The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-19


crowd laughed.
Gov. Atkinson said that the govern
ment had Issued S262. $1,000 Of bonds in or
der 10 put gold In the treasury. a mort
gage on every mans property and indus
try. When a railroad wants gold 10 pay
the interest on its bonds. ne said. IL goes
10 the treasury and draws 10 out. and
then the government issues bonds TO put
the gold back. "and you are being taxed
TO furnish the gold 10 pay somebody
elses debts"
Gov. Atkinson alluded strongly 10 the
action Of the New York bankers in sus-
tanning the gold reserve I'm the treasury.
and said that they dare not do other
wise when they knew another bond issue
would defeat Mckinley overwhelmingly.
He asked II this were a government by the
banks or government by the people. The
currency Of this country had been reduced
in volume by tl00.m00OO in the last twelve
months. he said. There was decrease Of
$2.Voo.O0O In circulation between June and
July T. Prices have gone down, down, as
the result Of this system The wealth of
the country has not decreased, but 1t has
gone into the hands OF the few. The rich
have grown richer and the poor, poorer.
This Is not a calamity wall but there
are men walking the streets. begging for
work, without being able TO obtain 1t,
there are women begging for work who
cannot obtain IL. There are men who go
!
with debt because Of this condition Of our
finances. II checks enterprise and depress-
es industry"
These gold men who own the aggre-
gated debts Of the country he said, tell
us to hold on. What Is there for us TO
hold on to? They gain time, but what do
we gain"
He told an anecdote OF the fellow who
lost his game rooster at seven-up with a
| drummer. and just then remembered that
the drummer had put up nothing against
his rooster.
THESE gold men tell US to hold on. but
! would just like TO know what they are
putting up against our rooster" said he.
Gov. Atkinson said that he knew there
was something wrong and he had con-
cluded that Il was the currency question.
He intended to preach this, he said, as the
issue between the democrats and the
republicans.
The governor proceeded TO poke some
fun at the populists, to the enjoyment Of
the crowd. II was dying party. which
had had many names, he said, and which
had now attempted a cross with the pro-
hibition party 1t was a party which,
when It wanted TO nominate a candidate
for President, could not find a man 1T
for the office in its own ranks and nomi-
mated a democrat. When 1t wanted to
nominate a candidate for governor Of
Georgia IL could not find man in SIS
own ranks and so borrowed one from the
democrats. He proceeded to make some
puns on the name OF the populist canii-
date.
His name is Sea-born" he said. That
means born at sea. II fits him well. He
was born at sea, and he has been al sea
ever since. He has been member of
every party which has been formed since
he became voter, and he deserted every
party to which he belonged
Re n ba ef1y In &c
GUESSING the position OF the republican
party, he said the weakness of its po-
stion was shown when Il declared for
free coinage Of silver by international
agreement.
MY countrynien." he said, II believe
that this country is able to direct its
own affairs without the interference
Of any foreign nation"
This statement was greeted with en-
thusiastic applause.
In reply to the argument that '16 to /"
was not democratic doctrine. the governor
said that with a single exception on every
vote that had been taken on the subject
in congress, the majority of the democrats
had voted for the free coinage of silver at
the ratio of 16 to l. Until the last con-
gress, he said no democratic congressman
from Georgia had ever voted against the
free coinage Of silver at this ratio. In 1892,
thirty-one democratic state conventions
age of silver at this ratio. He advised the
gold men present that when they had crow
to eat the best thing to do
was to eat it hot. 1.-The colder
1t gets the worse it tastes" he said.
He undertook 10 show that free coinage
of silver at 16 to 1 would give the country
an honest dollar. Silver bullion has de-
creased in value because of tho falling off
Of the demand. he said. The question is
can the United States coin silver at 16 to
/ and make it as good as gold. There are
some people who want to strike down sill
yer because in doing so they decrease the
supply Of basic money of the world, and
make the remainder more valuable. If
this is not so why did they strike down
silver IN 1873 when it was worth more
than 16 to ~"
Gov. Atkinson proceeded to give figures
Of the production of silver and its con-
sumption. France" he said, "absorbs
$50 per capita of gold and silver. Cannot
this country, a young and growing coun-
try. absorb as much gold and Silver as
France? To do so we would have to have
two and one-half billions of dollars of
gold and silver We have a billion and
half now. Where is the other billion TO
come from II not from silver?"
Gov. Atkinson said that there was not
enough silver to be had to furnish this ad-
ditional circulation. The gold countries
which are keeping silver IN circulation at
ratios of Is and 15ls to /, ne said would
not dispose of it to this country at Is to 1,
nor would the silver using countries de-
prive themselves of their only circulation
by shipping their money to this country.
This disposed of any idea that there
would be a deluge of silver upon this
country when it undertook independent
coinage at 16 to /. he held. OF the ability
of the United States to use all the silver
which was likely to be offered it, he
said:
There were $4,000, 100000 of matur-
ing Indebtedness in this country
maturing indebtedness in this country
and $150.O0O000,00O OF short time
transactions every year, and the
competition to get silver to pay these
debts would bring the silver in a dollar
to par at once. Any man who owed
dollar and could get silver at rs cents with
which to pay that debt would make the
deal at once. There would be so many
people Of that way of thinking that with
free coinage the silver in dollar would
be at par before breakfast.
where is all the silver going to come
from that we need to pay these debts?
They say that every country in the world
will dump its silver on US. If they have