The record-union., 1896-09-10
THAT GRIP OF GOLD
Bryan Campaign Document Proven to be
Forgery.
An Article Credited to the Financial
News" Which Never Appeared
in That Journal.

No single publication Of the silver
syndicate has attracted SO much at
tention as a leafiet entitled THE Grip
OF Gold." which purports to give quo
tation from the London Financial
News" Of March 10, 1896, expressing
the opinion that the adoption of free
coinage Of silver in the United States
would be disadvantageous to England
and helpful to the trade and business of
this country.
Millions of copies of this document
have been spread broadcast by the or
ganization which is now protesting to
be pennileSs and unable to put legiti-
mate arguments before the people,
The article, which is entitled, ''The
Grip of Gold,' begins as follows: Lon
don, March 10, 1896 The London Eli
nancial News says: ''The financial
situation in the United States is very
Serious 1t then proceeds to say that
while the trade Of the world is now in
the hands of England, it would not long
remain so If the United States should
adopt the free and unlimited coinage
OF silver; that rates of interest would
fall in this country, business revive,
and the United States would capture
the trade of the world. 1t closes by
saying: When that issue comes before
the people, England will regret her
apathy and adherence to the single gold
standard"
The absolute falsity of the entire
statement is shown by the following ed
ltorlal taken from the London ''Finan-
clal News of August 13, 1896:
We have received numerous letters
from American correspondents. con-
tanning what purports to be editorials
from the Financial News and which
have been reprinted in various Western
papers as campaign literature One
Omaha paper prints an article stating
that it is from the London Financial
News of March 10th. No such article
was printed by us, and it's whole tenor
is directly opposed to the view we have
taken of the effect of free silver in the
United States So far from advocating
free silver coinage we have persistently
pointed out that 1t spells reputation
and the withdrawal Of all English cap
ital''
The same paper in it's issue Of the fol-
lowing day, August 14th, says:
1t is not surprising that the Ameri-
can market improved yesterday, for a
more wretched manifesto than that of
the Boy Orator could hardly be con-
ceived. Mr.. Bryan by his speech at the
Madison-square Garden convicts him
self either Of astounding ignorance or
or a Willful perverSion of the truth To
tell an intelligent audience that the free
and unlimited coinage of silver by the
United States alone would raise the
bullion value of silver to it's coinage
value, and make silver bullion worth
9I - per ounce in gold throughout the
world is an amazing statement for a
man to make who is a candidate for the
Presidency Of a great country. AS Mr..
Bryan is. presumably, not wholly un-
educated, he must know that his state
ment, which even the most rabid BIZ
| metallist cannot swallow, is absolutely
opposed to the truth, but whether he Is
only craSSly ignorant or an unscrupu-
lous rascal holding out impossible
hopes, he has shown by this one speech
how completely untitled he is to become
| the head Of the Government Of the Re-
public"
The campaign Of deception and forg-
cry has begun unusually early this year.
Usually Democratic invention has been
called into requisition during the last
DAYS Of the campaign when it became
too late to detect or repudiate false
hood. Fortunately in this case the facts
are discovered in time to permit the
people to understand that a deliberate
attempt has been made to mislead and
deceive them by this forgery Voters
VIII scarcely place much reliance upon
literature" Of this character, or that
winch emanates from such source.