Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-08-27

the OEiteu states, acting apart from
other governments. There are those who
THINK that it has already gone beyond tho
limit of financial prudence. Surely we
can go no further AMI we must not per-
init false lights TO lure US across the
danger line
We have much more siver in use than
any country in the world except India or
thina-ss0."b,U more than Great Brit
ain, Sl5pU1.vS more than France s4u,-
oc~J more than Germany. S:i25 COO. 900
less than India and ?5,GOO,GU less than
China. The Republican party has de-
ciared in favor of international agreement.
ana II elected president il will he my duty
10 employ all proper means TO promote il
1He Tree coinage OF silver in this country
would defer, II not defeat. International
DIlhetallisln and until an international
agreement can be had every Interest re-
qhifes iS 10 maintain our presen, stand
ART Independent free coinage of silver Il.
ratio III sixteen ounces of silver TO one
ounce OF gold would insure the speedy con-
traction Of the volume OF our currency. 1t
would drive at icas; 80 UyO 90 of gold dol.
lars, which we now have perma Eently
from the trade of the country and grea .!y
decrease our per capita circulation. 1t il
not proposed by the Republican party to
take from the circulating medium of the
country any of the silver we now have. On
the contrary, ii is proposed TO keep all of
the silver money now III circulation on Il
Inrlfy with gold by maintaining the
pledge of the government that all of il
snail be equal 20 gold. This has been til,
unbroken policy of the Republican party
since 1873. Ii has inauguratcd no new
policy. 1t will keep in circulation and az
good aS gold all silver aud paper money
which are now included in the currency of
the country. 1t will maintain their parity.
II Will preserve their eGullify i'm the future
rs II has always done in TIL. past. II will
not consent 10 put this country on silver
basis which would inevitably follow indie.
pendent free coinage at Il ratio of ii 20 /.
II Will oppose the expulsion OF gold from
our circulation.
If there is any one thing which should
he free from speculation and fiuctuafion
II is the money of "a country. 1t ought
never 10 he the subject of mere partisan
contention. When We part with our labor
our PRODUCTS. or our property We should
receive in return money which is as stable
and unchanginS in value as the Ingenuity
, of honest men can make il. Debasement
OF the currency me us destruction OF val
ues. No one suffers much from cheap
money as the farmers and labo crs. They
are the first TO feel its bad effects and the
last To recover from them. This has been
the Uniform experience of all countries
anu here, as elsewhere, the poor and not
the rich are the greater sufferers from
query attempt TO debasc our money. 1t
would !all with alarming severity upon
investments already made; upon insur.
ance companies and their policy holders:
upon savings banks and their dcpositors:
upon building and loan associations and
their members: upon the savings of thrift;
upon pensioners and their families, and
upon wage carriers and the purchasing
power of their wages.
The silver question is not the only issue
affecting our money in the pcnaing con-
test. Not content with urging the free
coinage Of silver. its strongest champions
demand that our paper money shlli bc -
sued directly by the government Of the
United states. This is the Chicago Dc,a.
ocratic declaration. The st. Louis Poo
pies declaration is that "our national
money shall he issued by the general gov
ernmcnt only, without the intervention of
banks of issue, be full legal tender for the
payment of all debts. public and private"
and be distributed direct 10 the people.
and through lawful disbursements of the
government Thus, in addition to the
free coinage of the worlds silver we are
asked to en-. or upon an era of unlimited
ire lc paper currency. The cues
ton which was fought cut from Isis TO
1879 is thus To be rCopcncd with all its
cheap money experiments of every con-
ceivablc form foisted upon Us. This indl-
Gates most startling rcactionary policy,
strangely at variance with every REQUIRE
ment of sound finance; but the dcclar.,-