The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1896-08-21
Hear Them.
Voices Of Great Leaders.--Let Every Citizen
Read And Think.

ole Tor any government III receuV
times to FIX such q ratio between
gold and silver as to keep both
| in full and concurrent circulation
under free coinage hence all
free silver countries today have
no full legal tender metal cur.
rency but silver. Bnt all the
gold standard countries coin on
government account more or less
silver COINS and keep them at
par with gold.
lit cannot be disguised that al
ready under the cry of free silver
new forces are rallying to the
Democratic standard and aspir-
ling to leadership in the party,
whose SocIALIsT1C or even AN.
ARcHlsrIc utterances are as an.
tagonistic tothe great traditional
and conservative principles Of
the party and as dangerous to Re.
publican institutions as privilege
or Caesarism would be.
but the interest of country
are higher than those of any
party, and the safety of the pub.
lie, its honor ana prosperity
more to be considered than the
success or even the life of this or
that organization. Indeed, par.
ties can have no justification for
existence or activity except as
they serve the State.
Hence, we cannot shut out. the
larger view of the probable effect
on the country of even the TEN.
porary abandonment by the
Democratic party of it's real
mission, as the defender of indi-
vidual liberty, of local self-gov.
eminent, of equal opportunity
and the other inspiring policies
that have given it a century of
honorable, patriotic existence,
and drawn to it the enthusiastic
allegiance of millions of voters,
from father to son. To drop all
these permanent issues and take
up the issue of free silver, at a
ratio entirely artificial and arbi-
trary, is to INVITE DISASTER
whether the party succeed or fail.
ut is not necessary to ques-
ton the sincerity Of belief with
which Mr.. Bland and other lead
ers contend that free coinage by
the United States at 16 to will
bring the metal to parity at that
ratio IN order to point out the an
palling disaster which would fol-
low if they are in error in that
belief. All experiences of the
past, the general consensus and
practice of the civilized world
prove them to be utterly and
fatally wrong. They take ratio
which, during all the years of ex.
istence, NEVER DID PRODUCE
PARITY and never did give us
concurrent circulation of gold
and silver. and now, when silver
has so deprecated in value that
it would be q hundred times
harderto maintain that ratio, de.
mand that we should restore IT.
and calmly tell US that there is
no risk but unspeakable benefit
in the experiment.
/ 1
Free coinage of silver l6 to
means that any private owner Of
silver bullion may bring it to the
minis and have it coined without
charge into dollars of the pres
ent weight and tineness, which,
of course, would thereafter be
worth as much as, and no more
than. the bullion of which they
} were coined, which is now abou,
fifty cents to the dollar. nc
! gold would be coined because
, with the bullion necessary IL
coin a gold dollar could be
purchased enough silver bullion
5 to coin TWO silver dollars. NJ
one would use gold dollars tt
, pay debts which he could pa,
: with less valuable silver dollars
} The first effect of free silve1
would be to drive out of circula
, ton the 625 millions of gold ane