The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-09-23

he dear and everything you have to buy Will
be cheao And having got hold Of these very,
very sim bic truths, the American people will
then in sackeI yth and ashes repent Of this in
sane free coinage debauch. They will then
recognize how wise the great civilized nations
were In adopting the only money In our days
CAPABLE Of being the money OF the world 8
commerce as their own money. We shall then
be sufficiently cured Of prejudice to observe
that under that monetary system those ma
tions have ON the whole prospered, notwith-
standing serious evils and drawbacks under
which we do not labor, and that the rate OF In
terest is lowest where the gold standard has
existed longest We shall then understand that
it is a good thing to have the necessaries OF
life In plenty and cheap; 70 have wages rising
and payable in money that does not deceive;
to have capital inspired with confidence In the
value of money, and therefore eaRer to go out
in investment or enterprise. We shall then
readily acknowledge how foolish we were
from the very beginning Of our silver expert
| ments in throwing away our gold for silver,
by which we lost confidence, credit and pros
perity. ChasteDed by adversely, we shall then
no longer be tempted to repeat such nonsense,
but with laborious and painful effort we shall
work our way back to that money standard
which will insure stability and confidence at
home and enable us to trade with the nations
of the world on equal terms.
1t is not my habit to boast of q warm heart
for the poor and suffering. But my sympathy
is no less sincere because do not carry my
love and solicitudo for the common people
constantly at my tongues end. If there be
those who are satisfied with everything that
exists, am not one Of them. There are few, II
any who abhor that which may properly be
called plutocracy or detest the arrogance OF
wealth more heartily than do know, also,
that the industrial developments OF our time
have brought hardship to some classes of peo-
pie which only the more sagacfous, active and
energetic among them have been able to
counterbalance probably with its benefits.
There are laws and practices which, had the
power, l would promptly change. in the inter
est of common justice and equity. But be-
cause / am so minded / must oppose TO the
utmost policy which, / am convinced, Will
immeasurably aggrayate existing evils. also
know full well that large majority OF those
who support free coinage are honest and well
meaning citizens, wishing to do right. But
because know this, my blood stirs with In
dignation when see the INSCRIPTIONS efforts
made to goad them on to their destruction.
have witnessed in my long life ten presi-
Dental campaigns, but never one in which the
appeals to prejudice, passion and cupidity
were 80 reckless and the speculation upon as
sumed popular ignorance or rescality 30 au-
dacious and wicked. Some Of the silver ora
tors fAtually speak as IL they believed the
American people to be born fools or knaves,
or both.
Sectional and Glass Prejudice.
They seek to excite the people Of the west
against the east because, as Mr.. Bryan said
In the Chicago convention, tho cast injurious
ly interferes with the business OF the west.
Ave, the east has interfered with western
business but how2 In helping to build west
ern railroads, to dig western canals, to set up
western telegraphs, to establish western fac
tories, to build up western towns, to move
western crops, to ailay western distress caus-
cd by fire, food or drought. Has this served
30 enrich the east2 Yes, and SO 1t has enrich
cd the west Their wealth and greatness have
been mutually built up by the harmonious CO.
operation Of their Drawn and brain and money
Just as the blood Of the cast and the west
mingled on the common battlefelds of the re-
public And now comes this young man, as II
we had not suffered enough from sectional
strife. and talks Of "enemy's country
They seek to excite what they call "the
poor" against what they call 'tthe rich"-in
this land Of great opportunities for all, where,
now us ever, so many of tho poor OF yesterday
are among the rich of today and so many OF
the rich OF today may be among the poor or To-
morrow. Their candidate for the presidency
presented characteristic spectacle when some
time ago he was kindly shown over the farm
Of the governor of New York, who Is himself
an example of the poor country boy risen by
able and honest effort to afiiuence and distno-
ton, and when that candidate then straight
way In a public speech drew invidious com
parsons between the elegant hoJt4Hj on the
Hudson and the poor cabins in the west
teaching not the true American lessoHof sue
cess won by honest industry, thrift and enter
prise, but the lesson that those who have sue
| ceeded less should hate and fight those who
have succeeded more-a lesson utterly I'M
| American, unpatriotio and abominable!
They tell the farmer-Inost cruel deception
that no must and win be made independent
Of the world abroad. while year after year
from $500, 900 600 to 500, 900 worth Of our
agricultural products must seek the foreign
market to find purchasers and while nothing
will hurt the farmer more than serious i'm
pairment of the great home market by o bust
ness crisis.
False Friends of Labor.
They proclaim themselves the special cham
pions OF the toiling masses. while their policy
would rob tho laboring man Of half of his saw
ings and grievously curtail the value of his
wages Am asked, II the silver standard
will relatively reduce wages, why so many
| employers of labor are opposed to itP The
| reason Is obvious, because aside from all con-
siderations Of sentiment, the prudent employ
| ers of labor know that they would lose vastly
| more through the disastrous disturbance of
| business sure to be caused by FREQ coinage
| victory than they could possibly gain by the
| cheapening of labor. And would not the toiling
| masses suffer most from that disturbance of
| business? He is traitor to the laboring man
| who tells him that he can profit by the ruin
| Of his employer.
The agitators denounco the gold standard as
| the device of monarchs and arstocrats,
| while the history Of the world teaches that
from time inmemorial 1t was n favorte trick
OF INSCRIPTIONS despots TO fleece their subjects
| by debasing the coin of the realm, and that
| those who out of the monetary confusion
| evolved fixed standards of values and money
that would not cheat have always been rank
| cd among the most meritorious benefactors of
mankind and especially of the poor and weak
They seek to inflame tho vanity OF the Amer
lean people by telling them that we great
and strong enough to maintain any monetary
system we like and to keep up the value Of
our money without regard to all the world
| abroad-while our own history teaches us that
century ago tho American people were
strong enough to shake off the yoke OF Great
Britain, but not strong enough to save theiI
| continental money from declining in value *
| nothing: that In recent times the American
| people were strong enough to subdue gigan-
| tic rebellion, but not strong enough to keel
| an Indefinite issue of greenbaolKs at par ant
that this republic may be able to conquer the
| world, but 1t will not DO able to mako twic,
two Ave or to mako itself richer by watering
its currency.
They speak of the silver dollar tho money
OF the constitution, while they must know
that there Is not one single word In the con
stitution which, honestly interpreted, eouit
justify such claim.
They invoke for their cause the names Of
jefferson and jackson, while every reader O
history knows that Jefferson and Jackson
would have stood aghast Mt their wild schem,
Of creating by law false value and would
have kicked out OF their presence as a publ,
nuisance any one seriously advocating it.
Such things the free coinage agitators tel
the American people, assuming them to b,
| without intelligence. Far worse nre the up
peals they address to them, assuming them Il
| BIO without moral sense.
| Immoral Pleas.
They have been teaching the people tina
because the prices of wheat and other thing
have fallen about onehal since 1.-The 30 called
decentralization year. 1871 have shown why
those prices have fallen-it Ia not equitable
that debtors should be held 10 pay moro thar
half the amount of their debts IN gold. thai
| they should be released In correspondence
with the decline Of prices, and that IL wouit
therefore be right to reduce by free silver
coinage the value Of the debt paying money
| by onehalf.
Subject the principle to q simple test. Wher
| 1 contract q debt. owe what 10 10 mutual,
understood that am TO pay. Our whole bust
1 Ruh~ MI h,sx ax.ka