
SeWall.
>. The coinage from twenty-four to
fifty-four millions per year of silver, as
stated by Mr.. Gordon, did not raise the
price OF silver to 81 % per ounce, its par
value with gold at the ratio Of 16 to /,
for the reason that there was not
enough OF it coined to produce such in
crease; and, moreover, it is not so much
the Number of dollars which are coined
which fixed the bullion value of the
coin, but the privilege of taking an
ounce of silver to L. S. mint and, free
OF charge, having 1t coined into sl.29
worth of legal tender money.
The coinage of silver since 1873 has
been essentially token money, and not
primary money, and it has never had
the privilege at the mint such as gold
has had and these are the reasons why
.. the bullion value of371! grains ofsilver
have not touched par with gold; but it
is fact, nevertheless, that when free
coinage measure was passed by the Sen
ate during the Harrison administration
the bullion value of silver jumped from
GO to S1.21 per ounce, not only here,
but in London and throughout the
world; and there is not the slightest
doubt that had that free coinage bill
passed the House and been signed by
the President, it would have reached
at least 81 90 per ounce, or its par value
with gold at the ratio of 16 to l.
8. England, France, Germany, Spain,
Italy and Belgium have not lifted the
bullion value of silver to par with gold,
for the reason that they have not free
coinage OF silver in either one of those
countries, and have not had since 1873.
The same causes which keep down the
bullion value of silver here, also keep
down the bullion value Of silver there.
4. suppose the reason why free sill
yer men, and gold men, as well, dislike
to make contracts for the payment of
debts in gold is that gold is an appre-
ciqting dollar; that they have not got
the gold now, it being locked up in
government and bank vaults, and
likely to be so; and, moreover, I sup
| pose they are not absolutely certain
that the absolute free coinage of silver
is to come about.
5. do not know when or where free
silver men voted to strike out an in
crease in the currency by voting to
strike out hundreds Of millions of bank
notes."
6. fit was absolutely certainly that
BRYAN would be elected, and that a
free silver measure would pass both
houses of Congress and be signed by
him within the next year, there is not
the slightest doubt in my mind that
the bullion value of silver would appre-
ciate materially, and, long before Mr..
Bryan was given the privilege of sign
ing such bill, it would approximate,
if it did not actually reach, Sl.29 per
ounce.
Z. do not know of anybody in this
country who proposes to reduce a one
thousand dollar insurance policy to
five hundred dollars. If the insurance
company agrees to pay one thousand
dollars, it will pay one thousand dol
lars, either in silver or paper Certainly
not in gold); and we free silver people
contend that this one thousand dollars
will be full legal tender money, the
same as gold, and will buy as much as
gold under absolutely free coinage, the
same as it does now. 1t is now, and
will be the exchange value of the one
thousand dollars which will count.
IQdG Is, luo IdCl luat y Ou NAH Duy oHS
thousand dollars worth of necessaries
of life with it, and pay one thousand
dollars worth of debts with it; not the
fact that it contains, or does not con-
tain, exactly one thousand dollars
worth of raw material, whether of gold,
silver or paper.
s. While the free silver men admit
that free and unlimited coinage of sill
yer will perhaps double the coin value
of silver bullion dug out of the mines
of the West by the miners of the West;
yet they contend that while this will
perhaps benefit some two or three hun.
dred thousand miners and mine owners
by increasing the price of the product,
it will also increase the products of
thirty millions of farmers and other
producers of the country to an equal
extent; and that the greatest good to
the greatest number should be our bat
tie cry. And thus, for instance, if Con-
gress by law should declare that spring
wheat could not be used for bread, it is
certain that the price of fall 'Uheat
would be practically doubled in value