The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-09-16

have such Q vast hoard In the treasury.
which We hold with difficulty at par with
Rolds The only object and effect Of this
measure will be to degrade the dollar. to
lsssen its purchasing power nearly one half.
20 enable debtors TO pay their debts at So
cents for q dollar and 70 cheat the public
creditors who hold our bonds II this pol
icy should be adopted. the United States
will take its place among tbe nations Of
the earth ~ a bankrupt, closing It's bust
ness at SO cents on the dollar.
Rspudiatsen Considered.
There Is another element OF meanness In
this free coinage of silver The United
States has always paid It's bonds In gold
coin or its equivalent. In the darkest
hours of the civil war we stipulated TO pay
our bonds, principal and interest, In gold
or its equivalent All Of the war debt has
been paid In this way. A portion of IL was
paid by the sale of bonds bearing lower
rate of interest, but we exacted from the
purchasers of these bonds gold coin or its
equivalent even while our notes were be-
low par in coin About tS41. 0OO, 900 OF
these securities are now outstanding, OF
which t262. 900, 900 was sold by this ad-
ministration and paid for In gold coin. IL
Is one of the objects of those who advocate
the free coinage of silver TO force the gov
eminent To pay these bonds in silver coin
reduced in value IL is harsh TO express
this opinion of "A measure favored by many
good peol le but l cannot regard IL In any
other light than as both a fraud and rob-
berry and all the worse If committed by a
great, rich and free people. A citizen who
should commit such an offense would be
punished by the courts or denounced AS
dishonest. but nation like ours is beyond
the power of any tribunal but conscience
and God.
Now, fellow citizens, have said all l
desire TO say at present on the free coinage
of silver. have the confident hope that
the great body of the Republican and Dem
ocratic parties, representing the conserya-
tive elements of our people, will stamp
their rebuke upon this measure of infamy
and thus preserve intact the honor, the
credit and glory of our great country. This
matter of the free coinage Of silver and the
degradation of the standards of value in
wolves not only questions of money, but of
honor and good faith. When their honor
is involved, the people never fail to re-
spond. They have complied with every
promise and paid every debt contracted
since the organization of the national gov
eminent as it became due. They have paid
fourth of the debts contracted during
the civil war, and the prospect was hope
full that all of it would be paid before the
close Of this century, but this reversing
our standards of value has, like the fire
bell at night, startled and alarmed our
people. Let us settle IL by following the
action of Washington, Hamilton, JefYer-
son, Benton, Hunter, Lincoln and Grant;
let us maintain silver and gold at par with
each other at the legal ratio of Is to l un-
til a conference among nations can pre-
scribe common standards of value In the
meantime let no act be done, no policy he
adopted no experiment resorted TO, that
will tarnish the honor of this great repub-
lie