The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-08-27
MIR. BRYAN'S TAKE" WELL AN.
SMIEID.

in the following article. which we ex-
tract from the New York Herald, that
paper disposes OF Mr.. vs.. j. Bryan's prop
osition that freq coinage viii raise silver
TO $40 an ounce very happily indeed.
The article Is as follows:
"It don't cost no more to make a so
bin than TO make a 81 bill. does 10? Then
what's The use o. maxim ones. why don't
the government make EN- all tens?"
This remarkably direct and forcible ar
sumeut was addressed the other day by
d workman 10 group Of his fellows en-
joying their incoming in front Of a build
ing In course OF erection down town.
Thus bluntly stated thef proposition
was received with 81 derisive laugh by his
hearers, but essentially IL IS not more
absurd than the theories advanced by
Mr.. Bryan and obscured with cloud OF
words. What he preached at Madison
Square Garden tho other evening was
nothing more nor less than paper cur
rency imitation.
He asserts that opening the minis 10
free coinage OF silver az Us 10 I would
Immediately cause such an advance in
the value OF the white metal that fh-
37i Ia pure grains OF ir which 20 to make
a dollar would be worth not % cents as
az present, but 100 cents. The Herald
called upon NJ. Bryan 20 explain I'm his
speech how this would bee brought about.
and this was his demonstration:
We contend that free and unlimited
coinage by the United States alone Will
raise the bullion value Of silver 10 is
coinage value, and thus make silver bull
lion worth Sl.29 per ounce IN gold through
out the world The best-known law of
commerce IS the law Of supply and de-
mand. We recognize this law and build
aur argument upon g. Any pur-
chaser who stands ready to take the
entire supply Of any given article az a
certain price can prevent that article
from falling below that price. So the
government can fix o price for gold and
silver by creating demand greater than
the supply.
II is incredible that a man should be so
fooled by the ambiguity Of his own words.
Does Mr.. Bryan expect the intervention
Of Some prcternatural agent endowed
with unlimited wealth 20 take" the en-
tire supply Of silver and paw for II at the
rate Of 81 .29 an ounce? The opening %
the minis to free coinage Of course would
not mean that the government would
take the silver brought 10 t.. as
hotel keeper would take the entire sup
ply Of choice orchard. pay for IL AMI
consume 81.
Under free coinage the government
would take" the silver brought 10 the
mints stamp II and hand IL back TO its
owners. The man who brought pound
OF silver bullion would get back a pound
OF silver coins: and as anybody in the
world could bring hls pound OF bullion.
II stands 10 reason that the pound OF
coins could be worth no more than the
pound OF bullion with which they were
freely eychangeable The government
would by no means be a purchaser in
the sense Of ono "who stands ready 10
take the entire supply at "A certain price"
and who would thus prevent that articlc
from falling below that price" one
might as well argue that the price OF
wheat could be advanced by
establishing free grist mill.
which would receive the farm
ers' grain and give them back the hoir
in ffty-tfree puond bags. each brand
ed "Ons hundred pounds"