Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-10-24

herents of the movement do not per-
ceve its full meaning: but let them be-
ware, they are lighting torches which,
borne in hands of reckless men, may
light up in the country the lurid fires of
commune.
Archbishop Ireland thinks that the
pamphlet of Archbishop Walsh of Dub
lin on bimetallism has no bearing what
ever on the situation in America, and
that il lis throughout a solid argument
against the Chicago platform. Free
coinage, he says, Twill give us money
world, little over half its nominal
value. Legal tender com
pelling men to accept against their will
money above its commercial value in the
markets of the world, is rank injustice"
He is absolutely convinced that the
laboring classes will suffer the most of
all from free silver coinage| With re-
spect to the farmer, he pertinently asks,
Twill they not receive a higher price
for their products? Maybe higher
price, but not higher value. OF what
use is it to have a dollar instead of a
half dollar, if the dollar can purchase
no more than the half dollar
The best market for the
farmers's product is his own country
and If his own country is impoverished
if factories are closed, if laborers in
cities are penniless, the farmer will re-
ceive but little for his harvests" He
scorns the absurd explanation of our in
dustrial and financial troubles by refer
ring to the crime of 1873" and saws
that 1T is the great falacy of the day
to be attributing our hard times to the
gold standard" He thinks that under
the silver standard we will have much
harder times" and that zone of the chief
causes of hard times today is the agita-
ton for radical change in the currency
of the country"
Like all other men who think upon
this subject seriously, Archbishop Ire
land comes at last TO consider the ethical
aspect of the question, and asks rs il
honest to try to pay debts with half the
money which we received when we con.
tracted them? That the great
American nation will, as a nation. de-
clare to the world that il will now make
law compelling its creditors TO be sat
ished with half, or a little more, of the
money they loaned to it, and 20 on record
IN the eyes of the world as II broken
HoWh' bahkfupt, regulating nation, it is
not possible to believe"
Holding these views, which are fully
ana carefully elaborated in this letter.
winch is too long for reproduction here.
II is not surprising to hear him say: II
stand by the platform and the presiden-
tlal candidate of the Republican copyen-
fion at 81. Louis. | am opposed to the
P' W. M an" the UTesldenUal candidate
OF the Democratic convention at Chica-
60"
The following are the closing para
graphs of the archbishop's letter:
Here IS the popular argument in
favor of free silver coinage-we. have
had hard times under the gold standard.
That is true, and what is also true is
that under the silver standard we shall
have much harder times. 1t is the great
falacy of the day to be attrbuting onr
hard times to the gold standard The
craze of free silver as cure for hard
times is explicable on the same theory
that a man who has been long time
sick despite the attentive care of expert
physicians. will call for any quack who
adyertses to cure all the ills of hui
mainly. Hard times have come through
the severe and resstless working of
economic laws, which go their way in