The record-union., 1896-08-02
]. STERLING MORTON
DELIVERS AN ADDRESS ON THE
FINANCIAL QUESTION.
This Government Can No More Fix
the Price of Silver Than a State
Can the Price of Corn.

NEBRASKA CITY CNeb), Aug. l.
Secretary J. Sterling Morton delivered
a political speech tonight The ad-
dress was confined entirely to the finan-
cial question, and contained no refer
ence to Mr.. Morton's alleged candidacy
for the Presidential nomination on
second Democratic ticket.
Secretary Morton was greeted by
large and representative audience.
There We're a large number of ladies in
the assenlblage. The meeting was en-
tirely non partisan affair, prominent
Democrats, Republicans and Prohibi-
tiCnists being upon the stage Secre-
tary Morton was presented to the audi
ence by Hon. John Maths, Jr.
Mr.. Morton was grateful to the citi-
zens fer the confidence expressed in ex-
tending the invitation to speak on the
financial question. He entered into
discussion of the history and functions
of money. He declared that there was
no criminal characterization of silver in
1873, but that it was done after full dis
cussion. The issue of deprecated silver
money caused the boarding and taking
by foreigners of the better gold money
This was the cause of the panic of 1898
The creation of the gold reserve of
Sl00 100000 declared the purpose of the
Government to maintain a gold stan
dard
If there was any conspiracy in 1873
against silver there was crime against
| the fatboat by the steamboat, and
crime against the steamboat by the
railroad, and against the horse by the
trolley-car and bicycle People con-
found the desire and the demand for
that money. There is no demand for
money unless you have something to
give in exchange. All desire money.
The silver dollar is not mentioned in
the Act of 1873, but was demonetized in
1888. and the law did no harm nor him
der the circulation of silver dollars
among the people. There are plenty of
. them. Enough to put eighty-five in the
hands of every man, woman and child
in the land.
There is no demand for silver Ninety
seven per cent. of the wholesale bust
ness and fifty per cent of the retail
business of the country is done without
the use of any coin. The mortgage in
debtedness of Nebraska is not nearly
as large per capita as that Of New
York. If this audience was given all
the money in the universe, on condition
| tildl iHts flold II anu not use 1t, lHSy
would be as poor as could be.
If the silver men carry their point. ali
who purchase of us will pay US in silver
and all who sell to us will demand gold,
and we Will have to pay the premium.
\ silver country is between the upper
ard neither millstones The value of all
commodities Is regulated by the law of
supply and demand, and this is why
silver is now cheap.
The United States can no more fix the
value OF silver than Nebraska can fix
| the price of corn. If the price of silver
can be made permanent so can the
price of all commodities be fixed by in
lternational agreement. Value cannot
be created by statute. A dollar cannot
be made from fifty cents worth of sill
yer. for a dollar IS not built that way
| The farmers never knew how badly off
| they were until told by the walking dell
| egates, whose oratory consists of six
teen parts wind to one part fact.