The record-union., 1896-04-26
Governor Altseld Answers the Address Of
Secretary Of the Treasury Carlisle.
Replies to the Latter's Remarks on
the Money Question.
Claims That When the Volume of
Money in the World is Reduced
the Selling Price of All Property
cordingly.
cordingly.

COTuINyly.
SPRINGFIELD OlL), April 25.-Sec-
retary Carlisle has been answered by
Governor Altgeld.
In a pointed open letter made public
to-day the Governor replies to the ad-
dress on the money question which the
Secretary recently delivered in the Au-
ditorium in Chicago. Governor Alt
geld's letter is as follows
"a teacher should be willing to an
swer questions. AT the close of Mr.. Car
isles speech a number of gentlemen
arose and asked for further information
but he turned his back and slipped off
the stage, and, by direction of his man
ayers, the questioners were hustled out
by policemen. He could have made
himself very interesting on a number
of points which he persistently ignored.
In 1873. when discussing the money
question in Congress, he expressed his
convictions in the following language:
I shall not enter into an examina-
ton of the causes which have combined
to depreciate the relative value Of silver
and to appreciate the value of gold
since 1873, but 1 am one of those who
believe that they are transient and
temporary in their nature, and that
when they have passed away or have
been removed by the separate or united
actions of the nations most deeply inter
ested in the subject the old ratio of
actual and relative value will be re-
established on firmer foundation than
ever. l know that the worlds stock of
precious metals is none too large, and 1
see no reason to apprehend that it will
ever become SO. Mankind will be fortu-
nate indeed if the annual production of
gold and silver shall keep pace with the
annual increase of population, COM
merce and industry. According to my
view of this subject, the conspiracy
which seems to have been formed here
and in Europe to destroy by legislat ton
and otherwise from three-sevenths to
one-half the metallic mines of the world
is the most gigantic scheme of this or
any other age. The consummatiOn of
such a scheme would ultimately entail
more misery upon the human race than
all the wars, pestilences and famines that
ever occurred in the history of the
world. The absolute and instantaneous
destruction of half the movable prop
ships, railroads and all other appliances
Tor carrying on commerce, while it would
be felt more sensibly at the moment.
would not produce anything like the
prolonged distress and disorganization
OF society that must inevitably result
from the permanent annihilation of one
half OF the metallic money of the world.
JOHN G. CARLISLE.
February q, 1873
1T will be seen that this language is
clear and emphatic, and has none of tie
sophistry and pettifogging about it that
are found in his Chicago speech. His
awful predictions made in 1878 came to
pass. He not only saw his own phophecy
fulhlled, but he saw the misery of his
country become even greater than he
rad predicted. Finding that his views
mad been correct he continued to hold
them until he entered Mr. Cleveland's s
Cabinet, when in some mysterious man.
her there was change of heart, but
for some reason he seems unwilling to
talk about it. There are two other
members of the Cabinet Hoke Smith of
Georgia and Herbert of Alabama, who,
like Carlisle, had made their voices
heard for nearly lifetime in demand
ing the restoration of silver and in de-
nouncing the great conspiracy that
struck it down; and, strange to say.
when these two men entered Mr. Cleve-
lands Cabinet they underwent a change
of heart, and, like Mr. Carlisle, they
avoid talking about it. When Saul of
Tarsus saw great light and changed
his views he was anxious to tell all the
world about it; but these three states
men seem to be ashamed to discuss the
manner of their conversion Why did
not Carlisle throw little light on this
question?
"Second-All of these men now de-
nounce those people who are opposed to
drels and lunatics. Yet they are only
following the doctrines which Carlisle
& Co. preached. Are we then to infe
that Mr. Carlisle and his two Cabinet
associates were scoundreIs and Iunatics
until they got to be old men, and thai
the tinsel of Cabinet position not only
made them honest but gave them
brains? If not, then how are we to
Know which end of their career was
honest, intelligent and patriotic? For
in the absence of any legislation some of
us might think that they were honest
and patriotic when, in the vigor of their
manhood, they were standing by a
wronged people, and that it is the latter
end of their career that is destitute of
honesty, intelligence or patriotism. Mr..
Carlisle should have told u.s.
"Third-Mr. Carlisle should have ex-
planned why it was that for 200 years
gold and silver held the market ratio of
about 151a to l; the ratio fixed by laws
10 to l in some countries, 15b to 1 in
most countries and for while Is to 1
in our own country. In other words, the
market ratio, as shown by the tables,
remained practically the same as the
statutory ratio during all that time
II the two metals cannot stand to-
gether how does it happen that they did
so without serious fiuctuation for 200
years. Notwithstanding the fact that the
annual production of each metal varied
from time to time.
'Fourth-If only one of the metals
can be a standard and a measure of
the value of things, and If combined
standard of both gold and silver is
as impossible as it is to have two yard
sticks of different lengths, why was it
that some of the greatest financiers of
the world. and particularly Baron
Rothschild, stated in 1860 that it was