Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1896-07-21
THE ADVOCATES OF INTERNA-
TIONAL BIMETALLISM.

the discussion all such questions, as tt
whether lhis legislature or that, this
state administration, this man or
that man, IL the better, but whether
gold monometallism or independent
bImetallism are the better finance
system for our country. i assume
men of intelligence will lay aside
bailiwick politics and personalities
and discuss principles. The advocates
Of gold InOnometallism 40 early and
persistently appropriated the term
"sound money" that they have
coupled their cause 60 good name
and constantly get the benefit Of IL,
while they continually urge their OBJ
jections TO blmetallism on the grounds
Of dishonesty and injustice. They
admit the quest ionable perfection OF
"the present gold standard" by pro-
Tossing anxiety to displace II with In
ternational bmetalllsm AS soon as
they can reach Engagement With the
'1eading commercial nations"
do not Inlpugn the motives OF
gold standard ADVOCATES who profess
TO favor ultimate free coinage OF sill
YER through international agreement.
But | do deny tnat claim Of G. u.
More, II. II. Geer, the Oregonia n
and Salem Statesman tnat They are
the only true bimctallsts, aud hat
the ,adyocates Of independent free
coinage 10 10 are silver mOnomet-
alllsts. ! deny the correctness Of
Senator McBrldes position, which l
understood TO be maintalnance OF the
present gold standard until we can
compel an international agreement,
by levylng discriminating duties
against gold standard countries. II
the gold standard operates as dis
crimination against our commerce we
do not want u. III silver mODomet-
allism, or going TO silver basis,
operates as "A protective tariff equal
TO 100 percent In favor of Japan and
Mexico, is II not preferable To gold
monometalllsm that operates against
US?
| imagine my friends Geer and
Moore will exclalm: "What? DO
you want 70 plunge our laborng men
down 90 the low level OF peon wages
at ten cents day? Is that the effect
Of your proposed silver standard9 |
will say, no; we do not want the low
wages OF those countries. But haye
we not under the gold standard been
constantly approaching the low wage
level European gold standard
countries? And we can prove that
wages, while low, have been advanc-
ing In the silver standard countries
referred 10.
The b:st evidence that n silver
standard operates as protective tariff,
Is the fact that under IL Mexico Is
building railroads and factories, is
producing all Of the common articles
of trade formerly purchased abroad,
aud is with her own energies oustlng
all the manufactures OF countries
working ON a gold standard.
The mere fact OF Mexico being a
silver producing and a silver currency
country, Is said TO equal cent per
cent protective tariff, says the London
Bimetalllst, lJune 1896. The same Is
true OF Japan, Russia, and other sill
yer standard countries. While the
blmetallists OF our country do not
advocate silver monometallism, and
do not want the wage system of the
silver standard countries, yet they
can point TO facts like above, aud COM
pare them with the falling prices, low
wages sand distress OF agriculture In
the old-world gold standard countries,
and they have nothing 10 fear by the |
want TO return Ia the claim OF the
gold standard gentlemen that they |
IRE the only bimetallist aud that the |
,nly blmetalllsm possible is uuder
the spresent gold standard" or by !
agreement. They will
rot deny the general fall OF prices,
which has been so conspicuous the