The Butler weekly times., 1896-07-16

over settled tariff, for the money
question IS the paramount issue be-
fore the American people, and It in.
wolves true Amerlcanism. more than
any economic issue that ever was
presented t. q President at a presi-
dental election.
The existing gold standard?
upon ii? No, We are not upon any
gold standard, but we have a tsor-
dered and miscellaneous currency of
nine varieties. three. metals and six
paper,the product for the most part
Of the repub!i ean Legislation, render
ed worse by the Treasury practices,
begun by republican secretaries and
unfortunately copied by their demo-
cratic successors. (Applause
AS TO TAXEs.
Then consider these facts, gentle
men: The Federal, State and mum
icipal taxes in this country are as
sessed and paid by the standard Of
the whole mass Of money in circula-
tion. No authority has ever been
conferred by Congress for the issue
of any bonds payable in gold, but
distincly refused. The specie re-
sumption Of 1875 gave the surplus
revenue in the Treasury, not gold
only. Provision made by the Bland
Allison act of 1878 added to our Cir
culation some S35O,0O0,O00 of stand
ard silver money, Or paper based
upon it, and al. that mass of silver
money is sustained, at parity with
gold, by nothing whatever on earth
but the silver in it and the legal ten.
der functions impaired to it by law.
applause }
| We have 10 outstanding obliga
tions in the United States except
the small sum Of S44,000,000 of gold
certificates, which are specifically
payable in gold, and they of course,
should be so paid All of our specie
Obligations are payable in coin, which
means silver or gold, at the Govern
ment option, or in silver specifically
aud only.
There is more silver paper based
upon siiyer in circulation to. day
than there is of gold, or paper based
on gold, and that the gold dollar is
not the unit of value is demonstrated
by the fact that no gold dollar
pieces can now, under our laws, be
minted. Ii we should go upon the
gold standard, We must change the
existing bimetallic standard of pay.
ment of all public debts, taxes and
appropriations, saving alone those
specifically payable in gold.
As we have S20,000,000,000 Of
public aud private debt, it would
take more than three times all the
gold in this country to pay even one
years interest upon it. We should
be compelled hereafter to contract
the currency by paying off $780,
; 100000 of greenbacks and Sherman
notes in gold, which would nearly
exhaust the entire American stock in
AMI out of the Treasury, and the
same policy would require the S344,-
000,000 of silver certificates should
be paid in gold also. as foreshadow-
ed by the present draft upon the
country's stock Of gold. This means
an increase of the public debt of
S50O,000,O00, with the prospect of
S344, 100000 more. The disastrous
consequences of such a policy are
appalling to contemplate. and the
only alternate suggested to fight for
: before the people is the free coinage
of silver at the ratio of 16 to l
Cheers aud the complete restora
: ton of our hereditary and constitu
: tional system of American money.
ASKED NOT TO sTRADDLE
, We pray you. no more makesnifts
and straddles Vex not the country
with your prophecy OF smooth
, things to come from the British Re-
publican propaganda. (Applause)
The fact that the European ma
tions are going to the standard rer.