Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-02-06
the Union army should be rewarded for
THEIR HEROIC SERVICES

| The Northern people we're subjected to
an enormous expense, national and state
to support the Union, and now by far the
greater part of the pension money is paid
by the more popuous North as the largest
! consumers of merchandise upon which
revenue has been collected.
Where silver mines abound, the raising
of silver bullion is far more profitable
than the cultivation of wheat, corn, or
potatoes.
The amount of silver employed in the
arts by the United States in 1894 was So
G61,Sn, or nearly three times as much as
by Great Britain.
The secretary of the treasury annually
fixes the value at which foreign coins shall
be reckoned in computing the valuation
of imported foreign merchandise. This
year South American dollars were fixed
at only fraction above 40 cents, and
Mexican dollars at SO cents. Would this
be -four square to the world" while the
value of our dollars containing about the
| same amount of silver is fixed at one hum
dred cents?
Silver Is mainly utilized as pocket change
and for anything more 1t is cumbrous and
rarely used. No man owing his merchant
or to his bank a thousand dollars thinks
of Juggling along GO pounds of silver to pay
1t. The annual industrial products of the
United States amount to twelve thousand
million dollars, or more, perhaps, than
| those of half of Europe, and our foreign
trade is largely increasing. A silver cur
j rency would throw all these vast interests
into a state of decrepitude. Five of our
young and thrifty States, so ably repre-
sented in the Senate, now having oonsid-
eraby less than a million of present popu-
lation, yet produce nne-tenths of the en-
tire annual silver product of the United
States If silver were now rehabilitated so
that no more silver bullion should be pre-
duced than was produced so years ago, and
at no cheaper cost there would be no ur-
gency for free coinage. The urgency Is
to induce the government to do what no
other government on the globe Is doing
or will do alone.
The worlds product of silver for the
latest year of which we have any report
was very large in spite of its low price.
Its free coinage on the old ratio would
amount to precisely the same thing as a
standing offer by our government for the
purchase of all or any part of the worlds
product at 20 per ounce. as the govern
ment would have the silver and issue its
obligations therefor which our people
WOULD HAVE TO REDEEM
by accepting them as legal tender for any
property or for debts. The government
would cease all quasi redemption of silver
dollars, and all the loss from their over
valuation would fall upon their holders
or the holders OF silver certificates.
The increased product of silver through
out the world, from the rich mines and the
poor, as well as that obtained from lead
and copper ores as a secondary product.
would be very large Some OF the mines in
Nevada are too lean now to pay any pro-
fit. while others In Colorado produce sill
yer bullion at a cost of less than rs cents
per ounce, and these give birth, not to
gold bugs. but to silver m!llionaires
The tlred-out accusation that a dimin-
ished product of gold had greatly aug
mented it value
HAS BEEN REFUTED
by the high authority of Mulhall, accord
ing to whom the worlds total stock of
gold in 1850 was $2,535, 0OO0 900, and in 1890 1t
had increased to s5.175 600, OO0 and has been
increasing annually ever since.
Gold is wholly democratic in its charac-
ter, a good neighbor, and never pushes
silver from its company. SO long as just
ratio is maintained, gold willingly does
the heaviest part of the work. Depreci-
ated legal-tender money, whether silver
or paper tolerates no gold.
i am aware that the largest half of the
democratic party in our Southern States
has ceased to support with Jacksonan
fidelity and courage the sound money doc
trine of their fathers, but has met their
contemplating antagonists by accepting
their subterranean silver platform, and
they are now glued together by an equal
hostility to banks, railroads and home
built ships. having only some trifing un-
adjusted controversies about n proper
distribution of future spoils and proper
protection on wool, which they feel sure
can be sweetly adjusted on the Kentucky
plan, by judicious separation of their
platform from their candidates.
VIII the free coinage of silver be god
send to any of our country, or confer a
goodly prestige upon any party? There
are many States in our great republic,
rich in varied natural resources, and now
wanting nothing so much as an early in
crease of population and capital to place
them in the front rank of a prosperous
people. VIII the
WHITE MONEY METAL ALONE
of South America or of China attract any
thing of population, or capital or conf
dence to any of our States? / confess to
some apprehension that free coinage would
be more likely to cause a withdrawal of
some part of what has long been sup
posed to have there been firmly planted.
Surely the South would make nothing by
giving the world a chance to buy the cot
ton crop with cheap silver. nor can it be
hoped to cheaper the cost of labor by pay
ing its wages in cheap silver, as that labor
must have subsistence. Does 1t now get
or ask for anything more?
There are some gentlemen who conf
IDENTIFY predict the overthrow OF the gold
standard party, as though that would in
sude the enforcement of the single silver
standard party. l am not aware of sim
gle gold standard party in America; but
there is large party-the national repub-
lican party-now In excellent health,
which proposes to maintain both gold and
silver in circulation. and to keep both
metals In good health. The recent cleo
lions appear to show that the people have
great confidence in the republican party.
and the nations financial affairs will be
ntrusted to that party and to no other.
The election OF republican governors in
such States as New Jersey, Maryland and
Kentucky indicates that the old whig
States of the South are wheeling into line
with their former brethren on questions
which concern their industrial prosperity.
The solid republican representative dele
cations In Congress can not be much of an
encouraging sign to the new and nameless
silver party; but there they stand look at
them: Michigan with its ~ members; Wis
consn with 10, Indiana with 10, Iowa with
H. Minnesota with 7, and many other
smaller States, to which may be added
such States as Pennsylvania with all re-
publican members but two out of a total
of 2S; Ohio all but two of 81; Missouri all
but five of Is; Illinois all but three of 20;
California all but one of z; New Jersey all
but one of s; New York all but six of "a;
and Massachusetts all but one of 49,
Mr.. President, the republican party will,
at its earliest opportunity, seek the CO.
operation of leading nations in the coinage
of silver, and will meantime aim to main
tain the integrity of business affairs and
the honor of the country by the main