Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-04-30
ALTGELD TO CARLISLE.
Illinois Governor Replies to tn e
Chicago Speech.

SPRINGFIELD ILL.,, April 25.-Gov.
Altgeld has written an open letter in
reply to the speech on the money
question recently delivered at Chica-
60 by Secretary Carlisle. He begins
by quoting from Mr.. Carlisle's state
ment in which the latter declared
that the demonetization of silver,
which he characterized as q con-
spiracy, would ultimately entail more
misery upon the human race than all
the wars, pestilence and famine that
ever occurred. The absolute and in
Simultaneous destruction of half the
movable property of the world, in
Guiding horses, ships, railroads and
all other appliances for carrying on
commerce, while it would be felt
more sensibly at the moment, would
not produce anything like the pro-
longed distress and disorganization
of society that must inevitably result
from the permanent annihilation of
one-half of the metallic money of the
world.
ALTGELD'S CAUSTIC COMMENT.
Commenting upon this Gov. Altg-
eld says:
1t will be seen that this language
is clear and emphatic and has none
of the soph1stry and pettifogging
about it that are found in his Chca-
go speech. His awful predictions,
made in 1873, came to pass. He not
only saw his own prophecy fulfilled,
but he saw the misery of his country
become even greater than he had
predicted. Finding that his views
had been correct, he continued to
hold them until he entered Mr..
Cleveland's cabinet, when in some
mysterious manner there was a
change of heart, but for some rea-
son he seems unwilling to talk about
it. There are two other members of
the cabinet-Hoke Smith of Georgia,
and Herbert of Alabama-who, like
Carlisle, have made their voices
heard for nearly a lifetime demand
ing the restoration of silver, and de-
nouncing the great conspiracy that
struck it down and, strange to say,
when these two men entered Cleve-
lands cabinet, they underwent
change of heart, and, like Carlisle,
they avoid talking about it. Why
did not Carlisle throw a little light
on this question:
SINISTER MOTIVE IMPLIED.
All these men now denounce the
people who are opposed to the single
gold stardard as scoundrels and luna
tic, yet they (the people, are only
following the doctrines which Carlisle
& Co. preached. Are we to infer that
Mr.. Cleveland and his two cabinet
associates were scoundrels and luna
tics until they got to be old men, and
that the tinsel of a cabinet position
not only made them hone st, but gave
them brain? Carlisle should have
told us.
Gov. Altgeld then enumerates sew
eral questions which he says Mr.. Car
lisle should have answered, among
them. this.
Why it was that for 200 years gold
and silver held the market ratio of
about 154 to /, while the ratio fixed
by law was Is to in some countries,
159 to in most countries, and, for a
while, 16 to 1 in our country; why it
was that, in every country where
silver was stricken down, it was done
by the arbitrary act of the govern
ment and that neither commerce nor
business had anything to do with it?
AS there cannot be general rise in
prices without an increase in the
volume of money must not the pres
ent paralysis and stagnation con-
tinue until the volume of money is
restored?