The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-10-21
COL BOB'S SOC DOLAGERS.
CHUNKS OF INGERSOLL'S SOUND
MONEY SPEECH AT CHICAGO.
The Popocratic Party IN Favor Of Every
thing That Can Not Be Done-They Desire
to Abolish Facts, Punish Success, and
Reward Failures-What Money Is.


to Abolish Facts, Punish Success, and
Reward Failures-What Money Is.
Col. Bob Ingersoll stirred things up
,ut in Chicago last Thursday, when
he whole city was shouting for Me
zinley and sound money. The Col
mel hasn't done much campaign speak
ng since 1884, but this year the issue
between honesty and dishonesty has
-oused him, and he put his opinions on
he subject.into speech and deliver
d that speech in Chicago. Chicago
people and Chicago newspapers agree
hat it was one of the greatest speeches
IF the campaign.
The Colonel began by saying:
"Again we are on the field of battle,
where thought contends with thought,
where facts are bullets and our argu-
ments are swords" and then he pro-
eeeded to use both bullet and sword.
These that follow are some of the best :
What is money? In the first place,
is the product of nature; mon
ey is a part of nature. No man ever
made or created money. Ii is beyond
the power of Legislatures and Con-
crosses. 1t is beyond the power of the
human race. Money is not made. 1t
has to be found.
Money is something that does not
have TO be redeemed. Money is the
redeemer Anything that has to be
bolstered up with the promise of an
or nation is not money.
are not money. They are
promises TO pay money. A national
bank bill is not money. Ii is prom
ise TO pay money. Nothing that Gov
ernment can print-no matter what
picture it may put upon it, no matter
what words-'In God We Trust it is
not money; it is simply a promise to
pay. And yet there are thousands
and thousands of people who believe
that nation can create money. \
nation can no more create money by
law than it can create corn and wheat
and barley by law.
1t does not make any difference who
issues good money. 1t is just as good
when Lazarus issues it as when Dives
issues it. No matter whether the Gov
ernment is bankrupt that coins it, the
money is just as good. \ piece of gold
coined by the Romans 300 years ago il
just as good to-day as when Julius
Caesar rode at the head of his legiOns.
Since that time darkness has fallen
over the Roman empire, and the EN-
pire has passed into oblivion, but the
gold coined shines as brightly now as
in Rome's palmiest days. That is good
money.
Money is commodity. Wheat and
corn are commodities. So is money,
the peculiarity about money being that
il is exchangeable for all commodities.
But it is a commodity nothing more
nothing less. When a man gives a
bushel of wheat for dollar in gold he
buys dollar in gold, and the dollar in
gold buys the wheat. Both are COM
modities, and a commodity is some
thing that can not be manufactured by
law.
Good money is always good. Good
money is always at par, never at a pre-
MUM, and never at discount. When
people buy good money with bad mon
ey they say the good money is at a pre-
mium. That Is not SO. The bad mon
ey is at discount That is what is the
matter. Good money is always at par
And yet we have a man running fol
the Presidency, on three platforms
with two Vice-Presidents, who says
money is the creature of law.
If you can make money by law why
shouldn't we be rich? If hundred
people should settle oil an island and
form a government and elect Legisla'
ture, they could make laws, and il
money is the creature of law there is
no reason why they should not be as
wealthy as Great Britain. Law is in
exhaustibIe, and if you can turn it into
money, no nation has an excuse for be
ing poor,
If the Government can make money
by law, why should the Government
collect taxes?
Let us be honest. Here Is pool
man with a little yoke of cattle cult
waiting forty acres of stony ground
working like slave in the heat o
summer, in the cold blasts of winter,
and the Government makes him pay
SO taxes, when, according to thes'
men, it could issue a 100000 bill in s
second. Issue bill and give the fel
low with the cattle rest.
We have q man running for the Pres
idency who appeals to all people in
debt, and says: 'sVote for me, vote 70
me, and you can pay your debt in 90
cent dollars" That is what he says to
them. Not a very honest proposition
but that is what he says. 'Vote 70
me and you can pay off your debt witt
half the money it requires now" AM
thereupon the creditor says to Nj
Bryan: "You are not going to chea
me. are you?" And Mr.. Bryan says
"No, free coinage will make silve
worth S1.29 an ounce in gold; free sil
yer will make the silver dollars equa
to the gold dollars" and thereupon th
debtor holds his coat tails and says
ain Gods name, how is that going {
help me >" In all his speeches he ha
been guilty of this eontradiction-chea
silver for debtors, and silver as good a
gold for creditors-and, do you know
that man has not seen the inconsisten
cy of these two statements yet?
Now, it takes thirty-one ounces
silver to be worth an ounce of goic
But they propose 10y law to max
sixteen ounces of silver the value of a
ounce of gold. If they can do that b
law, what is the use Of wasting all thu
silver? Iffhey can by law make it
to /, why not put another clause o
and make it l to1? And il they b
fiat can add IS cents worth of law
81 cents worth of silver and make
dollar, why not make all fiat and u;
the silver for forks and spoons?
,.ro,,f,a IN nav rnonev IL NOT moi