The evening times., 1896-08-22
W. H. Keene's View Of the
White Metal Craze.
HE DOESN'T KNOW IT ALL
Foremost Countries of High Financial
Standing Have Discontinued the
Coinage of Silver Except as Sub
sidiary Currency OF Our
Foreign Trade.

Tour times as much as anybody else Wli
| believe, and. who believes Iour times as
much us he can prove" This definition.
TO my mind, is peculiarly applicable To the
greater part OF the rampant shouters Tor
lice coinage.
| 4 nave Dccn studying the absorbing qucs-
| ton with all OF the intelligence granted
me, reading. listening ana 0lscussing, and
| nave been ma lie very tired by TIE wordyre-
iterailua OF assertions taaS II we plant this
particular thistle we Will get an elegant
crop or grapes rion it. l frankly confess
thaa l % not know all about the subject.
My faculties are limited, aaI do not claim
To foresee with certainty the result o.
gigantc experiment, nesther do 1 s5e my
way Clear to accept the clamorols asser-
tlons OF enthusiasts as proof OF knowledge
superior to experience and immutable nat
urai laws
aiso held With the indiv ividual who ex-
| pressed the conviction tnat lit Is a darn
! sight better not to Know so mucn than to
know SO much tnut amt so,'' and want
some more POSITIVE proof than the
OPINION" the ''tEink,'' or tile know"
| OF the enthusiasts tnaJ free coinage will
raise silver 10 a par with gold. In COM
mon with every other man WHO does,
or tiles To do, Ills own thinking, / must
| deci lie my attituae in accordance with my
own understanding, and / have not been
dispense Will! common sense and Il proper
regard for demonstrated experience
A sHAKY FOUNDATION.
| Getting down to bedrock through the
wild waste and shoreiess sea- OF delu-
| >ise words and the qulcgslud OF misreprc-
isentatiou, We ind tnit the foundation OF
this scheme rests on the "behef' OF
credu.lty; there is nothing else uGder it,
Turning TO facts, we know that all or the
| foremost COUNTRIES or ign financial stand
| ing have discontinued the Coinage OF Sill
yer. except as subsidiary currency. We also
| know that, ro, W ,tistanding the purchase
ana coinage OF hundreds or millions OF dol
lars in silver. upon the insistence OF Bryan,
| Stewart, Jones Co, and Their dupes. in
the hope OF holding UP the value of the white
metal, 1t constantly and steadily went
| down. These are facts PLAIN. well-known
facts Is there anything, IN this history, any
thing n this purchased exper ;ence 10 justify
the enthus .asuc assertion that the process
| can now he reversed By the free and TN
limited coinage of silver?
l have heard uf The old darkey's discov-
| cry OF the wonderful pO wers conveyed by
| a writ OF 'riery fungus, by which "dey
| can take a ma II JUS Us well where he amt
| as where he is.'' Have the engineers or this
| new dIspensation coiogued with the darkey
who made THIS wonderful discovery and
I evolved a new PRINCIPLE b. which they can
reverse the law OF gravitatiOn?
There is also the fact that We are but one
| among the nations Of the earth, and have
| 4 large commerce with the Others, par
| Ii culaily with those who have passed
| through this silver halIucDation and been
| cured. VIII any one of these silver ad-
| vocates claim that ir lie had 500 900 capi-
| tai he could engage in business and, by
| paying twice as much for his goods. under
| sell ten other merchants OF equal or greater
| capital who combine against him?
OUR FOREIGN COMMERCE.
| There was n merchant once who made
| the confidential explanation to customer
| that lie was abb. To sill goods below
| cos" because he sold SO much OF them"
| / don't know OF any other who ever
| achieved this triumph in Lcsiness matters,
and think he died. Dut perhaps his secret
| has come into possession or some or these
| enthusiasts.
| In regard TO our foreign commerce il
seems 10 me that here is the point where
many, looking, as myself, for light, fall
| down. They Iail 10 rs;liZe the immensity
/ of our foreign trade, and that it lis the
| amount OF our surplus disposed OF abroad
| which regulates prices here as well as
| there. As OF cid, al roads led to Rome,
SO today al trade centers in London.
Again, II We Duy goods from oreien coun-
|
| II the scheme OF Bryan, Stewart, Jones i
Company goes through, We will Lave TO ac
| cept payment for goods sod them in our
| noney-siiver. Is not this self-eyident
| fact?
IL is not a question OF the value Of a
| silver Collar in domestic transactions, eS-
cept as the SAINT is affected by foreign ex-
| change. The argument that this ''wise
| financial policy of free coinage will II ak e
| US independent appeals only to ignorance
and creduiity, and catches only those who
think we Could discontinue all foreign re-
| lations andstill maintain our position am ing
| the enlightened and progressive nations of
the earth. With such as thcs. it is indeed
"a waste OF lather to shave an ass"
| TO THE FARMER.
Let those who would consider the result
| of pa ying in gold and receiving payment
in silver ascertain for themselves the
| amount OF our exports and imports, and
| figure how long we could Keep this up
without getting to a silver hasis. Also
what prices we may have to pay after
the gold now in Stock has been ABSORBED
by other countries. Particularly let the
farmer, whose deplorahle condition is the
object of so much soictude on the Part
OF these philanthropists, figure what per-
centage agricultural products constitutes of
the gigantic total, and conclude whether
he wishes feitlier to be independent" OF
that market, or to be paid in silver at
| half price.
So much for the prospect the future pre-.
sents. What is the present effect of this
Imminent deadly breach OF our financial
system? Speaking for myself, ! have an
1 opportunity TO acquire lCng-desircd home
| an ideal place, ut d low figure, and on very
advantageous terms, but the dark-brown fl
nanciGl aspect inpcls the owner, most
4 naturally, to insist that the deferred pa y
ments and the interest shall be paid in gold,
! and as am but sa!aried clerk, whose in-
! come is Just about adequate 10 the support
OF my famiIy. l am unwilling to bind m yself
in that way. Being also ..indifferentiy
honest" l. could not avail myself OF the
| Populistic provision that any such stipula-
ton in a contract shall be null and void,
even if Gould regard such provision as
constitutional.
So, you will see that have already been
kicked and hurt by the Populstic hoof of
the Democratic mule, and 1.-THE .,cuae /
have to love 1t does tnot) much excuse the
appertaining rage to SUCH greeting"
There are also others, and will be more be
fore the ides of November.
WOULD BENEFIT A FEW.
Will the man who has been kicked by
u mule and painfully hurt take kindly to
the suggestion that il he will allow HIM
lself TO be further kicked by two mules
it will feel good? 1 wish bad as many
dollars as he won't.
So far L have been able to see that the
free coinage of silver would be a certain
benefit to the few owners of silver mines
4 and to the people of other countries, but
4 have not been able to see where the benefit
to myself, TO other wage-earners, or to
the agriculturists of our own country would
be other than dubious. will grant thai
the ultimate effect might be beneficial
| IN aoyna II thpy Surviyqf1. but We nj