The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1896-08-20

disciples that, to use their stock expression,
''silver was demonetiZed, or that one-half Of
the aggregate metal money Of the world was
struck down at blow" Let us bring this
| statement to the crucial. absolute test OF
fgures let us confront it with what records
and statistics say upon this,subject, and not
| trust to the vague defamation of any per-
son. The value land / will give you my au-
thority for this statement In moment) OF
all silver coin in the world in 1873 was ST.
81, 900 600. In 1895 it was $4,100,OOOOOO.
The value Of all the gold coin in the world
! in 1873 was $3,O45, 600 OOO;. the value of all
the gold coin in the world in 1895 was
81 200 600. 900; of this quantity Of silver cur
rent in the world in 1895, So, 439, S0O,0 900 was
pears that The quantity of gold
tween 1873 and 1895 only about
81 200, 600, OOO while the increase Of silver
coin for the same period was $2,2S3, 600
more coined in the twentythree years
since 1873 than remained up to that time of
| all the silve;. coinage of the world since
! Noah left the ark. (Applause) And nearly
! double more silver has been coined than
! gold since 1873. What becomes. then, OF
| the assertion of the equal and equable pro"
| duction of silver and gold from year to year
| since time began and of the characterization
of silver since 1873, in the face of this show
ing that between 1873 and 1895 the coinage
Of silver was nearly twice greater than that
of gold? They talk of the characterization
| of silver since 1873 in the face OF silver
| coinage throughout the world since that
year of over So, 900, 100000, of which $685.
444, 467 was minted by the United States!
! (Applause) And Of gold the United States
minted during the same period $93I, 46o,oSS.
| And here, also, Is answered a statement con-
fdently made and plausiDly maintained ana
| vet erroneous in fact, that there has In all
| this time been an enormous contraction OF
| the currency all over the world. These
| figures conclusively demonstrate that the
| statement Is not true.
| have not taken this from the statistics
| of any other speaker or from any book.
know where such statistics are gathered
| with the care which commands the repect
| and confidence OF the civilized world. and
on July %, only a few days ago, l tele-
| graphed to the director of the mint re-
| uuesting information upon these subjects,
and he answered me:
washington, d. c., July 20, 1S06.--Hon.
G. X. Davis. st. Paul, Mimi: The total
value of all silver coins in the world in 1873
| estimate to have been one thousand
| eight hundred and seventeen million dol
| lars. and in 1895 four thousand one hun
dred million. The worlds stock of gold in
1873 is estimated to have been three thous-
and and forty-fve million, and in 1895
| about four thousand two hundred million.
| "-R. e. Preston, Director of the Mint"
| The figures have just given you are the
figures which have Just read. The greatest
business transactions in the way OF finance
on the face of the earth are based upon Of
fetal statements like that and when what
| have said is discussed the only answer
that will be made to it is probably that
| Mr.. Preston, and the officers generally OF
the United States government form one
general-universal gold-bug. Uaughter)
| Now let me give you another Statement.
The coinage of the nations of the world for
| 1892, 1893 and 1894 was as follows: 1892.
gold, $172 Ala, 1874; silver, $155, 81, BAT; 1893,
gold, $232, 400, SIT; silver, 1851, 952,G 600; 1894,
gold, 1927, 921 ,O32; silver, $113, O95, 7SS; to-
tai in three years of $1,O39, $50. 49S. With
all deductions for recoinage this output Of
! coined money Is of immense volume.
1 have thrown out these suggestions and
| will pass from that branch of the discussion
and call your attention to another asser-
ton of the free-coiners; l alluded to 1t
| cursorily a few moments ago, but l pro-
pose now to treat it in the same manner
in which have treated the last preceding
question. The free-cOinerS assert that con-
traction has inflicted all the financial and
| economic miseries that mankind has en-
| dured since 1873 / have shown that there
has been no contraction. l say, further.
that they themselves coolly propose to
bring about contraction Of currency In the
| United States unexampled in the worlds
history, and fraught with more evils than
are recorded in the annals of financial woe.
| In that case. if that Is the logical result
and inevitable consequence of what they
propose, want to know wherein the gold
| bug Is worse than the silver eel?
You ask me for my proof, and will give
| 1t. The unlimited and free coinage of sill
yer In this country will drive out the gold.
This is as indisputable as any law Of physics
such as the law of gravitation. 1t has
driven out gold in every country which has
| unlimitedly coined silver. In fact, there Is
not an enlightened gentleman who will
talk TO you in advocacy Of the free coinage
/ Of silver who does not admit that this will
| be the inevitable result, but they say II will
only last two or three years, and that the
patient will probably survive to take the
new medicine in abundance. But say that
they admit themselves-any intelligent
! speaker upon that subject admits that the
inevitable and irresistibl- tendency and re-
| suit of the free coinage of silver In this
country will be to drive out the gold.
Now let us see how they propose to obvi-
ate 1t. 1t has always struck me that one
Of their ablest champions is Mr.. st. John
| of New York He has been largely and
copiously quoted by them-he was president
| Of a snational bank and was president of
the recent silver convention at st. Louis.
By the bill which he procured to be intro
| duced in congress and drafted and which
! had the endorsement of the silver sentiment
| there, they proposed to bridge over this
| ydWmQg cQaSm WHICH Cuey themselves du-
| mitted would open beneath our feet, by
issuing Understanding treasury notes of
| the United States, secured by deposits Of
uncoined silver o, gold bullion, or by de-
posit Of United States bonds to be Issued
of course for that purpose. Let us look at
| this coolly and calmly and calculate upon
| it little, like men Of sense who are infin-
| itely interested In this matter as one of bus
mess concern and let us see how this pro-
| ject would work; whether 1t would not
| merely
''Skin and film the ulcerous sore
| Whilst rank corruption mining, all within
meets unseen"
We have $500, 900, 600 Of gold in the United
States; I think more. 1t would disappear
| at once In the face of free silver coinage,
| or even the certainty Of 1t. Let this cleo
tion go Democratic-Populist; let the Amer
| lean people record their will that the coin
age of silver shall be free and unlimited,
| long before Mr.. Bryan and his cohorts
| could place the edict into the form Of law
! the just financial fears of mankind-of peo-
pie here in this audience and people every
| where, at home and abroad, would draw
that gold from every channel Of circulation,
| from every vault wherein 1t lies protected
| and 1t would sink into the earth as the
waters which came down from the heavens
| last night. I say 1t would disappear at
| once This bill Of Mr.. st. John so admits,
and that disappearance Is the very ailment
which he proposes to remedy. But in this
| upivarsal ahscOnding of gold there would