New-York tribune., 1896-10-18
GETTING HOT AND TANGLED.

At one Of Mr.. BryanS stopping places In Michi-
gan. on Friday, he used as text for his remarks
a clipping from a local newspaper In which
citizen of the town was reported as saying that
he had for over ten years loaned money TO the
amount of $4,000 TO farmers. on mortgages. the
interest on which was in many cases in arrears.
he having granted extensions on account of the
hard times But he said that. in case Of Bryans
election and the triumph Of free silver, he should
require immediate payment. Well why shouldn't
he? He had loaned $4,000 in good money worth
hundred cents To the dollar. Why shouldn't he
get it back in the same coin? Why should he
wait until the initiation Of the Bryan policy made
1t possible for his debtors to pay him, principal
and interest, in il debased currency worth only
half the amount he had loaned? lie was taking
Mr.. Bryan at his own word. Was not that
perambuatng statesman telling al the farmers
who money on mortgages that under the
free coinage Of silver money would be so plenty
that the burden of their Indebtedness would be
lessened by half? What intelligent business man
would sit still and wait for q consummat,on Ike
that? Who would not say, Give Inc back my
good money. and give IL to me quick?
But the Boy Orator, commenting on this clip
ping said: "My friends, l want to denounce the
"money-lcnder who attempts to use his mort
cages to intmdate American citizens, and say
THAT that man does not deserve to live in land
"Of liberty where men are free and have right
ito liberty" That IL to say, the man who has
loaned good money and wants to be paid In the
same coin does not deserve 10 live In n land OF
liberty if he calls in his loans before Mr.. Bryan
is intrusted with the power TO cut the debt in
two to his pecunary loss and the advantage OF
the debtor. Mr. Bryan denounces all such men
AMI Is quite hot about Il. "Are not men free
herc.' he shouts; and "Do they not have right
10 liberty" Free? Yes. But not free TO bor-
row a hundred cents and discharge the debt with
fifty. right 10 liberty? Yes. All have that;
bur not a right TO the liberty of cheating their
creditors
Having denounced the heartless moncy-lender,
he proceeded to say that the clipping which was
the text for his denuncation had been sent 10
him by man who had always been Rcpub-
lican, but who owed a NOR gage Of $1,000 on Il
farm which had been worth $1,000, and expected
to lose it if the gold standard was continued He
was consequently going 10 vote for Bryan and
free silver in The expectation that he would he
able 10 discharge the $1,000 mortgage with 5000
in silver. This would be a great advantage 10
him. Nobody would suffer loss except the cred
itor. And really. when YOU come TO that, what
business had he to have 81 600 anyway: He is
a capitalist. and necessarily an oppressor Of the
masses, and it only serves him right 10 take
away half his "ill-gotten gains and give them
to the oppressed borrower It's as simple as
lying and as easy as rolling off log. Only. after
all, it is not so plain how the farmer is TO get
his 500 with which to discharge his 81 900 mort
gage. For Mr.. Bryan says that free coinage
will put the price Of silver up TO 81 % an ounce.
at which price the silver dollar will be hard
to get as the gold dollar or It's equivalent under
the gold standard The 'honest farmer would
do well TO consider this aspect Of the subject be-
fore voting for Bryan and free coinage. II would
be a sad case if the honest farmer after yield.
ing TO the temptation which Mr. Bryan holds out
TO him to cheat his creditor. should find, after
all. that he had sacrificed his integrity and his
eelf-respect and gained nothing by IT,
The Boy Orator Is talking too much for his
own good. He is getting angry and denunci-
atOry. and. worse than ALL is tangng himself up
in the most absurd and silly self-conradlctlOns.