Semi=weekly graphic., 1896-05-16
SOME CONTRADICTIONS.

cuS5IOh OF tue nnauclat question
usually content themselves with
epithets instead of arguments. They
are pleased to refer to the opponents
of deprecated and debased cur
reney US fools, old-bugs, 4hire-
lings of Wall street, money lend
ers, thieves, and such like be-
loved terms of endearment calcu-
lated to promote harmony and
brotherly love within the Demo
cratic party. A discharge of the
above epithets is usually considered
a sound and unanswerable presenta-
tion of their side Of the case.
But occasionally they enter upon
an argument, and with q view OF
throwing some light upon their
many contradictory statements, we
clip the following collation. and pre-
sentation of their Inconsistencies
aud incongruities in the discussion
of the silver question from the
Gomieq-Joaraai.
zone truth which the free silver
men tell is that there has been fall
of prices since 1873. This is only
half a truth, however, since they
suppress the fact that the fall be-
gan before the date named. We all
admit the fall of prices, but we diff
fer as to the reason. Silver men
propose to correct the fall of prices
and put them back to where they
were before 1873 by opening the
mints to the free coinage of silver.
They say this will correct the pres
ent evil by getting rid of the gold
standard, which We now.have. That
is, the purchasing power of money
will be reduced one-half or to the
silver standard. But they also say
that the increased use of silver, the
unlimited demand" will raise sill
yer TO a parity with gold at Is to |
that is, will make sixteen ounces
of uncoined silver sell for as much
as one ounce of gold in the market.
Now, how free coinage can raise sill
yer to the gold standard, and at the
same time double the price of COM
modities, no mortal man can posi-
bly, tell us; at least, none has ever
done so.
"But just here another complica-
ton arises. While some of the sill
verites are bowling that all the de-
preston in business is due to the
gold standard, others, with voices
just as loud, are crying out that the
pestiferous and INSCRIPTIONS gold
bugs are trying to inflict that
standard on the country, and will
do so speedily unless prevented, and
that in order to prevent such con-
summation the sill forces must
stand ready to resort to arms and
inaugurate a rebellion. If the god
standard has never been adopted,
why is it that everything is net
lovely
Another demand of the silver
men is that gold and silver shall be
treated precisely alike at the mints.
Yet they asked that the truth shall
be stamped on gold and lie on sill
Yer. Call you that backing your
The mass of gold on which
IS dollars is stamped is worth five
dollars before it is stamped. The
mass of silver on which 'one dollar
is stamped is worth in the market,
at different times, anywhere from
46 to 81 cents-in round numbers,
80 cents. Yet they do not see that
this capital difference renders it inn
possible to treat both metals alike
unless the silver dollar contains a
dollars worth of silver just as gold
lollar contains a dollars worth of
gold.
Another idea which the silver
men advance is that prices are re-
yulated by the amount of redemp-
ion money in existence in the
But in 1873 there was no
money in the country
It all, or next to none. At that
ime the country was 'agin re-
like Bob Toombs' Geor-
,ia friend. If our friends were cor
ect in their theory, commodities in
873 would have been worth aothing, |
II next to nothing. If the mere
,resence OF a trifle of gold and silver
DIN in the country, though not
sed for redemption purposes,
1ould have done any good, then
would have had a
ormal value; otherwise they would
ave been worth nothing at ALL
MONOPOLY OF BOLTING.
Memphis scimitsr,
A dispatch from Little Rock to the