Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-09-17

| e'"S" upoi Solu IneaIS uOuD-
ling the demand for the same, and
doubling the demand of necessity
doubles the value thereof. This
gradual shifting to gold Of all the
burdens of both gold and silver has
caused a gradual and steady increase
In the value Of every dollar redeem
able in gold, and hence a gradual and
steady decline in the value of every
commodity that is measured by that
dollar.
The Republican supporters of Mr..
Mckinley consented to the insertion
in the st. Louis platform of the
gold-standard declaration thinly ve-
neered by declaration for bimetal-
lism when the leading commercial
nations of the world should consent )
but until that consent was secured
the gold standard must be main
tanned. 1t is well known that this
consent cannot be secured from
Great Britain, and that such decla-
ration for bimetalism means nothing
with such limitation upon it. Mr..
Mckinley consented to the decIara-
tion for the gold standard in the
platform, and in his recent speeches
has accepted it, and has become the
advocate thereof; he has shown by
his speeches heretofore made that he
understood the danger of the gold
standard and the distress which
would be inflicted upon the Ameri-
can people by its adoption, and yet
he pledges the people to support and
| M n n OF
upon them all the evils of the finan-
cial system which he has heretofore
repudiated if they will make him
President. Whatever may have
been his attitude on the money ques-
tion in the past, he must inevitably
hereafter support the same financial
system that the present Democratic
administration has supported, and if
elected must continue the policy of
Mr.. Cleveland in the sale of bonds
in time Of peace. Hence, with the
the success of Mr.. Mckinley, we
may look for a continued increase of
the public debt and the sale of bonds
to maintain the gold standard.
POPULAR DISTRESS.
That the condition of the country
is not satisfactory all admit. The
producers of wealth are not receiv-
ing fair and proper compensation
for their labor, whether in field, fac
tory or mines; enterprise has ceased;
values are constantly declining; la.
Dor is unemployed, discomfort and
distress prevail to an extent never be-
fore known in the history of the
country, and no reason can be found
for such an unhappy condition save
in vicious monetary system. Those
who profess to deplore the present
financial condition and oppose free
coinage are divided in opinion as to
the cause of the present condition.
Some declare that it is because we
have too much tariff; others that
we have not enough, while the fact
exists that every gold standard
country in the world, whether it
has high or a low tariff, is now,
and has been during recent years in
the throes of financial panic, and
every silver-standard country, COM
pared with its former condition, is
enjoying an industrial development
and degree of prosperity hitherto
unknown in its history. While thus
differing in opinion, they unite in
asserting that the gold standard
must be maintained until foreign
countries shall signify their willing
ness that the American people shall
not express the right of free men
and create financial system of
initiation and degradation we must
feel on account of such declaration
of financial dependency, we may
we'll inquire when the consent of
the leading commercial nations will
be obtained?
No one who has read the proceed
ings of the three international none
tary conferences that have already
been held, or who has examined the
impracticable propositions presented
at those conferences, can for a mo-
ment believe that any international
bimetallic agreement can ever be
had with the consent of all the lead
ing commercial nations of the world.
GREAT BRITAIN's POSITION.
When will Great Britain, con-
trOled as she is and ever will be by
the creditor classes, who collect vast
sums of money for interest due her
and her citizens, who buys of US an
nually many more millions than she
sells to us, and whose interest Is to
make the pound sterling purchase as
much of our farm products as posi-
BILE, consent that we shall be fnan-
cially independent, as we are sup
posed to be politically independent?
When did the creditor classes OF
Great Britain ever give up or in any
way yield an advantage such as they
now possess through the maintenance
of the gold standard ? There is no
hope for international bimetalism
until the United States shall estab.
lish bimetalism for itself, and when
that is done international bimetalism
may be secured without the consent
Of Great Britain.
The United States on all other sub
jects acts independently of any other
nation on earth. BY what process
of reasoning is It's right, authority,
or ability to legislate upon this, the
most important subject with which
it has to deal, questioned or denied :?
With nation equal in wealth and
power to one-fourth of the world, it
is cowardly to say that we must ask
the per mission of Great Britain to
establish and maintain a financial
policy Of our own.
Believing as we do that return
to the monetary system espe-
cially recognized in the constitu-
tion, and completely provided for
by law from 1892 till 1878, affords