The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1896-05-13
Talk with Alexander about InI
M'cLEARY'S SPEECH.

M'cLEARY's SPEECH.
Denslishes FREQ Coinage FallAcies-Fssss
About Prices.
The Congressional Record of March
~ contains speech by J. T. McCleary
Of Minnesota against unrestricted coin
age Of silver" which is the most thor
ough, entertaining and convincing dis
custom Of the silver question we have
seen. Every aspect of the question is
presented. Every argument Of tho hon
est believer in free coinage is patiently
examined and demolished. The vice Of
the free coinage advocate, it is shown,
is that he picks his facts, ignoring such
as do not favor his argument. He docs
not gee the whole truth, but only SO
much of it as suits his purpose. The
silverite begins usually with the state
ment that there has been ruinous fall
Of prices, beginning with 1873, when
silver dollars were excluded from free
coinage, and that the decline CT prices
was due to the exclusion Of silver. But
if he would consider the history of
prices before 1878 he would find that
the recent decline began in 1856. The
fall between 1866 and 1873 was larger
than that between 1873 and the present
time. though the mint was then open
to silver. But this was not the first
period of low prices during tho present
century. In tho period from 1918 to
1869. while the mint was open to sill
yer, there was q fall in average prices
practically tho same rs that which has
taken place since 1878.
The price Of silver before 1878 did
not decline along with that of other
commodities, as it has done since 1878.
Silver was not then their faithful COM
panion, but held itself aloof from the
general tumble Between 1909 and 1865
there was a tremendous fall, followed
by tremendous rise Of prices Of COM
modities, but silver hardly varied. And
there is not now-more than before
l87S-any connection between the price
Of silver and the price of other things
The decline Of prices has not, how.
ever, been universal. 1t has been large In
articles worked by machinery, as textiles,
minerals, manufactures, etc., but it has
not been large, as rule, in products Of
agriculture, tropical products, animal
and fish products, etc. The reduction of
transportation rates has lowered the
price Of wheat phenomenally ut the
points of consumption. as in the east
and in England, but the price obtained
by the farmer Of the northwest has not
been materially changed. Beef, butter,
eggs and similar articles have not fol-
lowed the downward course Of silver,
even at the points Of consumption. There
is one commodity which is dealt in,
bought and sold, more universally and
in greater volume, it may be said, than
all others put together-labor. II it has
not fallen in price. it is folly to say that
there has been "a general fall Of prices
due to the decentralization Of silver. F"
And it has not fallen. On the contrary,
wages have advanced, and tho wages Of
1890, with silver demonetized. exceeded
by So per cent the "bimetallic" wages
Of 1860. In purchasing power the wages
Of today exceed those Of the earlier peri
cd by u per cent.
Much Is made by silverites Of French
bimctallism, but Mr.. McCleary shows
that France did not, by her law Of 1903,
as a matter Of fact, Sustain for 70
years her legal ratio Ct 151a to 1"'a
tho commercial ratio Of the world The
price fiuctuated, Notwithstanding the
law. Nor did Franco ever have the con.
current circulation of silver and gold
From 1920 to 1850 France had only sill
yer and from 1850 to 1865 only gold
coin in circulation. It was not tho
French legal ratio that kept the CONNER
cial ratio near 1511a to from 1903 tt
1878.
In concluding his telling speech Mr.
McCleary, himself q protectionist. de
nounced the Pennsylvania protectionist!
who are going in for the free coinage o.
silver because they may thus reduce
American wages to the level in Mexico
Japan and other countries on the silver
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