The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-05-16

An unlimited demand for gold for use as
money was left in operation. The unIim-
tied coinage OF silver was stopped. One Of
the main arteries feeding blood to civiiiza-
ton was cut on. The debtor was to have
no option TO pay in money made from
either Of these two metals. he was to be
limited 10 gold alone.
One of the fundamental principles Of a
popular government was violated in max
ing this change The consent of the peo-
pie was not obtaiaed-the consent Of the
g0vernsd-thst principle pronounced in
the Declaration Of Independence. 1t was
mot discussed in any campaign, and it was
not known 10 bhe people for over two
years afterward. Tbs editors and news
paper reporters did not know it, 1t was
done surreptitiously. have not 6ime TO
dwell upon this dark page Of cur history
and cover what else I want TO in this
speech. viii dispose OF is this way: Sill
yer was denonetiEad Feb. 10, 1873
now offer a reward of 8109 to any man or
woman who viii find q word about it in
any newspaper published in the month Of
February, 1873. You viii fad the news
papers ef that year in year public libraries.
All yeu VIII ind IS a staple news telegram
Of I've limos that the azasRdsd mint bill
had passed. The mint and coinage bill
that has been on our statute books since
1893 AID amended frequently is more than
4 3 pages long, EN- brR0inR everything from
the cent places to the Banning Of the vaFi-
Gus officers of the mint and fixing Of their
salaries. it has frequently been amended
In many respects, as to duties and salaries
Of officials, alloy IN the metals CT the size
and form of cur copper and nickel token
pieces. A telegram announcing the
amendment Of the mint bill conveyed no
Information 90 the people that indicated
that the mlnts had been closed to silver,
its legal tender character taken from it, or
aa7
that silver had been demonetized; hence
the people were in ignorance of what had
been done by that congress, famous in his
tory rs the salary grab congress.
Let no man claim that the act was hon
estly and openly PASSED till he can claim
the reward I offer. If the typesetters, re-
porters and editors of the papers did not
know 1t, the voters did not know it, Thst
which has agitatsd the world for 20 years
was put on our statute books secretly and
surreptitiously. Both political parties
have declared ever since its discovery for
silver's restoration, and those whom the
people have elected have been manipulated
by the same power that caused the original
crime
The Decline of Values.
With all the principles of bimetalIism
destroyed, with silver thereafter used as
token, or credit, money, like our paper
money, all resting on gold, silver began so
decline in value as measured in gold, the
only primary money, and in % years it
has declined so per cent, or rather gold,
under the demand for it, has appreciated.
For 200 years prior to 1873 under bimet-
allism, they had . Q parted more than 3
per cent; in p yes under mOnometal-
lism, the metal in the two dollars had sep
arated 80 per cent.
All property not supported by trusts
or by increased demand, fell with silver
r7rr A n
ezobangeable value with each other, or
with silver they had not declined. They
have only declined as measured in dollars,
and these dollars mean gold dollars OF their
equivalent. Whas is meant by equivalent
is our other forms OF money-copper,
nickel, silver and paper-whioh, by the
new law, are all redeemable in gold
When a thing is redeemable in another
thing, the former is made as good as the
latter, so long as it can be had to redeem
with.
What is meant by this is that gold is
now our primary money, and all other
forms Of money are credits money. Credit
money is representative money, represent i
ing primary money. Our credit money is
tied to gold like the tail Of a kite is tied to
a kite. The tail has gone up following the
kite. Gold has gone up and is cur only
primary money, whereas before gold and
silver both were primary money, neither
ia the otner. Other forms of
money were credit money. BY the change
of the law silver was added to the credit
money and the quantity Of primary money
was cut in two
The simple law of bimetallism has been
overthrown, abd "a selfish and powerful
interest has sought since TO main
tain the gold standard. AS was to be ex-
peoted, it mas resulted in a great strain on
gold, the only basis of our monetary sys-
49, q .s q
its value rose as compared with other prop
erty. While nOmiuaIly fixed by being
called a dollar the gold ia a dollar was
rising in value. This is one of the things
it has been the hardest for the people to
understand AS the demand is piled on
gold the gold in the bullion rises ia value Z
as compared with other property, and tho /
gold dollar rises with it, and likewise all (
forms of money that are redeemable in {
gold. If wheat grows scarce, or the de- /
maud foF it increases, it rises in value If
gold Crews scarce, or the demand for it
it rises in value. But If the de-
mand for gold should increase till it, rela- I
lively with other property, was ten times
as valuable as it is now the quantity of it I
in a dollar would still be worth 81 as ex- I
pressed in itself
1t does not rise as compared with itself, /
but rises as compared with other property. /
what the Result Has Been.
With falling prices the people have been /
impoverished Taxes have not been re- 4
5uced. The farmer must now give up /
twice as much Of what he produces to pay /
bis taxes as he gave up IN 1873. Official I
salaries have not been reduced. Some have I
been increased It now takes 100, 600 bush +
els Of wheat TO pay she presidents salary T
Of $50, coo where ~, 600 bushels would Z
have paid his salary Of S25 600 in 1873. y
Official favoritism and neglect of the pro /
iucers ana toilsrs have begun in this /
country.
With broken merchants and manufae- /
-urers all over the nation, with prioes con
5inuing to fall, with tens of thousands OK +