Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-10-15
THE N QUESTION.

Recently a plain farmer with a
bushel of brains in his head said to
me-: "Clark, the trouble with all you
stump speakers is that you assume
that your audience is thoroughly
familiar with all coinage laws and his
toric facts affecting the money ques-
ton. That is a vital mistake. The
right way to make a speech is to take
it for granted that somebody in the
audience knows absolutely nothing
about it. Address your speech to
him as an educational measure and
then you will do some good"
am going to take his advice to-
day. 1t will not hurt those who al
ready know the facts to hear them re-
stated.
The financial question is supreme in
this campaign. The people are not
thinking of anything else. They
can't be made to think of anything
else. Wherever two or three Amer
lean citizens are gathered together,
money ia the theme.
When I was a child back in the hill
country Of Kentucky, I heard an old
rough and ready country doctor say
that the most sensitive nerve in the
human body was the nerve leading to
the pocketbook. Experience and OBJ
servatIon teach me that he was cor
rect. Like the poor, we always have
the money question with us. 1t in
terests everybody, but most of all, it
should interest the poor, for under
any law and any set of circumstances
the rich can take care Of themselves
to a larger extent than any other
body of citizens in the Republic.
Let us, then, get right down to the
basic facts of the financial question.
What is money? 1t is the ~circulat-
ing medium of the business world. 1t
bears the same relation to commerce
and trade that the blood does to the
body, giving it life and health and
strength.
The real question in this campaign
Is whether this world shall have
money enough or only half enough
with which to transact it's business.
The issue is clearly drawn. Both
parties have made unequivocal, plain,
square declarations.
The St. Louis platform declares for
the single gold standard, which means
that nothing but gold shall be money,
that Ia, legal tender money; for moth
ing is money that has to be redeemed
and nothing is money in the true and
honest sense that Is not legal tender
for all debts, public and private. In
any national discussion of the pend
ing issue these facts should not be
lost sight OF for one moment. The
gold standard men propose to put the
world on half money rations. This is
the first time In the history of the
world that any great party ever COM
mitted itself to such q doctrine. We
propose, In language that cannot be
mistaken, that there shall be money
enough. To this end we say that IL
we prevail there shall be free, un-
limited, independent coinage of gold
and oliver ct the old historic, natural
ratio Of 10 to /.
What do we mean by free coinage7
It means that the United States shall
coin gold and silver without charge
for raintage, the Government receiv-
ing the s~eigniorage. The gold stand
ard men hold up their hands In holy
horror at the idea Of not charging for
coming silver, but they think IL all
RIGHT that there should be free COIN
ere Of golds for be it remembered
that Ne now have free coinage Of
gold. They think they have settled
he question when they ask aWhy
not hsve ffee coinage OF goId9r Their