Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-10-28
A yirginInn In New York.

|
Dispatch on the all-absorbing topic OF the
day-the approaching election.
Circumstances have caused me. like
many other VIrginians. 20 sever home ties
and seek my fortune elsewhere, 50 time
and changes have placed me i'm New York.
| The upheaval OF the two great parties
I'm this country, caused by the adoption
OF their respective platforms, have caused
! strange bedfellows," speaking politically;
but never thought ! would live TO see the
day when a so-called Democratic Governor
OF Virginia would sleep in a Republican
| bed Words cannot express my surprise
| when / read in the press that Governor
O'Ferrall had declared himself in favor Of
/ Palmer and Buckner-Or Mckinley
| which no one denies as being the same.
How any man. especially an ex-Confed-
| crate soldier can cast his vote for Mckin-
lev. that arch enemy Of the South is be-
yond my comprehension. He represents
and advocates everything that is detri-
mental to the welfare Of the people.
especially the people Of the South and
! West: such things as protection, high
tariff ard, last but not least, "A gold
standard. Not only has Mckinley har-
bored his bitter feelings toward the South
but his paid northern hirelings indulge in
the most abusive language.
Bourke Cochran. the paid gold-bug
speaker, spoke Of the southern men as
professional farmers and ex-slaye driv-
ers"
Edward Lauterbach. chairman of the
| County Republican Committee OF this
state. i'm his speech delivered before the
/ Union Republican Club OF this city last
| Saturday night. gave vent 10 such express
| sions as. 1--WE are now fighting the same
southern gang that we did in 1861. but 1t
! IS a bloodless eight no blood will be shed.
| at least not yet, but II they attempt to
| subvert the Supreme Court, II they should
| succeed by any chance I'm forcing upon
you those horrible doctrines, Populistic.
| anarchistic and communistic, which that
platform adopted by this Populistic brood
utters, we will not abide by that deci-
| sion" In other words. should Mr.. Bryan
be elected the Republicans and traitorous
Democrats will by force attempt TO pre-
vent Mr.. Bryan from being seated. |
mention these facts to impress upon our
people how much we are loved and
thought of by our so-called friends, Nc
Kinley and his champions
/ learn with much regret that some Of
our southern people are opposed to Mr..
Bryan. because they do not believe in the
financial plank Of the Chicago platform.
II is not because they DO not believe, but
that lack of belief IS caused by selhshness.
not patriotism. l find that there are two
classes in the South who are opposed to
Mr. Bryan; the banker. or the head Of the
trusts, and those who are actually bought
TO vote the gold ticket or for Mckinley.
The same applies to those Democrats
from the North and West who have bolted
the Democratic party. How can an in
telligent man say he cannot vote for the
Chicago platform, because the financial
plank Of that platform will bring dis
aster upon the country? Does he not
know that that platform simply advocates
a financial system which our fOrefathers
gave us and which we enjoyed from 1892
10 1873; n financial system that proved
successful during our infancy during our
wars. and during the most prosperous
times Of this country While we were on
this financial basis did we have a Black
Friday? Were there n thousand applica-
tons for every position that was TO be
filled? on the contrary, the employer had
great difficulty in securing Che employee.
Did we have falling prices year after year
in real estate, IN labor. and IN farm pro-
ducts? Did we have the millions out OF
employment that are to-day, and those
who are dependant upon them, suffering
for the necessities Of life?
Another reason that the gold basis has
not been and never will be anything but
disastrous 10 this and any other coun-
try Is that there is not enough gold in
the world TO supply England, Germany,
France. Russia, and America as a basis
for circulation. and that being the case.
what must follow? The use Of silver at
the ratio OF 16 10 /: but the Republicans.
or the gold-bugs, claim that the l6 to
ratio Is not fair. and that silver cannot
no 10 20 .. -, a.
extent Of 1913 an ounce by getting
on a bimetallic basis, and. therefore. we
will continue to have a Scent dollar
Now, ! defy any one to answer this
argument. and show why we will have a
53-cent dollar when.we get on a blmetal-
lie basis.
A Scent dollar is an imposslbllity
under the free coinage Of silver. Under
It every debt from a grocery-blll 10
mortgage can be paid In silver dollars.
If Sc cents in silver bullion can be taken
TO the mint, and a silver dollar coined
and received in return, even the Office
boy, the messenger boy, could take %
cents to the mint and get a dollar. The
gold people say there IL a cents profit
in a silver dollar for the silver mine
owner. You or | can buy silver bullion
and take 1t TO the mint as well as the
silver mine-owner Now, II every one
can take silver bullion TO the govern
ment, and the silver in the dollar would
be worth 50 cents. can you imagine the
tremendous rush for silver bullion Every
man with the first speculative in
stinct, every businessman with
dollar to pay, would grab for the silver
bullion The bankers who shout against
II the loudest would be the first 10 scour
the world for the bullion.
With every one trying TO buy silver, and
with only a very limited supply on the
market. It needs no training OF a finan-
cier 10 see that the silver bullion
would jump in value S and 10 cents at a
time, until the silver In dollar is worth
100 cents. There would be the greatest
speculation In silver ever experienced in
financial history. Silver would always
be a purchase as long as the bullion in
the silver dollar was worth less than 100
cents. because II worth only 90 cents, II
would pay TO get IL coined into 100 cents.
because a debt could then be paid with
an actual investment Of less than a dol
lar by a difference between bullion value
and the coinage value Of the silver dollar
Now. the 53-cent dollar, you can see, is
an impoasibility. Aye. say, opponents.
where does your rise In prices come in2 |
The demand being concentrated on sill |
YER gold must dspreciate In value. Now. |
the price Of silver would rise and gold |
fall until they meet I'm an equilibrium. |
when they wouIu stand hand In hand, |
and the supply Of both gold and silver
would be regulated by the actual need |
for money. The fall In gold. as all COM
are now measured by gold, would !
mean an advance in prices I'm all, about |
q per cent. 70 80 per cent. according as
n ~