Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-05-21
A HORRIBLE CRIME.
Demonstration OF Iron Twenty-Five Hum
dred Years Ago.

uIeu lehEb AkOs
Alexander P. Hull, of Atlanta, is q
strong sixteen-to-one man. He does
not believe in halfway measures.
The free-coinage of silver idea
is too tame for him. lie is will
ing to see the silveritcs and to go
them 100 points better. Here are his
declaration, proposition and argument:
Having been deeply impressed by the
arguments of Judge Crisp, Bryan, Stew
art, Jones and other silver leaders, and
especially grieved, shocked and horri-
fed by the "awful crime of 1873" ns so
luridly depicted daily in the columns of
the Atlanta Constitution and other sill
! yer organs, 1 have changed my views or
the money question and am ready to
maintain the propositions following in
joint debate or newspaper controversy.
I accept the arguments of the advo-
Gates of silver and agree with their REM
e1y as far as it goes. However, 1t does
not go far enough. Let us have plenty
Of rcnledy-in fact, enough to make
debt and poverty things of the past
relics of the dark ages. ! am in favor of
the free and unlimitedc coinage ofpig iron
at ratio of sixteen to one with gold by
the United States alone, independently
of all nations, and can prove by the best
authority obtainable that such a policy
ON the part of the United States will
"raise prices" put plenty of money in
circulation" and give the "honest debtor
chance to pay his debts;" thereby
making the whole country prosperous.
Now, in the first place, it may be
urged by some "who do not understand
the subject of standards of value" that
afree-coinage act for iron would notraise
its price to ratio of sixteen to one with
gold. To them reply that 'the stamp
of this government" and the illegal ten
der qualities" of the iron dollar would
instantly make the bullion value of pig
iron the same as the mint value. For
who would part with an ounce of this
precious metal for anything less than
the mint value" (Stewart, Jones and
Bryan.)
Again, it may be urged that our mipts
would be overcrowded with pig iron. I
reply shat the price of pig iron having
been raised from $3.50 ton to a ratio of
sixteen to one with gold the world over
no one would especially care to carry
it to the mints, since the mint price
could be obtained anywhere in the open
mnrlhet." ATLANTA Constitution.)
Next, it may be urged that gold and
silver would go out of circulation. /
reply, first, "This is mere assumption
of the tools of the money power which
they cannot verify" ATLANTA Constitu-
tion); second, Suppose gold and silver
do 60 out of circulation, IS there not
plenty fpig iron to take their place and
give the people plenty of money"
Rryan); and, third, "Such ain assump-
tion mixes the idea of circulating me-
dium and standard of value. that gold
and silver would still be potential
money metals, though not in circula-
ton, and would lend their help toward
raising prices and causing general pros
perity" Crisp.
Then, again, it may be urged against
the pig. iron standard of value that
wages would not rise in proportion to
prices. The reply is: "Wages would
be compelled to rise, since no man would
be fool enough to work for one dollar
day who could make $1,000 per day
picking up rusty nails and old horse
shoes and carrying them to the mint for
coinage" (HulD.
In addition it may be urged by the
money power, by the "Wall street
sharks" and the Bond street Shylocks"
that we could not alone go on pig iron
basis without an international agree
ment. ITO such dastards as dare to lay
q limit to the power of the American
people to do what they please, independ-
emily of all nations, hurl their cow
ardioe and lack of patriotism back in
their faces" (Bryan).
The ''crtme" Of demonetizing pig iron
took place about 2,2oo years ago, when
certain "goholators" and "silverites,"
iporder to increase the purchasing pow
er of their ill-gotten wealth, secretly
and "lfke thieves in the night" got the
demonstration act passed repeating the
good old free coinage act of Lycurgus,
"the friend of our sncestprs' daddies."
To-day China Is the only country On
sarth honest enough to coin iron, and
there the happy laborep can carry home
the wages QS his hQnsst toll i9 wheel
baEroW" Atlanta ConsHtuton).
A ruinous fall in prices followed the
demonetization of iron and has con-
ttuued for upward of {, 900 years. Ihave
calculated the losses entailed upon the
honest people of this world by that
ruthless oct. but the figures are so ennr-
NOUS I fear q revolution will ensle II
the people learn how greatly they have
been robbed. But facts are facts, and
the best way to write q wrong is to
meet tt squarely. THAT loss is $21 ,oOO.-
900, 900, 900. .O0o. .oO0, ,oOo, ,OOO, ,OOo, 600"
aCofu's Financial SCHOOL,.
In conclusion I insist that the free
coinage of pig iron will DO everything
that is claimed for silver and infinitely
more The people will be rich and pros
porous. The once poor man can pay bis
deb$s with his old stove. Railroads can