Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-06-17
QUERIES.


l. Long and the republican party in
the fall campaign of 1895 please inform
the citizens on the following important
national legislation by the republican
party while in power:
Why did this government sell its sur
plus gold coin after having met all Its
coin obligations sold In the markets of
this country and Europe; according to-
the records furnished by the secretary
of the treasury, sold between June /,
1867, and September 80, 1886, 1922 ,OOU,-
600 in gold.
| No. 2. The resumption act WAS
passed January Ia, 1875, yet this record
shows that after the passage of this
act there were sold at public auction
over $40, 600 600 of gold, and the treas
ury Immediately turned around and
under the resumption act sold bonds to
buy that gold back again. Why was
not this gold, 1922 ,0OO, 600, used to re-
deem the greenbacks, thereby bringing
them to par, instead of paying debt
not yet due? Certainly it was not done
in the interest of the public. This was
done while the republican party had
both branches of congress and the ex-
ecutive; if the party was honest why
did it not pass a law saying that the
surplus coin in the treasury should be
used in the redemption of the green
backs, if they were so anxious to pay
this debt? ~
In a letter written by General
Grant to Judge Long. of st. Louis,
dated February %. 1873, and first pub
lished in the Globe Democrat of March
30, 1878, referring to the Bland Allison
act passed over President Hayes veto
February %, 1878, is found the follow
ing: IF L were where 1 was one year
ago and for the previous seven years, /
would put most unqualified veto upon
the reputation bill called the silver
bill, if it should receive the vote of con-
gress. | fear it has passed but hope
| all business men in the country will
| work to defeat its operation by refus-
ing to make contracts except to be paid
in gold COIN" The author of this letter
had been twice honored by being cleo
ted to the highest Office in the gift of
the people in this country to see that
the laws of congress were executed, yet
he recommended the business men to
combine and make this law of congress
imperative. Is not defying or making
the law imperative anarchy?
Did not John Sherman, as secretary
OF the treasury, IN letter to the ''Hon-
est Money League" of Chicago, dated
January 80, 1879, say: II have a clear
conviction that the forced payment of
the silver dollar to public creditors
would tend to depreciate it and cause
it to be sold in the market at less than
par. While it is the duty of the gov
ernDlent to coin different kinds of mon
ey, public policy dictates that 1t
should be within the power of the cit
izen at his option to demand either
form of lawful money" BY this the
secretary of the treasury stands up in
his place not to obey the law but to
! make it imperative. Though being
the servant of the public-not the law
| making power-it was his duty to obey
the law of congress. If there has been
depreciation in the silver coin which
there was not, let congress bear that
| responsibility.
Why did the republicans, while in
power demonetize silver In 1878?
The report of the director of the mint
for period of 200 years, gives the ratio
NJ 10 folo
nearly 20 ounces of silver to l of gold;
1874 to 1883 ratio of products II of sill
yer to ounce of gold; 1881 to 1921, ra-
ito of products, 40 ounces Of silver to l
of gold; 1857 to 1870. ratio of products
less than of silver to of gold. Yet
with these differences in productions
the commercial ratio OF parity remain
ed about the same. But from the de-
monetization of silver IN 1873 to 1893
the products hgve been less than % of
silver to of gold, yet the commercial
ratio has been changed from 1892 of
silver to of gold in 1873 to 26 IL of sill
yer to of gold in 1893.
Compare this with the period of 1871
to 1921, when the ratio Of products was
40 OF silver to of gold. With this diff
ference the commercial ratio remained
about Is Of silver to Of gold.
Why did tie republicans in congress
in 1893 vote against the free coinage of
silver at any ratio?
While our products, wheat, cotton
and silver, are American products, sill
yer is used to beat the life out of these
other products and to compete against
| the cheap labor of India, it being a
wheat and cotton country and a COM
| petitor in the markets of England.
England buys our demonetized silver
at 63 cents Per ounce and ships it to
London and exchanges it for a bushel
of wheat delivered in London. The
ounce OF silver is shipped to India then
coined into rupees equal in value to
$l.32 of our money whereby the pro-
Queer of wheat in India gets S1.32 for
his bushel of wheat grown in India,
less the cost of delivery in London;
while the American producer has to
compete with the ounce of silver, IS
cents in London. less the cost of ship
ment from the place of production to
London. Therefore the American pro-