The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-07-30

4-.#aH ""N
We have had no free coinage OF silver
in this country since 1853. Free coin
age OF silver means that any owner OF
silver bullion, nc matter whether he be
an American, a Mexican. n Peruvian,
may take his silver to the minis Of the
United States and have II coined into
silver dollars, resolving his bullion in
shape of silver dollars with the
stamp OF the government upon 1t; and
. he, can take theSe.Silver dollars and de-
post ttn'm with the treasury of the
United States and take In their stead
certificates. The government would
soon be loaded down with these pro-
misses to pay.
h great arguments off the cham
q pions of silver assumes that silver was
~demonetized In 1879. Some of them say
that one-half OF the none Of the world
was destroyed In ~ and they say since
that time PRICES have been dropping.
dropping. dropping. while silver has
been dropping. These gentlemen who
provide this silver literature that is
read here and elsewhere begin with
1873; that point Is the beginning of the
world with them.
From 1866 to 1873 the drop was more
rapid and greater by far than 1t has been
I since 1873. Prices began to fall in 1866
and continued to run rapidly down until
Z they were knocked into smithereens by
the tariff legislation OF the last Demo
cratic Congress. Take up this question
for yourselves. go into the accounts of
the sale OF your commodities, and you
will find that prices began to drop In
1856 and not in 1913. They stick to 1873
! and say that prices are. lower now than
at any time. This Is true. but they be-
gan to drop In 1866.
A Matter FOR Thought.
After MS much careful thought as I
ever gave to, any public question. I am
unable to see how anyone is to be Helped
by the free coinage OF silver. 1t Is n
most interesting subject. It Is a sub
ject that even with the intellect Of Ham
ilton. according to his report. he had
doubts about the double standard and
~ ab5ut many things. but my opponents
think that this question. with all It's In
y %tricac!es, Is as plain TO them as n chIl1's
primer. It Is n matter that should be
carefully considered, and you are capa-
bic of considering 1t for yourselves. Do
not take the literature from the silver
& mining camps OF the west.
II Is n great argument OF those who
3Nib NoSile flIfC sIiNSI lIlul IL VIII DTlnS
up prices and that the decentralization
OF silver caused the great drop In prices.
I deny 1t from the fact that we had not
coined silver since 1858. and how could
the Decentralization of something We
had not had for twenty years affect the
trDr!ces? Prices began to fall eight
years before tho, decentralization Of 81
Yer and continued, and that dct had
. nothing to do with the falling prices.
The speaker knew OF no one who will
be benefited by free silver. The men.
In the mills want an honest dollar just
as good az the EnglIshmnn's dollar or
the Germans dollar. Who will be ben
geiltted? The plain people Of the United
States have Sl0,75O, 900. 900 In banks. 1t
might benefit the banks who could pay
their depositors ywlth2h tifty-cent dollar,
" (applausc) but II would benefit no.
body+elsc except the silver mine owner,
( Who cog}d got the benefit Of forty-scvcn
nnd 5opf-half cents for every dollar he
takes to the mint, -t##'