Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-07-29

Mexico and the silver-using nations sene
rally, but the great bulk OF 1t she coii'eo
into the rupee, And let II be noted ina,
through all these years the silver rupee
has lost nothing OF its purchasing power.
1t is the standard money OF the fp"o'VV'
OF people who make up the British en-
pIre In India. One half. or within irac-
ton OF one half Of the coined vaiue Oh
all the American silver that has peen
stamped into rupees since 1913 eas thus
been a free gift to British interests py
the American people.
And this Is the smallest feature or the
exploitation which has been pracuced py
the friends OF Mr.. Atkinson "hen
American silver. being denied coinage at
American minis, had fallen to hal1 value
! England bought up the cheapened Duihon,
and restored its value Tor her
own uses by stamping II INTO
the precious rupee, and was ,hNs
able to buy two pounds OF cotton or TWO
bushels OF wheat at the bullion price OF
one. This naturally and necessarily cut
down the price of raw produce to ABOUT
one half its former value In all countries
that have the gold standard. Manuiac-
turing nations. which import a good par9
| Of their food stuffs, have a credlt sac
under this arrangement; but TO coun-
Try like the United States, deeply IN oeD',
and with scant means of payment, otner
tHn by the export OF raw produce tne
abuse comes with crushing force.
Mr.. Atkinson says that England pays US
sl00, coo 900 per annum for our farm pro
duce. but he neglects to say that the
same produce would have brought us
twice the money in 1873. and that II would
bring Just as much to-day II we had not
made ourselves dependent on her none
tary system by abandoning our own.
SHE LICENSED US.
But Mr.. Atkinson is mistaken. England
does not pay us 500, 900. 900 per annum. nor
| 40o cents. She pays" us nothing. For
many years she has licensed us 10 ex-
! change services and commodities win
each other; to build railroads and cities;
| TO omen farms and mines and roadways'
| in short TO change a wilderness into the
sembance OF great nation. But every
| atom Of this work has been done by
| American labor, acting upon American
| material. and directed by American brain.
When we just started up the round game
! OF development we were without
counters and had to borrow some. Later
on, we got counters Of our own, lots Oh
them I'm $3.50 and the country went for
ward bv leans and bounds. Then came
the war, with it's SORROWS and buruehs'
| but at the first dawn Of peace the young
nation rallied like an awakened giant
| and strobe forward on career OF pros
| perity unexampled in the annals or man
kind. With the early seventies came
| new stock OF counters, and Tor the hIse
time IN her history America was on the
verge of delIverance from British IMAM
cial domination ~,
Put AT the critical moment Mr. Ed
ward Atkinson and his British friehds
! began to vex the air with their doiorous
forebodings. Our prosperity they salu'
was fictitious; our national CROWN aieO-
! eether Elusive, and our fancied happiness
the mere Pigment of a disordered brain
| What we really needed was wise guld-
ance. they said There were mysteries III
finance which were known only TO the
initiated. and II we would repose gen.
erous trust i'm their beneVolence ana "is-
dom they would presently lead us inVo
the green pastures and beside the sun
waters Of real, true, genuine, ana all
abiding prosperity.
We gave them the JOB.
Their first measure was 70 contract the
currency. with view to enforcing re-
sumption. Their next project was to In
crease the need for bank paper by abol-
ishing the Treasury notes. And their
third and greatest undertaking was the
astounding scheme OF comforting on Tor
eign nations the exclusive privilege OF
coming into money the product OF Aineii-
can silver mines.
Results came swiftly enough: a panic
which staggered the nation from centre 70
circumference. But Mr.. Atkinson ana MS
friends explained things away by trans
POSING cause and effect, and declaring
that it was nothing blt the Jay Cooke
COLLAPSE that retarded the day OF promise
Time passed and then II was discovered
that the opening Of the Suez canal hao
disturbed business by linking too closely
"the bright orient with the droopins
West" A year or two would settle IL
But II didn't. Then the Hon. David "A
Wells came to the rescue, and in an ex
haustive North American Review article
proved to the abundant satisfaction OF us
friends that 1t was really nothing Du'
'the spots on the SUM- that had done the
business. Then Brother Atkinson tried
his hand again, and triumphantly demon
strated that the hard times were really
caused by the substitution of steel toi
iron; and later on another genius OF ina
same school closed the whole question u,
showing that electricity had done IT, ane
there was absolutely no help for the mat
ter. Just now the Journal OF Commerce
Is ascribing the difficulty 10 the "0icyci'
craze" and so from year 70 year th'
| hour OF GeliNerance IL pOstpOied uheii
few folks here and there are beginning u
suffer the sickness of heart which comes
I from hope deferred.
Another thing: They want TO Know
why It is that Improvements in the arts
advances In science. fresh conquests Owe
l the forces of nature-they want TO know
Q why II is that triumphs such as these NJ
$ longer serve to enrich mankind-whl
0 blessings such as these should turn 4
3 bitter curses when ripened beneath tn
@ regime of Mr.. Edward Atkinson and hi!
J. coadjutors?
b Some OF the American people are get
q ting tired OF you, Mr.. Edward Atkinson
r Your promises no longer mislead. an'
: your excuses no longer amuse them. TIL
e Senator whom you reyile does not asl
I for any untried experiment He advances
J, no theory. urges no new plan of any kind
e but simply demands that you shall pu
c back the American dollar In its rightfu
q and lawful place-the place from which
I you and your kind snatched IT. yoi
:. shameless rascals, three-and-twenty year
:. ago. J. Z.