The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-12-19
IS IT STUPIDITY?
Or Has Hrynn n Di,,ssot, Logic Akin to
Color-iliindnsS,i = Ills sophistrlss In
Nortii American ltsvIeN.

tu rtNuNn OF INV huDhNInCt OF ilN nun
dreds Of haranEueS which hp delivered
during the campaign, There nre no
ticeahlc the EIuO assertion OF CrrOrS
ana ms8ta tcmCnts and the same cool
defiance Ut Facts that characterized
his multltudlnOus Gaccchce ana
tho same avoidance OF lmprCg-
nable objections. He calmly ignores
what he feels himself unable TO am
Swcr, ana passes by II as II noh-cxist-
Cnt What he cannot rcfutG hr treats
with silence. Thus. after having had
several weeks time for reelection after
the election, tho article shows that lie
Is a genuine bourbon, who fnrScts
nothing and learns nothing, Sut he
cannot maintain this policy or course
for four years and hope TO be re-uomi.
mated by the satpc parties on the same
platform FOR another presidential race.
Mr.. Bryan opens his North Amcrl-
can Review article IN these words:
"fhe battle between Dimctalllsm and
the gold standard X on" This IL Il con-
fuslnu, vague statement. Ii turns on
what meaning he attaches to "hmct-
ulllsm." That must be known before
the reader can comprehend what he
Is talking uhOut-whcrc he goes In at
and at what hole he comes out. He re-
peItS the word "bimetalllsm" several
times In the course OF his article, but
never defines t. lIc simply assumes
that the reader mus, know the detlnl.
ton lie attaches 20 II, The word Itself
has Il well-undcrstood meaning, which
does not nt all agree with the one he
gives 10 Il.
"BlmctslIIsm" first means. as tht peo-
pie understand II, iva metals. C( gold
aud silver Second, II means thosS met
ais In their use aR money. Third. II
means IN their coined form into disks
with dcNalte namca. In this country
they are called "dulllra," and to be OF
equal commercial value or purchasing
power In business transactions and In
payment ~ rcblE or nast agrcemntS.
Fourth. Il means that those two metals
shall serve concurrCntlv as money or
dollars Of equal value In exchange FOR
goods, or lands. or in payment OF person.
al or real estate In present or past trans-
actions among CS.l2ens and corporations,
Including political or business ones.
These definitions are close enough 10
state the popular meaning OF "bimetai-
ism"
Now. Mr.. Bryan seems 10 employ Che
word "bImelallism" In n totally different
sense. lie makes L Include free coin
age 0t oliver bullion at the ratio Of lG
ourcrs Of silver 10 one ounce Of gold.
But that ratio cannot possibly constitute
pimeJalllc one. FOR 10 ounces nf silver
bullion will not purchase one ounce OF
gold In any country In the world, or
hardly oar-half an ounce. Tho Tribune
has often asked Mr.. Bryan 10 name q ma
ton where lG Ouncas OF silver can be ex-
changed for one ounce OF gold. or even
for more than small fraction OF an
ounce Of gold.
The Tribune has Inquired Of Ma Bry-
an where he has ever found IN any cOun-
try In modern times that sold and oliver
o; the same denominations or names,
such as dollars. five francs, thalers or
rublc5. would circulate under free coin
lEe c0ncurrcntly Ia money OF account
in case their respective commercial VAL
ues differed from the mint rates
Mr.. Bryan has nut, up to this time.
named that country. The Tribune has
| pressed Mr. Bryan 10 name free coin
age country where. for Instance, the
legal tender ratio WAS l5iL to /. or Is 20 /.
while the inirirIic value or commercial
or business ratio was IS or 20 or IS or 30
10 |. where the two coins would circulate
side by Side In business, or where the
cheaper or inferior coin did NOT eNpell
the superior money from circulation.
Nor has he answered for any other Jour
nal. He has not pointed OUT any In
stance OF the kind for the Hilverltc news
papers which have most strenuouSlv al
vocaied his election and have been hard
pressed themselves by their gold bug"
contemporaries to name q free coinage
country where Eold and silver
coins would work together as
money In buying and selling,
where their respective bullion value DIFF
fered even on one poIEt-much lass
where The one coin. gold. was worth two
of the other coins OF silver.
The nearest Mr.. Bryan has ever an
swercl those grave criticisms OF his alb
Surd and impossible l6 u l bimetalllsm
was when stamping In the east. and
hard pressed. he said that he Thought or
believed that free coinage OF silver at lG
20 In this country alone would have
the tendency 10 raise the price OF any
silver bullion in the wolrd to 81 90 an
ounce frum Its present value OF f5 cents.
and thus make the silver dollar equal in
intrinsic value to the gold dollar. But
ne offered no valid reason or precedent
In behalf OF the fhnatlcal notion. Il
merely caused everybody 10 laugh n the
Idea that while l100Q00G5 GGTYeCH'"s"ncW
silver bullion was thrown. costing 40 10
so or Go cents per ounce, according TO the
richness nf the mine. free coinage IN this
country OF thrc>-Q quarter dollars
could double the value Of the silver bull
ion of the world and hold Ii there. Alr.
Bryan venturcd no opinion as to how
many years or decades II might require
to raise the commercial price OF 80 cents
worth Of silver bullion to equal Il ;So.d
dollar. In the meanwhile OR currency
ut I6 to would necessarily be silver
n!OnO.nCtallsnl. and no; himctaliSm.
Yet Mr.. Bryan went on calmly de-
al la flut no "a nrHpnt advocate
OF free coinage bimetGllism." And
when asked what he meant by the term
free coinage bmctalliSm," and at
what ratio, he replied at lG TO !!
What was most amazing WAS that he
did not seem 20 see or appreciate The
comicaIity aud manifest absurdity OF
such n ratio when In every bullion
market OF the world for several years
past. and up 10 this time an ounce of
gold. coined or uEcoined. would pur-
chase thirty to thirty-two ounces of
silver bullion or thirty 10 thirty-two
ounces of free coined legal-ttndcr sill
yer money.
In Mr.. Bryan really aware OF the pit
fable weakness OF his position and con-
trntion? Does lie not see that he has
made Il laughing stock of himself?
Docs he really Imagine or believe what
he has been asserting that l6 to l
ratio will permit OF the Oimetullic cir
cuIntion OF gold md silver money In
business? IL 1t possible he cannot see
that q 10 TO ! ratlO means silver mono
mctnlliHm. and cannot mean anything
else? Or does he. seeing the nbsurdIty
OF such contention, believe that he can
argue so plnuaIhly MS to deceive the
rank and Me Of the masses and Gauge
them 20 swallow ard vote for 1t? Is he
really wilIfully PLAYING the pnrt OF n
ragcally dcmugngue dcccIvcr? 1t is Il
hard thing to charge this vIciu OF the