Birmingham state herald., 1896-03-27
Mir. Clarke Answered.
To the State Herald:

Mir. Clarke Answered. Eufaula, March "A. | To the State Herald
 l propose to notice a few vulnerable points in Col. Richard H. Clarke.s speech delivered in Eufaula Monday night, 23rd instant MT. Clarke said: T invite any gentleman to name country in the world which gives free coinage to gold | and does not give free coinage to silver, | which has not in circulation a large | quantity of silver along with it's gold" Admitted, and the fact is proven that it requires both metals to furnish sufficient medium for healthy circulation. This | being admitted calls for free and unlim- | tied coinage because if coinage is linn | tied the bullion value Is fixed by the linn | itatton. There can be no half way | grounds. IL must be unlimited and | money of final payment. If not good sense would suggest that paper is cheap | CT and better to carry the stamp of token money.
 | ''On the other hand" MT. Clarke said, | rlet any gentleman name to me one country in the world that gives free coin age to silver which has any gold In cir | eulation To this 1 reply Mexico (the stock illustration of the goldbugs). Pop ulatlon, l2lO0,O00; gold, $5,000,U00. Gen. ltral American states: Population, 3,300,- 000; gold, $500, ,000. South American states: Population, 36,000,000 gold, $4O-
 600 900. Japan: Population, fl 100, 900;
 gold, $S0,000,000. For these figures see Secretary Hoke Smiths speech August 6, 1S95.)
 These are four countries, which have always been on silver basis. and each has gold in circulation. Further on he begs the question by saying: There are dozen countries which give free
 coinage to silver, and yet in no one of
 them is gold anything other than com
 modity." Here 1t, ye goldbugs! Gold | commodity? Why, certainly, that is iHelf-evident to student. Have not we silverloons always said if you demonetze gold 1t also becomes a commodity? Let il be demonetized to the same extent as silver, and it will not be so valuable. Let us reduce MT. Clarkes proposition to a syloglsm in form:
 Gold is a commodity.
 Sound money is gold; therefore sound money is a commodity.
 Conversely A commodity is sound money. Silver is a commodity; therefore silver is sound money
 ] Experience has shown this fact, which is the main proposition insisted upon by those who advocate restora ton of silver to its constitutional rights: There is not a sufficient quantity of either gold or sil- yer in the world to support, alone, the vast commerce of the world. The bare fact that every country in the world which
 
 single standard, to the exclusion of the other by reason of small circulation, holds its people in poverty is proof pos itive of the proposition, whether that single metal be gold or silver. The more enlightened and richer nations are com pelled to float large quantities of silver with their gold, or their laboring popula- ton will sink to state of peonage.
 MT. Clarke made an argument to labor, held up Japan and warned operatives in factories here that their wages would be reduced to Japanese level if they voted for Johnston Let us cut this up. Japan is country just now emerging from the curse of organism. Its government is absolute, political, social and spiritual, its soc.al features fixed by law. There are eight distinct social classes, the lowest of these Is the laborer. A mans social condition is fixed by his birth; above that he never rises This eighth laboring class is rather below a Mexi- can peon or greaser; their wages are nominally nothing; they are the prop erty of their feudal lord, similar to the state of England in the twelfth cen pares and associates the free born white. intelligent laborers of Alabama factories, and while insulting their dignity appeals to their passions in order to gain votes. Was such an argument "ad hominem" ever constructed surpassing this one?
 Why is labor so low in silver Mexico, Central America, Japan and China and all the low estates with which the gold bugs are happy in drawing attention? Because Mexico has per capita circula- tion of $471. Central America $3.7S, Japan 4.O9 and China $2,08. I put the question to every thoughtful man: Is it possible that prosperity should abide with q peo- ple who are compelled to live and make their subsistence under such monetary system? And yet these goldbugs invite your votes to saddle upon you single gold standard, and ultimately reduce our circulation to about $9 per capita Why is labo so low in gold standard Rouma- mia. Servia Turkey and Bulgaria? Be- cause per capita circulation in Roumania is $6.34 Servia $S95, Turkey $2.29, Bull garia $l76.
 : Same tale Silver or gold. Contract cir culation and down goes wages, lands. pride of character, law, religion, every thing For money Is a creation of so- ciety and civilization. and is valuable alone by the use which can be made of 1t. Silver and gold, as a common measure. has been used from the morning of time, their value fixed by legislative acts, and history shows prosperity in the wake of their union and degredation and suffer- ing for the iaboring classes follows their divorce.
 tablished MT. Hamilton, the secretary of the treasury recommended the double standard and said: ITO annrff the use of either of the met als as money Is to abridge the quantity of circulating medium, and is liable to all the objections which arise from a com parison of the benefits of a full, with the evils of scanty circulation" And Jeff ferson, after reading the same, wrote to Hamilton, saying: T return your re- port on the mint I concur with you that the unit must stand on both metals"
 In 1884 General Jackson was president, Ywaging war on banks and paper money. Congress. under the lead of Senator Tom Benton, was discussing a proposition to .rearrange the ration between the two metals At that time our coinage was 15 .fn i Tn 1203 Francp had ynaAe the ratio