The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-30
BEFORE AND AFTER TAKING.

BEFORE AND AFTER TAKING.
"Ou roppOnents propose nothing. They
elaborate no system. II You are dissa tisfied
you have night to ask of them more than
mere opposition. You have right to
demand .hat tney Shall propose something
for adoption. Because We are not equipped
as well as they, with Il daily press, We nave
to rely more upon public meetings and dis
cussiOD.
lone of the reasons why in this cam
paigD ! have departed some what from
precedent and have gone over the country
myself iS-becaus" IL enabled me to reach
the people themselves; whereas IL we had
more great daily papers We could reach the
people through them. Ir my going around
results to my disadvantage ii is better Tor
than after.
You win notice this that when men go
TORN uerending free COMA &c they are will
ing to meet questions and answer them.
Why? Because those who are defending
bimetallism are able to give a reason Tor
their faith, while whose opposing bimet-
allism oppose their fear gainst the reasons
Il had my attention today called to
photograph which shows platform erected
in one OF the towns of Pennsylvania: and
over that platform is this notice: Free
for all discussion on the financial question.
ers must answer questions for at least five
QUESTIONS TO ASK.
II wish in every town there was such a
platform 50 tnOSe VINO aOVOclIe Dime tllilStn
could meet their opponents and each repre-
sentative stand ready to be questioned and
to give the reason influencing his conduct.
Our opponents will not answer Questions.
They are not prepared to meet the argu-
ment presented in favor OF bimetalism.
III you had such platform in this city
! might suggest few questions to put to
the advocates OF the gold standard. You
might ask, is there gold enoug h in the world
to Furnish the stu ndard money of the world
What answer would he give? lie must
say a.'rb NO; ask him wsa. will, ns tho e,,oc,
of raising the value of the price OF gold
Throughout the world and hc must answer
The effect will be to lower the average
of prices Then ask him where do we
find the most earnest supporters OF the
gold standard? He must reply among those
who profit by hard times.
You might ask them whether a nation
like this could afford to have its financial
policy determined ny some foreign nation
and what could he answer? II he answers
yes. he would subject himself to the just
contempt OF every man who believed in
a free government and the right OF the
people to govern themselves. II he says
no, that we cannot afford To have our
financial policy made abroad and imported
into this country under any kind of
tariff whether high or low. then sou tell
him he will have to get Off the Repub
lican platform, because that is what the
Republican platform proposes To do.
THOSE FIFTY-CENT DOLLARS.
You mi ghl ask him if YOU cannot raise
the value of silver by legislation, which
increases the demand for silver, and he
admits that he has got To stop talking
about 5O-cent dollars; because this talk
of 50-cent dollars is entirely based upon
the theory ~ ma. , when yea . oren the m .
10000 900 of people may purchase silver
bullion, convert that bullion into dollars
and use those dollars in paying debts
and taxes and purchasing what they need,
he will have to say either that the la Nv
of supply and demand does not apply to
silver or that the demands 10 10000 900
Of people must raise the price OF silver
above what 1t is today.
And the moment that man admits that
demand created by law can raise the
price of silver bullion, he then leaves it
simply to be q question how much of a
rise the action of this nation can bring in
the value OF silver bullion.
ANOTHER KIND OF PARITY.
"The trouble is our opponents are all
, the time talking about maintaining the
parity between two metals and neglect
ing the fact that under the gold standard
we have failed to maintain the parity
between a dollar and property. They en-
when We desired legislation, although
they are very conscious of the potency of
legislation when they useit on their side.
III, In 1873. they had proposed q law,
such as was passed In that year, closing
the nints to the free coinage OF silver, and
we had said to them. why law can do
nothing on this subject, commerce regulates
the value of these things, what would they
have said?
They would not have been content to
let commerce regulate them. Then they
wanted the law to step In and strike down
one of the money metals ami give gold the
monopoly OF mint privileges, and when they
have done that they blossomed out into
believers OF non-interference on the part
of government.
,"If they tell you law can do nothing,
that commerce Is everything, remind them
OF the law Of 1884. The advocate Of the
gold standard will tell you that from the
beginning Of our financial history down
to 1884 gold was at premium, and silver
the mQ0ey in common use among the people
He will tell you that after 1884 silver was
at premium and gold was the money In
what changed the habits Of our people
meuce using gold. Was II commerce? 1t
was a little law of but few words that
changed the ratio from 8 to to Is to 1 !,
and by SO doing gave the advantage to
silver
COMMERCE AND LAW.
"That change put silver at a premium
because there was a demand for silver In
France at q more favorable ratio than ours.
And. therefore. our silver either went to
France, where it could be coined at the
1t stayed az Its commodity value.
hen these people tel you commerce
y above law. you point TO that little Law