The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-13
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND ON SILVER

long letter on the pending political IS
sues, and particularly silver. ostensl-
bly, to some business men OF st. Paul
who are members of the Catholic
church, but in reality to the American
people. They requested an expression
of his views on the issues. He did not
volunteer them, though he was doubt
less glad of the opportunity this al
forded him, as the archbishop has
strong penchant for politics.
Almost at the outset he says that
he impeaches neither the good faith
nor honor of those whose views he
attacks; that he is dealing not with
men but with principles. This dec
laration frees his remarks from much
that is so obnoxious in what those
who differ from the adherents OF the
Chicago platform have to say about
the latter.
The archbishop does not like the
Chicago plank which denounces
arbitrary Interference by the federal
authorities in local affairs" He says
this is the doctrine of secession. 1t
is nothing of the kind. 1t is simply
a new declaration of one Of the Oldest
doctrines of the Democratic party.
the doctrine that within their proper
spheres the states are sovereign.
The archbishop has the very bad
taste to speak of the troops of the
United States as the presidents
troops, saying, THE president OF the
United States is told that to enforce
national laws and protect national
property he cannot march HIS troops
into any state without the authorize
ton of the governor of that state
When did United States troops be-
come a presidents troops? On TINS
question. and on that of the protest
against government by injunction, the
archbishop really becomes an alarmlst.
He SAYS that the monetary issue is
only a secondary issue in this cam
paign. And yet he devotes the greater
part of his letter to this same second
airy issue.
He is very pronounced against free
silver. Like the majority of those
who hold the same views as he on
this question, he assumes the very
noints under discussion. 1t is stated
that "the purchasing of $5Oo,0oVoOI
worth of bullion (under the Sherman
act). was not able to prevent the fal
in the value of silver from over q
dollar an ounce to its present low
value"
The argument being based upon the
figures a test of the figures IN TINS
instance will serve as a test of the
argument. The Sherman law was
passed July IA, 1890, and went int
effect August 10, 1890. From tina
time until the date of its repeal
November 1, 1898, there were pur
chansed under it 16S,674,6S25S fin
ounces of silver, costing $155,9S1 oO2.25
the coming value being s21S,OS4, 4SS
This makes it certain that figures i
not the archbishop's strong hold.
It is gravely stated that silver /
now produced in such quantities
such small expense of production tina
its value cannot be kept up to 1t
former standard" If cheapness o
production is the cause of the fall i
the price of silver why does nc
cheaper production cause a fall i
the price of gold? That metal is bein
produced in larger quantities and a
less expense than ever before.
Archbishop Ireland says that 1t
nonsense that capital must put itse
into the American market whether til
capital be American or European
and that without capital there woul
be no enterprises and no work IL
the people. Very true, indeed. This
the admission that money is capita
the capital that gives life to entei
'r prise and impulse to business.
there can be no enterprise withol
capital. then whatever reduces Il
amount of capital or prevents its II
crease along with the increased neet
Id of the people for it, to that extent pr
vents enterprise and retards the d
velopment of business. When silv
as was demonetized the increase of CAP
to tai was prevented, with the cons
ouence of a curtailment of enterpri
and a diminution of work, compar
w with the increase in the number see
~ ing it.
This admission that enterprise
a+ dependent on capital seems to us
Va be a surrender of the whole case
the archbishop's part. His furth
contentious are all merged in this OF
D. If vehemence of assertion we
in argument and unanswerable log
then would Archbishop Ireland ha
won his case When he sees t
ms criticisms upon his letter perhaps
-et like the archbishop in Gil Bias, "
pronounce this letter the best thi
he has ever written and upbraid a
ng scorn his critics.