Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-10-13
HON. CARL SCHURZ.
SHOWS CLEARLY THAT FREE
SILVER WOULD MEAN RUIN.
Threat to Put tho United States on the
silver Basis Would Cause Busin rss
Stagnation-Evil Effects of Free Coin
age Agitation.

the interior, addressed an immense
audience in Central Music Hall, Chi
cago, on Sept. ). Speaking of pos
Sible free silver victory he said:
Consider what the immediate con-
sequences would be if Mr.. Bryan were
elected president, with congress to
match. Mr. Bryan, of course, would
be anxious to have his free coinage
law enacted, but that could not be, even
IL he called an extra session of con-
gress, until some time in April or
May, five or six months after the day Of
election. But as soon as on the 4th OF
November the result of the election was
announced everybody would know that
the parity of gold and silver would not
be maintained.
1T having been made certain by
Mr.. Bryan's election that the parity OF
gold and silver would not be main
tanned, there would be a rush upon the
treasury for the gold in it by persons
holding greenbacks entitled TO re-
demption, and the gold reserve would
be exhausted in twinkiing. Gold will
instantly disappear from circulation, to
be boarded or exported. Why will it
disappear? Because every sensible
person when making payment will
prefer TO make it in the less valuable
dollar and hold the more valuable gold
dollar back for more profitable use.
Gold will therefore quickly rise TO a
premium, and we shall be on the silver
basis long before a free coinage law
can be enacted. Our daily transactions
in buying and selling, in paying and
receiving wages. will no longer be
carried on upon the basis of the gold
dollar worth 100 cents, but OF the sill
yer dollar worth so cents or there
about, for the government will no
longer hold up the silver dollar to the
value of the gold dollar. That is what
the silver basis means You can
study in Mexico how it works.
The quantity of gold vanishing from
circulation will amount to about $780,
100000, the disappearance of which
will make a tremendous hole in the
volume OF our currency. But, says the
silver man, there will be free silver
coinage to fill the gap promptly with
coined silver or silver certificates. Oh,
no, my fellow sufferers. The disap-
pearance of gold will happen prompt
ly after the election of Mr.. Bryan, and
there will not possibly be any free
coinage of silver for at least six
months, and it will require a great
many more months to fill a gap of
$500. 100000.
What will happen meanwhile? The
st. Louis Globe-Democrat reports Mr..
Bryan to have said some time ago: L
think it-meaning the victory OF the
free coinage movement-will cause a
panic. But the country is in de-
plorable condition, and it will take
extreme measures to restore it 70 con-
dition of prosperity WNreupon the
st. Louis paper pointedly remarks,
Evidently Mr.. Bryan has heard of the
doctor who always threw his patient
into fits before administering any cura
tive medicine. Just so.
How, then, would Mr.. Bryan's fit
work? The sudden disappearance of
our gold from circulation would pro-
duce the most stringent contraction
OF the currency on record. Business
men who owe money and at the same
time have money due them will be
forced 20 collect that money by every
means at their disposal. Nobody will
be inclined to lend out any money
In,
The banks will naturally consider it
their duty to keep themselves strong.
and therefore TO call in loans and to
restrict their discounts and advances
to business men with the utmost eau
ton. Business establishments. manu-
factories, mercantile houses, unable to
get the money for meeting their obliga-
lions, will by the hundreds succumb
to their mbarrassments and tumble
down like row of bricks. Others will
cautiously restrict their operations to
the narrowest possible limit, and wage
earners by the thousands will lose their
employment and be turned into the
street.
How can | foretell these things
with so much assurance? Because
they have already cast their shadows
before. Do you remember the crisis
OF 1893, when the silver basis was in
sight? And now again the mere an
prehension OF possibility of Mr..
Bryan's election and of the con-
sequent slipping of our country up
On the silver basis has already
caused untold millions of our Sc
curlties to be thrown upon the mar
ket in Europe as we'll as here. Scores
OF business orders are alrs ady recalled.
large number of manufacturing es-
Establishments have already stopped or
restricted their operations, enterprise
is already discouraged and nearly
paralyzed, many works OF public util-
ity by industrial or railroad companies
have already been ordered off, thou
sands Of workingmen are already
thrown out of employment. gold is al
ready being boarded, capital is al
ready being sent out of the country to
be invested in Europe for safety.
And why all this Not, as the sill
YER men foolishly pretend, because the
existing gold standard has made money
scarce, for capital is lying idle in
heaps, scores upon scores of millions,
fairly yearning Tor safe employment.
No. Ask those concerned why all this
4. n.