The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-09-20

~ pnqity with gold at the Ia ic OF 18
TO 1, until 1873, when the republicans
destroyed II. But. they say that YOU
cannot maintain the parity; that it has
gone down so low that nothing can
ever bring IL up again; and vet Ia all
The past as we have record. that
1900 years before the Savior it ranged
from To /. 10 TO /, ~ to aud 14lS to ! /;
and since that time only has IL ever
reached the point OF 1873 10 1: and
never until England demonetized il,
and even then il did not 20 below that.
for we maintained it at a parity of i6 to
! and if you VIII take away the legisla
tion againF the white metal and give
ii the chances of the red metal, IL will
stand on an equality with it.
But they say you have got 10 have
gold 20 settle the balance OF trade be
tween us and England, Who make up
this grand country Of ours, my friends2
How many of YOU individually trade
with England? Every one of you who
have on imported goods, hold up your
hands, will you? Every fellow here
who has on something that came from
across the water. hold up your hands?
no hands.) Now, my friends, II the
great mass Of the American people do
not wear that which comes from Eng
land. what balance of trade have we to
settle with England? Why should we
ask them rs to whether we may main
tain bimetallismo II is tue some of us
may be fortunate enough TO have some
thing TO eat that comes from across the
water, but there is not one of us but
that can steer clear of even this and
live independent
The republican party IN ITS platform
has said that blmetallism Is right. but
we must have international agreement
If we maintain it. Now allow me to
say that If bimetallism is right by inter
national agreement, bimetallism is
right by state agreement, and the peo-
pie of America have the right, as they
once did, to rc-establish IN its proper
place the white metal without lifting
their hat TO England. applause But
they tell us. VI we DO that the gold will
all go away and we will not have any.
"A voice, Let 'er go!) Now then, If
that be the fact il must certainly be
the fact that It always has done so;
that where bimetallism has been main
tanned, gold has fed and found its home
elsewhere. Now. to the contrary, allow
me to state that such has not been the
case, and we win take for the first ex-
ample. France AT the close of the
Franco-Pussian war they owed Ger
many large indemnity; they had
double standard. bimetallism They
issued paper currency, and during
that time, until the meeting of the
Latin union they had gained over 5000, (,
O00. 600 i'm gold-the plea of the gold
standard men to the contrary notwith-
standing From the time silver was
partially remOnetized under the Bland
Allison act. during the twelve years il
was in existence in our own nation, we
gained 500. 600, 600 in gold and yet they
say IL we maintain both it viii drive
the gold ont of the land. So that fad is
met
But they tell MS that al the silver ma.
tions will dump their bullion on our
mints and have il coined Well. we
might answer that by simply asking
What on earth viii they do over there
for money when they bring all their
bullion TO us? Look at it for a moment!
A nation bringing TO America all its
silver bullion TO have il coined into
American dollars that will not circulate
as their own money when they take it
back. But suppose they do--suppose
they do bring their money here. or their
bullion, and have it coined and take
away our commodities. | want to ask
what the result viii be? Wouldn't il inn
mediately make a demand for what we
produce over here to seek 10 supply the
demand thus made? Would not that
start again our looms, spindles and fac
tories, that have been silent so long
under the influence of protection and
contraction? Is not that the fact, my
friends? So then If il gives employ
ment TO the men who are tramping
back and forth over our free land seek
ing employment. has it not proven a
blessing? Most assuredly It has But
they say it will go too far-we viii get
too much money for while, and ] adj
init that that might be in very remote
way possibility, but not a probability!
and /, as Mr.. Bryan says, have suffi-
cient confidence in the American people
To believe that If it ever should come to
that. that we had too much money, we
certainly could shut down the works
and stop the thing for time;' and in
In the meantime let MS not forget what
would become of the nations that were
sending all their bullion here and we
sending our products and commodities
over 20 them. They certainly would
have money panic. But they say that
we cannot maintain the parity by vir-
the Of law. My friends, what is money?
What makes money? The fiat of the
government, nothing more or less. and
every man knows il. Now If the fiat OF
the government could in 1899 say that
we viii coin both gold and silver at a
ratio of rs To 1, and that we will main
tain the parity on these lines, and if we
could do il and did do Il. want to ask.
why can't we today?
But there have been some remarkable
constructions placed on the law. For
some strange reason our secretary of
the treasury has seen cause to say that
the creditor has the right 10 designate
the kind of money he shall receive, and
as result he has invariably elected 10
receive his pay i'm gold. Now, allow me
TO say my friend, il we wrest from the
creditor the option of determining this
question, and place ii in the hands
of the man that owes the debt
/ want to know If we win do an iuius.
tice? II there is a legal tender value
10 dollar by virtue of law and YOU
owe a debt, ] want 10 know what right
any man has TO say that YOU do have
the right 90 say the kind OF money that
YOU will use in payment of the same
Now then. suppose that debtor set
ties his obligations In the cheaper mon
ey. which he will, and that is practical.
This man pays his debt, and this one
his. and that one his and SO on; thus
the cheaper money is put into circula-
tion; demand is soon made upon the
bullion. and as the result of the in
creased demand upon the bullion the
price Immediately advances and thus
up.and up il goes as il is used the more
until il goes up perhaps beyond the
regular ratio and becomes at a prem-
nm frtl Of q la