Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-29
BRYAN ON DISHONEST DOLLARS.

BRYAN ON DISHONEST DOLLARS.
Mr.. Bryan has 50 often contended, in this
campaign, when addressing the farmers.
that the demonetization of silver was the
cause of the low prices of their products
that he cannot well squirm out Of that po-
sition. OF course the recent wonderful
rise in the price of wheat and the continued
decline of silver is extremely embarrassing
to him. but he has burned his bridges
and he must stay with the "crime of 1873.
But he was not always of the opinion that
the crime" was what reduced prices He
put his own record in print in July, 1894. In a
little volume published in Washington at
that time he included all his set speeches
delivered in congress up to that date. In a
speech made in congress March 16, 1892. he
said-and over what he then said when he
compiled this little volume before referred
to. he placed the subhead What Reduced
Prices":-"But you must attribute it rath-
er to the inventive genius that has multi
Piled thousand times. in many instances,
the strength of a single arm, and enabled
Us to do to-day with one man what fifty
men could not do fifty years ago. That is
what has brought the price down in this
country and everywhere" No suggestion
there that the crime" had anything to do
with the case. The farmers know that the
planters. the cultivators and the reapers
which inventive genius has given to them
have multiplied many fold the products of
the soil, and inevitably reduced the prices
of their products. So much for his posi-
ton on this subject, before and after TAX
ing presidential nomination.
On the 10th of April, 1894, he delivered
another speech in the house. in which there
are several statements with which his pres
ent utterances are glaringly inconsistent.
For instance he said: "If 1 borrow a
thousand dollars to-day and next year pay
that debt with a thousand dollars which
will secure exactly much of all things
desirable as the one thousand which bor-
rowed. I have paid in honest dollars. If
the money has increased or decreased in
purchasing power, have satisfied my
debt with dishonest dollars.'' To borrow
one thousand dollars of the gold standard
purchasing power three or four years ago
and to pay that debt next year with dol
lars which had shrunken to 50 cents in
purchasing power under free coinage would
be then to discharge that debt with dis
honest dollars. Such the advocates of hon.
est money believe would be the result. Mr..
Bryan now contends with dogmatic pos
itiveness that free coinage of silver at the
ratio Of 16 to 1 would run the silver dollar
up to parity with gold. He expressed
the same BELIEF in that speech. but not so
In focf ha nj
legged belief in these words:
Who doubts that the free coinage of
silver by the United States would increase
its bullion price? The only question is
how much. 1t is only guess. for no man
can state with mathematical precision
what the rise would be. 1t is be-
cause no one can speak with certainty
that 1 insist that no change in the ratio
can be intelligently made until both met
ais are offered equal privileges at the mint.
When we have the free and unlimited
coinage Of gold and silver at the present
ratio, then. and then only, can We tell
whether any of the apparent decline in the
bullior price of silver is due to circum-
stances over which we have no control
and, If SO, how much.''
Inen II was only guess. NO man could
tell with mathematical precision what the
rise would be. Now there is no guess about
1t. Bryan tells you with mathematical pre-
cision that free coinage will carry the bull
lion value up to $1.29 an ounce. Then he
would have free coinage ascertain the ra-
ito between the two metals, and if this ex-
pertinent should demonstrate the necessity
for a change Of ratio 1t can easily be made
to be fixed at 16 to l as unalterably as
the laws of the Medes and Persians.
He also said in that same speech:
Among those in favor of bimetallism, and
in favor of independent action on the part
of the United States, there is, however, an
honest difference Of opinion as to the par
ticular ratio at which the unlimited coin
age of gold and silver should be under
taken. The principle of bimetalism does
not stand on any certain ratio, and may ex-
ist at 80 to 1 as well as to 1S." That re-
markable admission would now be consid-
cred rank heresy to the sacred cause of
Popocracy. These few references to Mr..
Bryans own record are not all, by any
abounds; but they are sufficient to show
the good people what manner of man it
Is that comes among them casting asper-
sions upon other mems records. There
never was more pronounced case of the
pot calling the kettle black.