Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-09-18
Riceville Sound Money" Meeting,

1SACOVAAAC 0VUUV mOU6y M66IluS.
1 find it rather difficult to describe
the effect upon his audience of the
speech of the Hon. E. s. James, of
Clinton, at Riceville the 10th.
Judging from the expression on the
faces of the many silver men present
l would say that they were pleased.
But it must have been a dismal fail
ure for the gold men-that is, if it is
possible for them to get q man to
talk "honest money! and do so with
out resorting to abuse, misstate.
ments, misrepresentation, lodging
the questions involved, and the like.
Mr.. James is a very fine orator, and
that is all that can be said in his ia
vor as a speaker on the political
question at least, unless we add that
he makes a very good parrot.
If we are to judge from the way he
handled the question here we must
say that he comes before his audience
with a nice little set speech-knows
that, and nothing else.-in regard to
finance.
The speech contained the usual
worn out rot of Sound money, cheap
money, deprecated currency, SO cent
dollars, reputation, financial herisy,
anarchy" etc. There are no argu-
ments to answer for none were made.
His purpose seemed to be to exalt
his party and abuse and ridicule
the others. He claimed everything
but proved nothing.
While abusing democracy he said
that the Chicago convention D
dated democracy; spoke of the mem
bers of that convention as "the gen
tlemen who recently met at Chicago
and of their standard bearer as "the
cyclonic wonder from Nebraska
Mr.. James evidently does not give
the people of Riceville credit for be-
ing able to think for themselves. If
ne did, many of the things he said
would have remained unsaid. 1 will
mention a few of many. 1st, That
the fall in the price ofsilver since 1873
is due to overproduction. refer you
to any reliable statistics giving rela-
tive production for the past 100 years.
End. He claims that allthe govern
ment can do is to stamp the CONNER
cial value on a metal in coming ii. Why
then, does he favor an international
agreement as he claims to? He says
he don't want a money that changes
in value in your pocket while you
wait. Why then does he favor a
treatment of silver under which its
commodity value is continually luc-
tuating?
3rd. He speaks of the effect of the
pouring into Europe of the silver
from the mines of the new world soon
after 1492.
If Mr.. James knows anything of
the history of Europe he knows that
it was greatly benefited by that fact
which he deplores. He must know
that it quickened commerce, revived
industries and was an important
factor in bringing about the era of
rapid progress and advancement
throughout the whole civilized world
which followed the discovery of
America.
Perhaps the most barefaced () mis-.
representation that was made was
the claim that Thomas Jefferson
whom he termed the Patron Saint
Of democracy" during the time that
he was president did the same thing
with silver coinage that was done to
it by the act of 1873. 1 am surprised
that such a statement made to ar
intelligent audience did not arouse
patriotism enough in the breasts oil
both democrats and republicans to
force him from his position or from
the platform. Let us see what are
the facts in regard to this. The law
OF 1873 did all of the following things:
i. 1t changed the unit of 4125
grains of standard silver to 25.S grains
of standard gold.
2. 1t stopped the . coinage of the
standard silver dollar of 412a grains
of standard silver, but provided fol-
the coinage of q silver coin to be
called a trade dollar and to be of the
weight of 42O grains of standard sill
yer. 1t also provided for the coinage
of a 5O.cent, 25-cent and 1O-cent piece,
But all silver coins SO coined were
made legal tender only to the amount
OF live dollars in any one payment.
10 those who are not satisfied with
this refer you to sections IA and Is
of a law passed by congress Feb. 10,
1873, called IAN act to revise the
mint and coinage laws"
If the worthy ~gentleman's state.
ment is true, then Tho nas Jefferson
did all of these things in 1906.
First we will ask, if Thos. Jefferson
demonetized silver in 1906, why was il
necessary to again demonetize it in
1878? Even if Jefferson had wanted
silver demonetized, which he did not
Tor he was a statesman, a patriot and
a oimetallist, and any one claiming
anything different is libeling the
character of the dead and is unworthy
the name of gentlemen. But l say
even had.he wanted it demonetized
he would have had no power to do
SO.
CONSTITUTION of U. S., Sec. 3, Art.
LII (the Presl shall from tima +e