Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-09-11
WHOLE NUMBER 1901.
ballot in the hands OF men who can
neither be coaxed, bought nor driven is
the only weapon of the million.
BISHOP DILLON ON SILVER.
Act of 1878 the Great
Crime of the Century.

Crime of the Century.
To a Spokesman-Rerisw reporter
Bishop William Dillon, d. d., bishop
of the United Brethren church for the
Pacific coast, several days ago gave the
following reasons for the restoration OF
silver as primary redemption money:
First-The demonetization of the
silver dollar, Feb. II, 1878, was re-
quested by no citizen of the United
States, no legislature, no State. We
were not burdened with silver, for it
was not in circulation at the time, and
we had only $1OjOO0,O0O, and $97,-
600, 900 was in fractional currency,
leaving only about sS,00O,0OO in dol
lars. Silver was at premium above
gold, and there is not man on the
globe who can assign an intelligent
reason for its demonetization.
"Second - The demonstration OF
the silver dollar removed large part
Of our money from being primary
money and made it the poorest kind
of representative money. Now it is
known to men who are expert
in financial questions that only
primary money measured values, and
gold being our only primary money,
it is the only money measuring values.
a celebrated financier said All
money is medium OF exchange, but
primary money only is the measure
of values Thus it will be seen that
the prices OF land and city property
were stricken down, wheat, cotton,
oats and all the farmers products are
greatly reduced in value, the purchas-
ing power OF money went up and all
property went down. Every debt was
doubled. The $500 mortgage the
farmer expected to pay with 500
bushels Of wheat. If by forgery the
holder of the note had raised it from
$500 to 81 600 he would have lodged
in the penitentiary, but the same dis
honest thing was done substantially
hy demonetization OF silver. 1t doubled
our national debt, so that after hav-
ing paid many hundred millions on it,
now it will take more wheat or cotton
to pay the debt than it would just after
the war that brought the entire debt.
Third-The whole thing is with
out excuse or palliation. 1t is the
most gigantic crime against our ma
ton that ever was practiced on in
nocent people. No man that lives
knows single intelligent reason for
the gold standard, nor for the act OF
demonetization.
"Fourth-There is no law in force
telling how many grains of silver
make dollar, nor any Law requiring
the Secretary of the treasury to buy
an ounce of silver, nor to coin a silver
dollar, nor is there any law requiring
the redemption of silver dollar. If
some one will exchange a treasury
note or any kind OF redeemable bank
bill note for silver dollar, you can
get such bank bill redeemed, but not
the silver dollar directly.
"My home is No. l, ,429 West Third
street, Dayton, Ohio. II any man will
mail to me competent reason for
the demonetization of the silver dol.
lar in 1873, or a valid reason for the
gold standard, he will be handsomely
rewarded. 1 believe with George
Washington that silver and gold are
the legal standards, and neither Con-
gress nor any State has any right to
establish any other standard, or to dis
place this one'"