The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-13

were coined. This is not precisely ac~
curate, as ], 900 were coined in 1896, and
500 in 1899. I have recently read with
great interest the proceedings of the
international Monetary Conference,
held at Brussels i'm December, 1882,
from which / have already quoted.
Some things I find there staTtle me.
One thing is that England is more
friendly towards a larger use of silver
than France. Mr.. Cannon, delegate of
the United States, made this statement
in a speech to the conference: The
proposition of Mr.. De Rothschild,
delegate from England, the frank and
able statement we have just listened to
from Mr. Tirard, a delegate from
France, and representing the
Latin Union, clearly indicate the condi-
ton of affairs in Europe.
Permit to say, that I have been
greatly surprised at what has oc-
Cured. We in the United States had
supposed that France and the Latin
Union, being the largest holders of
silver in the world, were friendly to
that metal as money; but we find that
while they are glad to be present with
us and are interested in our proceed
Ii2 - bllEF t1IC JOb ltlNA1tASb W jim W. VI
us in any agreement as to the better
use of silver money: and we find to
our surprise, that England, without
any silver of consequence, suggests
it's purchase and use as a money metal.
= Mr.. Tirard says that in
France they are not specially inter
ested in any palliative measures to in
crease the price of silver and that they
are able to maintain their present po-
sition." I quote from Mr.. Tirard, the
French delegate: France under
present circumstances has no cause to
complain of her monetary situation
and she does not complain.
France Of all nations in the world is
the only one which has the largest
quantity of money, both in gold and
silver. We have in France
that quantity of money which, how
ever considerable it is, incOmmodes
no one and renders, on the contrary,
important services to everybody.
As a matter of fact France is still BIZ
metallist. IF we ceased to coin 1t 1T
was because we were face to face with
a continually increasing volume of sill
yer, not only from the growth of its
production but also in consequence OF
the transformation of the monetary
system of Germany. All the silver
extracted from the mines or demone-
tized elsewhere arrived in France
and from this superabund-
ance of metal came it's depreciation.
We have ceased to coin it and think
our course was perfectly right.
Why should France permit the free
| coinage of silver, when she is already
| amply provided with it? / believe
| that she alone possesses as much as
all the nations Of Europe put together.
If France and the Latin
| Union should alone open
their minis to the free coinage of sill
yer, all the surplus silver of the
United States and of Mexico would go
| to France, to Italy, to Belgium. And
| where would these countries be able
| to use it? Nowhere, since in the rest
| of Europe none wish to admit it as
| legal tender. < As to estab-
fishing free coinage, as to receiving
the silver produced in Mexico and the
| United States, which France would
| never have occasion to return to the
| powers which had sent it, and which
| she could never use to pay for her pur-
| chases and liquidate her obligations,
he would never advise this government
| to accept such situation"
| Personally ] am not for gold mono
rnetallism, and / am not for silver
| rnono-metalIism. / am, as / have al
| WAYS been, for bi-metallism. Ten years
ago said that the people were deter
/ mined to retain silver as a currency
and to protect the dollar of their
fathers as a good, honest dollar and to
keep it on a par with gold"
/ have never entertained other views,
although / have voted for free coinage
when / believed the standard dollar
| could be maintained and circulated at
| its coinage value on a parity with the
| gold dollar I have therefore always
| been a Sound money" man. cor
daily approved Of the National Demo
| cratic platform adopted at Chicago in
| 1892. All Democrats stood upon it
then. Why can't all stand upon it
| now? 1T suited Bland and Cleveland
| then. It suits Cleveland now. Why
does it not suit Bland, too? Both were
! good Democrats then. Why cant both
/ be good Democrats now2
ETJCKIEN's ARz9A SALVE