The Portland daily press., 1896-09-10
AT NEW GLOUCESTER.

AT NEW GLOUCESTER.
Richard Webb, ESD Addressedta Large
Republican Meeting.
The Republican of New Gloucester
held a large meeting at p. NJ, yester- |
dav. Mr.. Seth =. Sweetsir presided.
Hon. Oryille D. Baker of Augusta, was
to have spoken, with Richard Webb, |
ESQ, of this city. MIR. Baker did not
appear, and Mr.. Webb spoke an hour
and quartar holding the close and earn
est attention ofthisshearers. Ho.said In
substapce: In this coming state elsc-
ton there are no state issues. The Re-
publican administration of state affairs
is unoriticized, and no reason exists
why change should be made. The real
question is what is Names opinion up
on the national issues, and that question
is to be answered by the size of the Re
publican majority. The Populist branch
of the Democratic party claims to have
discovered new road to national weaKh
through the free coinage of silver Ii is
proposed to disregard the present aotuM
ratiorof 81 to /, and to accept q new ratio
which overvalues silver about oo per
can't. II this proposal Is carried out
sither silver will appreciate until IT is
worth !. 500 or else 1t wild not. ii 1t does
we shall have bimetallism if it. does not
we shall have the depraciated silver
standard. They ask that silver he coined
the same way that gold. is coined.
Now if the mint received the gold bull
lion and stamped upon kupon 1T Its exact
weight, it would not thereby knoreass Its
value. Nor would the value be- increa sed
If the bullion were divided into smaller
pieces of convenient size ann shape, and
each piece stamped with hts exact
weight. Yet this is all that coinage
MEANS For coinage purposes the dollar
| is unit of weight, just as the shekel,
| drachma, talent, peso, mark, penny,
livre and pound. which are names Of
coins were in their primary meanings
units of weight. In the same way the
| free coinage of silver will add nothing
to it's value The mint will simply GER
THY that each piece of silver issued
weighs 412 Ia grainsli nd is nine-tenths
fine. MIR. Bryan's favorite argument is
that the power of the government Is
sufficient to give us bim etallism without
waiting for the CONSENT or approval of
any other nation. But this power they
| do not propose to usa. ThG silver dollars
already Issued are rs good as gold be-
cause certain safeguards have been
adopted which make them SO. These
safeguards are to be abandoned, aud
nothing whatever ia to be done for main
tanning the parity between the Two
metals. Great as the power of the gov
ernment may be, it can accomplish moth
ing if it Is notiusad. The question: siml1-
~ ia whether coming silver free as pro-
J posed would in itself be sufficient tt'
raise silver money to parity with gold,
! and the whole experience ofIthe world
proves that it would not The question
of bimetallism is not at issue. It. is
question of standards, the gold stand
. ard against the silver standards. Under
appeal for bimetallism what is really
sought is a change Of standards. Such
change will raise prices, but higher
prices for the nenessaries of life should
| u6 muIo q A0unuit 1oA oRposAAS oAVA ANA
favoring the change. But even to him
who sells an increase of price is of no
advantage when measured in a depreci-
ated currency. Wages would not advance
! in the same proportion as necessaries.
Free coinage is scheme to put the
working men on half pay. They say free
coinage will benefit the debtor class. by
i which they mean that one can practi-
oally cheat his creditor our of half his
due. According to our old-fashioneh
ideas that is dishonest, and the people
of Maine will never be a party to any
such rascality. To be sure times are
hard, but they began not in 1878 when
, |, the coinage of silver was stopped, but
0 30 years later when the government be-
came Democratic in all it's branches. The
! Repu blican party had its origin in the
s great moral idea that slav cry was wrong
8 and that it's further spread must be op
$ posed. Its early principles appealed tt
!. the highest sentiments of the American
r people and it's principles today appea
: not to the cupidity of self interest o
9 the American voter, but to his alb idine
q sense of right and wrong.