Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-10-29

statesmen of the country. They would
have us believe what history does not
support-that gold and silver enjoyed
equal privileges in the minis of the
United States during all our history
down to 1873. They assert that the
stopping of the free coinage of silver in
1873 was ''the crime of the century" and
is the cause of the present deplorable
business condition of the country. They
must know that prior to 1873 we had
less than 100000 of silver dollars in
circulation. We have coined since that
time nearly 500,000,000 of silver dollars,
and they constitute part OF the cur,
rency of the country. They do not tell
us that when the coinage of both gold
and silver was free in the United States
the per capita circulation in this country
was less than it has been since the So
called "crime of 1873" Why. under
the free coinage of both gold and silver
in the days of the fathers we had in
1900 a per capita of $500; in 1888 it
was $500; in 1852 it was $14 SO; in 1872
before the resumption of specie pay
ments, and when we were doing business
with unlimited paper currency, it was
$lS.19; in 1894, twenty-one years after
the suspension of free coinage of silver,
we had per capita of $24.SS, and every
dollar was as good as gold in every part
of the world. We have a greater per
capita in the United States than has
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and greater per capita than has Ger
many. The per capita of the whole
world is about $5.15 The per capita of
the gold standard countries is $1S, while
the per capita of the silver Standard
countries-of which they want to make
us one-is about $4.30. Even in the
gold standard countries we have more
silver per capita than they have in the
silver countries of the world. The gold
cfo orJ countries hnyinO nnDIIlo-
ton of less than one-third of the worlds
population, have nearly two-thirds of the
circulation of the worlds currency. The
United States has about 51a per cent. of
the total population of the principal
countries of the world, yet it has
80 21-100 per cent. of the banking re-
sources and nearly 16 per cent. of the
total money supply of the world. France
has a higher per capita than the United
States, but the banking deposits in the
United States are $77.76 per inhabitant,
or $43 greater for each inhabitant than
the banking deposits of France.
Per Capita Rate Would Decrease.
st must never be forgotten that the
free coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to
| would not increase, but would decrease
our per capita circulation. 1t would add
nothing to it, but would rob us of the
good money we now have and put us
where the silver countries of the world
are today-upOn a silver basis alone.
There is nothing in our present currency
status, therefore, to disturb us, except
to defeat the party which proposes to de-
base it. 1t is the proposition to debase,
our currency standard that has createdi
CONSERVATION in every business center of
| the country; has made times hard, has
driven money from active industry, and
put it behind barred doors, where it will
| be kept until confidence is restored.
! The people will not consent to a de.
crease of their circulating medium, norla
| debasement of that medium of exchange.
| If by your votes this menace to the mon
81 the rppptrx he dispelled.
| deficiencies in the treasury, and will pro-
and confidence will come back agS&a
| Open the mills and the mines of our
country by a judicious protective tariff
and you will stop ideness and distress
| in the ranks of labor, and you can't stop
it in any other way. What will be the
voice of Maryland on the Sd day of No
| vember? Cries of Mckinley, Mckin-
ley.) What will be the voice Of the
great city of Baltimore? (Cries of Nc
Kinley.) How will that old conservative
city speak for national honor? (Cries of
| tiOn.o
thank my old comrades of the war
| Tor their presence here at my home TO-
day. thank my fellow citizens of every.
vocation for having paid me this visit,
ana beg to thank them in the name of
the republican party for their assur-
ances OF loyal support to the principles of
public honor, protective tariff. sound
money, reciprocity, which will bring to
us, trust and firmly believe, good times.
from which we wildly ran away in