The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-10-24
GOLD STANDARD PROPHETS.
Their Promises to the People UnfuIfIIed
and Their Purposes Made Plain.

|
Their Promises to the People UnfuIfIIed
and Their Purposes Made Plain.
Underneath TIE fimsy disguise which
he money power has assumed in this
campaign the real explanation of the
fight which is being made with so much
bitterness on free coinage can be dis
tinctly observed. Expressed in a nut
she'll, it is nothing more or less than a
deliberate scheme on the part of the
money power to contract the nations
currency, and the single gold standard,
though calculated to produce great
havoc, is only one of the methods by
which this result is to be obtained.
To fully establish the truth of this
statement, it is only necessary to cite the
former contentious of the money power
and contrast them with its present atti-
tude on the money question.
Three years ago the same men who
are now advocating the single gold
standard as a remedy for existing evils
were clamoring for a repeal of the pur-
chasing clause Of the Sherman act. 1t
was claimed by these false prophets that
a repeal of that clause would restore
national prosperity and impart a healthy
tone to business all over the country.
They furthermore insisted that nothing
else was needed to promote the welfare
of the American farmer, and that just as
foon as the purchasing clause of the act
x-oc ranaa1o1 ho U-or1l hoos, e. .oo~ IT,
just reward Of his labor.
One of the most conspicuous of these
prophets who is now engaged in up
holding the single gold standard, DIR.
Uhauncey M. Depew, expressed himself
in an interview published in the New
York Tribune, July %, 1898. as fol-
lows:
The repeal of the silver purchase clause of
the Sherman act of July IA, 1890, will release
Honey here and bring money from abroad. It
Will do infinitely more-it will permit the use
Ct credits, which are now SO fearfully curtailed
and which constitute 95 per cent of the cur
fency of the country.
Such was the earnest fight which the
money power of the country made in
favor of repeating the purchasing clause
Of the Sherman act that the day was
carried and the clause in question was
repealed.
But what was the result? Did money
Immediately begin to circulate in this
country, as DR.. Depew and his col
leagues SO glowingly predicted? If it
did, the laboring people failed to ex-
perience the satisfaction of having a
single dollar added to their yearly earn
ings. On the contrary, their wages were
reduced, and as much suffering never
prevailed among the masses as during
the years which have since followed.
The farmer has met with one disaster
sitter another, while his crops have net.
tcl him far less than the care and labor
bestowed upon them should command.
Merchants have likewise suffered from
the paralysis of hard times, and failures
without number have been recorded in
all parts of the country. Establishments
both large and small have been forced
to the wall On account of the stringency
of the money market, and many banks
have found it necessary to suspend bust
ness. 1t is no exaggeration to say that
such a period Of stagnation and depres.
sion has never been known in this coun.
try as the one which has followed the
repeal of the purchasing clause of the
Sherman act.
Notwithstanding the utter and ridicu.
lous failure which they have made as
prophets, the same men who advocated
a repeal Of the purchasing clause three
years ago now come forward will
brazen audacity and uphold the merit,
OF the single gold standard.
Having been deceived once by the
spurious logic and affected patriotism O.
these men, the people are not apt to BIZ
SC easily deceived again. Moreover,
they have made a thorough study Of the
money question, and they realize thu
fact that national prosperity will con
tinue to be a dream and a delusion INIT
silver is restored to its former place il
the currency of the nation.
Should the money power succeed il
this outrageous scheme to defeat bi
metallism, the next step in order vii
be to retire the g%reenbacks.
In spite of the frantic appeals which
these false prophets are now making
the people of this country will not ALLOW
themselves to be deceived again. In
stinctively they recoil from the singh
gold standard, and the more they stud.
it the more abhorrent it becomes.
When gold and silver were both car
ried to the mints under equal condi
tons, this country prospered as it neve
has since, and the farmer realized a goo'
price for everything he produced.
Until this condition is restored ther
can be no permanent national prosper
ity.-Atlanta Constitution.
The yXorkin2man,s Onnortunitx.