The representative., 1896-10-14
MORE LIES AND SoPHISTRIES
The Cincinnati Enquirer Sweeps
Away a Whole Hogshead
of Them.
JOHN SHERMAN THE HEAD
DEVIL, PUNCTURED AND
GIIBETTED.

Attacked on all sides, and confronted
with the proofs of the crime Of 1875 SEN
ator Sherman. compelled to take some no
tice Of what Is being said of him, rises to
the occasion He declares in his recent
published statement that he has never
been able to what motive could have
existed for secrecy I'm this matter. He says
that the bullion in the silver dollar was
then worth a fraction over 81. .O3 in the
markets of the world. Germany had not
vet adopted the gold standard and here
comes the language which is "chldlika
and bland" was the smile of Bret
Harte's heather Chinee." He says:
There was no indication whatever of
the fall in silver, and no one could fore
see that it was destined to rapidly decline
in price. No one asked to have the dollar
coined, and no one was opposed to it's dis
continuance"
How strange It must seem to Mr.. Sher-
man that in 1873 there was no indication
Of the fall of silver. England and Portu-
gal were then the only nations of the earth
which were on a gold oasis. Germany and
Austria We're on silver basis. The mints
of the Latin Union and the United States
were open to the free coinage of silver.
Silver bullion did not come into the United
three per cent more coin in the European
mints than in those of this country. 1t
was because that there was no indica ton Of
the fall of silver that it's dcmonetization
was a wanton blow 1t the worlds prosper
ity.
There never wac any commercial value'
to silver bullion or gold bullion so long
both could be exchanged for coin upon
presentation at the worlds mints, at
the mintS Of any one great nation. If an
ounce of silver could be exchanged for
$1.29 in gold coin what a thrice sodden ass
man would be who would sell 1t on the
outside at less. AS well talk about the
commercial value of $40 gold pieces. Mr..
Sherman knows this. He merely hopes
to confuse the public mind 1t is part
Of the jargon of the gold monometallists to
talk about 1.-The commercial value of sill
ver." Metals convertible at will into coin
can have no commercial value distin
guishcd from the coin value. AS well talk
about having two water levels in the same
reservoir.
Mr.. Sherman knows that silver fell in
value because he and his co-conspirators
demonetizcd it. Demonetize gold, which
is now worth over $40 an ounce in coin,
and it might not be worth s. an ounce.
Mr. Sherman and his friends. the great
European bankers demOnetized silver sole
ly to reduce the amount Of money in the
world one-half. and thereby increase the
purchasing power Of the other one-half. Il
was done to cause a fall in silver''-"a de-
cline in price, 1t was done to increase
the value of the bonds Of tho United States
and the bonds of all other nations, and of
all the states and corporations. and Of all
An,, t1,a
Of enabling the gerat creditors to take twice
as much property from their debtors in
payment Of their debts as would be re-
uuired under a double standard. It is an
insult to intelligence for Mr. Sherman to
say that no one could see that silver was
destined to decline in price. 1t was worth
Just as much before 1t was coined after
ward, for the sole reason that 1t could he
coined without limit. Decentralization in
the United States would not have affect
ed Its value. had it not been followed under
similar influences by similar action on the
part Of Germany. France and the Latin
Union. The action of the other govern
ments was Il part and parcel Of the con-
spiracy in which Mr.. Sherman acted
prominent a part. With all the mints
closed, of course silver had no coinage
value. 1t was thus reduced to a COM
modify like lead. just as gold would have
been under similar circumstances.
Mr.. Sherman says:
1.-The silver dollar was out Of circulation
long before the law of 1873 was enacted.
1t was thing Of the past; lost to sight:
conceived by Hamilton In 1892, suspended
by Jefferson in 1906. practically demone-
tized by Benton and the men of 1884 under
Andrew Jackson. ignored by two genera
tions, except as a convenience for the ex-
portation of silver bullion, and called back
to the mind Of the present generation, only
because silver has fallen in price, and is
deemed more valuable as coin than as
bullion
Let us examine these plausible utter
ances. Gold coin, equally with the silver
dollar. was "out of circulation long before
the passage of the act of 1873. Specie pay.
ment had then been suspended for eleven
years, and so continued for six years after
ward.
Why does not Mr.. Sherman tell the people
that, when Jefferson made an order for
the temporary suspension of the coinage
of silver dollars, at that very time, and for
fourteen years before, and for seven years
afterward the free and unlimited coinage
Of half dollars and quarters, dimes and
nalI dimes was COIltllucut Wny UOoS not
he say that all these coins were full legal
tender in the payment of debts in any
amount whatever, from 1892 until 1853? Why
does he not say that during these sixty-one
years the owners Of silver bullion could
take 1t to the mint and have 1t coined
without charge and without limit? Why
does he not say that under this free CO.
Image system more than 900 Of silver
was coined prior to 1S73 and all of 1t a full
legal tender? Why do he and his associ-
ates harp upon the fact that only about
eight millions Of the whole dollars were
coined prior to 1873. when he knows that
besides the dollars there was over sc, 0o0. 600
Of fu., legal tender money coined IN frac-
tions of dollars.
1t is not true that silver was demonetized
In 1884. There is no semblance Of truth in
st. The only change then made was that
gold coins were made lighter than they had
been before. The original ratio Of our COIN