The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-15
They Arc Not BimetaIIists.

The siIverltes are not bimetallists. They
know they axe not. They cali themselves
bimetaIIists ia order to rnisiead the IN
wary They know they are silver mono
metalhsts. All their arguments show they
are. They tell the people that # we have
free silver coinage at the ratio Of sixteen
10 one. we shall have high prices. The
higher prices which they promise would
not come from an increased demand for
labor and products. but from a debased
currency, just as they came during the
war period. They propose to reduce the
purchasing power of a silver dollar about
one-half. II We should call dime a dol
lar and make 1t legal tender for that
amount. prices OF certain things-prices
expressed i'm the new legal tender-wOuld
rise. The wage Garner would suffer Of
course, because he would not be able to
get his wages increased.
Bimetallism is a comparatively new
word. It was coined by the silverites to
help them mislead the people. But there
is a wide difference between the bimetal-
lism they talk about and the bimetallism
they propose forcing on the country.
From what they profess one would sup
pose it TO be their purpose to establish
monetary system in which gold and silver
coins would circulate on a parity. If that
were their purpose they would suggest
that gold and silver should be coined at
their commercial ratio-the ratio adopted
by jefferson and Hamilton when they es-
tablished coinage in this country. That
ratio is now about 81 to THAT is. 81 pounds
of silver to one Of gold. But do they pro-
pose that ratio? They do not. They
insist that there shall be free
coinage at the ratio of 16 to /
that only about fifty cents worth of silver
shall be put into silver dollar They
don't answer when asked. Why not in
stittue free coinage at Is or IA to /?
What would be the effect of free coinage
at 16 to /? Can any sensible and well
informed man doubt? The effect would
be to produce silver recommendation. Gold
would disappear from circulation, and we
should have only silver-a debased silver
currency that would huctuate as the price
of silver huctuated. That being the case,
and we are sure that no silverite will deny
that we have made a fair statement of
the case. are we not right in asserting
that those who call themselves bimetal-
lists are not bimetallists?
We have practical bimetallism in this
country now. We have all the silver that
can be absorbed in the currency and we
keep it on a par with gold In fact the
main part Of the currency in actual cir
culation is silver or notes representing
silver. Is 1T not about time the silverites
threw off the mask of dishonesty and APP
peared before the country in their true
colors?
The other day Mr.. Tom Watson, the
populist leader in this state and the pop
ulist party, it must not be forgotten, is
the only party that has declared for free
silver coinage at THE ratio of 16 to lin
an article in his paper sneered at Mr.
Crisp's argument in behalf of bimetalhsm.
He said: ITO assert that any nation can
give to silver a coinage value different
from its commercial value is absurd" and
yet the silvertes, masquerading as BIZ
metallists, pretend that that is what this
government can do.