The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-08-13
TUE wAsHINGToN POST FINANCES
AGAIN.

r-ro baltimore News has found out
that the Washington Post is an ad'o-
cato If the gold standard, but II tho
Nevs will tell us the process by Wh-ch
IL made the discovery We Will tender II
orr very sincere thanks. 1t therefore
goes for the Post in the following
fashion:
III is very we'll TO insist upon stand
ina. up straight but there is such thliis
as leaning over backward IN the enort'
THE Washington Post. for instance, when
advocates the gold standard, yesterday
read the Philadelphia Press a severe lee
ture for publishing a detailed account or
an 'obiect-lesson.' which Mr.. Armour
OF Chicago. is giving his employees by
paying them i'm Mexican dollars. or which
they receive two for every American dol
lar due them. Now. the Post gives us
no reason 10 suppose that the Press IS
not perfectly aware that there is moth
ing In this proceeding OF Mr.. Armours
as an argument. Perhaps Mr.. Armour is
foolish in giving this sO-callcd object-les-
son. and perhaps he is not. Everybody
will grant that as an argument address
cd to people who know the facts. 1t IS
10 familiarize workingmen with the fact
that the present market value Of the
silver in a silver dollar Is only in the
neighhorhood Of fifty cents Moreover. as
MIR. Armour stands ready 20 give the men
good United States money I'm place OF
the Mexican silver n they desire H. he
can hardly be charged with PLAYING
'scurvy trick upon them. which IS what
the Post does The most that can be
charged against him is that he under
rates the mems stock OF information. and
that he ought to know that they know
already what his 'ohicct-leSsOn' is intend
al 10 teach them The chances are. how
ever. that there are many among them
who Will realize the token character or
our own silver coinage moro fully when
they actually touch and handle silver
dollars intrinsicallv rather more valuable
than those of this country, ana when
vet can bc had for about half dollar.
II IS hardly worth while 70 get up any
virtuous INDIGNATION over a performance
which involves neither good locic nor
had logic. Neither truth nor falsehooi.
hut Is sirnnlv an ocular reminder Of a
fact VOL known 10 verv many people. hut
unfamiliar TO many others"
This IS entirely sensible and happily
stated.
The Post was unable TO SEQ II in this
way. however. and it had the following
comment upon il:
There Is altogcther too much looseness
and haste In the propositions or news
papers and persons who imagine them
selves 10 be potent and convincing advo-
Gates or sound money. Take. for exam
pie. this utterance by the News Itself:
''Rut the very object OF it meaning MT.
Armour's alleged argument Is 70 fanil-
,arize workingmen with the fact that
tho present market value Of the silver
I'm n silver dollar is only In the neiehbcr-
hood az ~ cents" what Is the force or
this we should like 10 know? VIII the
News kindly tell rs what Is the market
value ~ the paner that Is in a paper
doIlar9 We arc Informed that the sill
yer dollar is intrns.callv worth ntty-three
cents-is II not. then. a better dollar than
the napor dollar. wh,ch Is intrinscallv
worth nothing NJ all? The obvious reply
IN this Is that the papcr dollar has the
faith OF the Government behind II. and
Is therefore good Well and hasn't the
silver dollar the Same hacking
wn the News persist in saying the
Post is an advocate - the gold standard
after reading this9 We don't know what
standard the Post is an advocate OF. and
we don't want to call II hard names, II
Populist be a hard name. BIT the Post
and PETER and Bryan all haSs exactly