Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-10-22

statesmen of the country. They would
have US believe what history does. not
support-that gold and silver enjoyed
equal privileges in the minis of the
United States during all our history
down to 1878. They assert that the
stopping of the free coinage of silver in
1913 was ''the crime of the century" and
is the cause of the present deplorabls
business condition of the country. They
must know that prior TO 1873 we had
less than 100000 of silver dollars in
circulation. We have coined since that
time nearly 50O.O0OOOO of silver dollars.
and they constitute part of the cufS
us that when the coinage of both gold
and silver was free in the United States
the per capita circulation in this country
was less than il has been since the so1
called "crime of 1873" Why, undef
the free coinage of both gold and silver
in the days of the fathers we had in
1900 a per capita of $499; in 1888 it
before the resumption of specie pays
ments, and when we were doing business
with unlimited paper currency. IT was
S1S.19; in 1894, twenty-one years after
the suspension of free coinage of silver,
we had per capita of S24SS, and every
dollar was as good as gold in every part
of the world. We have greater per
capita in the United States than has,
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and greater per capita than has Ger
many. The per capita OF the whole
world is about S5.15. The per capita OF
the gold standard countries is SIS. while
the per capita of the silver standard
countries-of which they want to make
us one-is about $40. Even in the
gold standard countries we have more
silver per capita than they have in the
silver countries of the world. The gold
standard countries, having a popula-
ton Of less than one-third Of the worlds
population, have nearly two-thirds of the
circulation of the worlds currency. The
United States has about 81 per cent. Of
the total population of the principal
countries of the world, yet it has
30 21-100 per cent Of the banking re-
sources and nearly is per cent. of the
total money supply of the world. france
has a higher per capita than the United
States, but the banking deposits in the
United States are $77.76 per inhabitant,
or S43 greater for each inhabitant than
the banking deposits of France.
Per Capita Rate Would Decrease.
1T must never be forgotten that the
free coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to
/ would not increase but would decrease
our per capita circulation. 1T would add
nothing to it, but would rob us OF the
good money we now have and put us
are today-upon a silver basis alone.
There is nothing in our present currency,
status, therefore, to disturb MS, except
to defeat the party which proposes to de-
base it. 1t is the proposition to dehase
our currency standard that has created
CONSERVATION in every business center OK
the country; has made times hard, has,
driven money from active industry, and
put it behind barred doors, where it will
be kept until confidence is restored
THE people will not consent to de-
crease Of their circulating medium, nor a.
debasement of that medium of exchange
/ If by your votes this menace TO the mon
ey and credit of the country be dispelled,
and by the same votes you restore the
American protective policy, that will stop
/ deficiencies in the treasury, and will pro-
/ tect American industry, and courage
! and confidence will come back again.
1 Open the mills and the mines of our
country by a judicious protective tariff
and you will stop idleness and distress
| in the ranks of labor, and you can't stop
| it in any other way. What will be the
voice of Maryland on the Sd day of No
vember? (Cries of Mckinley, McKin-
ley.) What will be the voice Of the
| great city of Baltimore? (Cries of Nc
Kinley.o How will that old conservative
city speak for national honor? (Cries OF
BY voting for Mckinley and portee-
tion.D
II thank my old comrades of the war
for their presence here at my home to-
day. / thank my fellow citizens of every
vocation for having paid me this visit,
and | beg to thank them in the name of
the Republican party for their assur-
ances of loyal support to the principles of
public honor, protective tariff, sound
money, reciprocity. which will bring to
us, trust and firmly believe, good times,
from which we wildly ran away in
1892"