The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-10-07
RlSMARck'S LETTER.

s01sI- - sssser - SAe - Lo~r1s Esces-
asssa- discusses ire sesse< q Prince
nsnafrx to Gov. C1sb@-scn- % Texas
ssoxsg lc- Ire er-Gzss has see-s ---s-s-
La n -rarslasson x-ss h sr.<snr,r-svv a.
ne EMISSIONS 20 wesscA n ras nr answer.
MI aRrxncs1- Sa~x- Prime aaU1-cxFs
rerscEl c-xa3 the He--hn-xer Narh-
-zcxen. - ~ Issue a. September g rzse-
sssses fsse Azsshsr-ac version az TIE rucn-
.ask---os esssr 81 Ia. Statesman 60 Gov.
gs1-oeFsssn- OF Tsxaa srsa r coes 80. X
sayS oecaE<e the verxson published IN
Ges--aa ard Ar,.-.can rsw scapers a.
fers n scEre points rrom Esaax ne prime
ars1z-1y w-ose- DO not ar r-ssca Stress
On rAe difference between re c-sxsrsaa arS
ne version published herA because e-sa
she A@7er does nos. Ia my Judgment. sas-
--fr ne Bryaa parry n citing z IN sup
sc-r Of their cause.
What desire 20 call attention 20 - q
act Enic< seems - have been lost ssghs
81 n ire discussions Of the sursec-. name
y. that ibis latter IS a reply % certain
specanc inquiries. Ard thai consequently
me form o. these inquiries - o. the great
est importance. Permit me 10 say a.
IRE outset. .Aat. considered n connection
viii the questions. Prince Bi-narcks al
swsr u. In my humble Judgment. not
only 10 argument n savcr OF -se free
coinage o. silver a. Is 10 I. bat sse strong
lcaa proposition OF an srserna.scna, agree
sse1f- AM other sesrresa-soa wog.d -
a. a1rorT 70 the greaE German states
man. because IL only foundation cos1sd De
the absurd slcpox.son that Re u not con-
versaat with the subject he was writing
about Il . true that the Old chancsisor
never regarded himself as Al authority
On the intricate Questions OF finance. and
ne . candid and great enough 10 admit
this even n the above letter ba, he
dealt with those problems successfully
for more than generation. and 20 insan-
u1.e that he could imagine for Z single
noneE. that i6 20 / free coinage Law,
enacted cy any single country. would Be
step in the direction OF an International
agreement. instead Of away from II,
a-7eurs-s - q charge Of absurd ignorance.
BY cTrnS the Bismarck seteer n their
favor the Eryanzres make such 4 charge.
nut 81 - see On which side the ignorance
really Il.
Coy. Cuiberxon's two questions were a.
follows. Gu Which. in your Judgment. IL
the best policy to adopt-she gold stand
ard or bi-metailism-giving your reasonsr
CO What effect. in your Judgment wiz
the immediate adoption OF ei-meta.sism by
tho United States have CT ess cause Of b.
Uetalltsrn In Germany and other great
commercial. nations,
You viii perceive at glance that these
questions are iixincsre IL they are intend
ed as an explanation of the present nnan-
ciai issue In our country. The issue 10 free
courage AZ Is TO l. ard hat - not h-meta,-
iisms IS. In fact. more remote from BIZ
metaiiism than the single gold standard,
because under that standard silver Is
being extensively used. while Is
to free silver law would drive
out every dollar OF the yellow
metal and consequently result IN silver
mono-mstallIsm. IL the science OF finance
were taught Ia kfndergarsens this would
be ooc Of the hrse and asiess lessons.
The way Coy. Culnerscn pat his queries,
therefore. was either at the expense OF
his judgment or his honesty. Il he desired
information on the real issue In this cam
paign. II, on tbs other hand. he soug At
the German s.atssman's advice on the
mere academscal question as 70 whether
the gold standard or honest bi-me saiilsm
Is preferable rAea his questions a. well
as Bssnarck's answer have no bearing
whatever on the main issue OF the day.
which. by the way, 10 not the adoption OF
the gold standard. but It's maintenance as
against the introduction o. the single silver
standard threatened b. the advocates OF
the Chicago platform.
.sUnconcerned about party contentious
In tho United States, Prince Bismarck
takes the sincerity Of tire inquiry for
granted and proceeds 20 state his honest
preference for oi-me.aii.sm. It IL posi-
tsvsiy iucicrous to suppose that by this
term ne should mean the simultaneous
use OF two yardssicks. one oniy half as
long as the other. He ccntempiafes. OF
course. the e0ua.t<y OF both, and since
the gold yards:ick canno, be shortened.
no. even with the consent OF the world.
honest bi-metaiiism Is In bis eyes what
Il II In the judgrucn. Of every sound
tAr nry- y,p ~ eli xa az
stick. 50 that the legal ratio OF both gold
and silver viii correspond with the conn
mercIai ratio % the two metals. This
can be accomplished by an international
agreement which fixes the legal approxi-
mately IN accordance with the commercial
proportions. and TO bring about such an
agreement viii. in the even; OF Mcixin-
ley's election. be the mission OF the Re-
publican party. On the other hand. no
more effectuai bar 10 the concerted ac-
tfon OF tho commercial natsons could be
devised than the adopfscn OF free colna &c
by this country aeorA. because al
other nations would dump their silver
here and. gradually getting possession Of
all our gold, would lose ali interest in the
question OF an International ratio
The ex-ehanceilor carefully refraias
from expressing an opinion as to whether
an independent step In the direction OF b.
metailism on our part would rebound 70
the benefit OF the United States. He mere
ly says IF Wa should fnd Ii compatible
with our interests to take Independent ac-
ton: and this Is the real question to be
decided by the American people In the
present o&mpaign. When Prince Bismarck
was himself confronted with Il IN he early
70. be decided axalrst silver, against RI
meta.Iisn and In favor Of gold. although
as a friend and ally Of the feudai lords he
was favorahly inclined toward the double
standard Bat he evidently came TO the
conclusion that the latter was not COM
pstible with the best interests Of the Ger
man empire and the grand strides toward
greatness and prosperity Germany has
made since the introduction OF the god
ssazsssz-i Is azrspse orocf os the correctness
OF bis Judgment. HIS fr means that he
comedies sufficient intelligence 70 The
American people uot TO ventura leap into
the dark sxains. their well understood In
teresss But that an international agree
ment IL desirable he asserts positively. and
In this he agrees with TIE Republican par
~ and every sound money usan in the
United States
But. perhaps. the mine owners journals
Will continue to cite Bismarck In support
OF their cause FOR the same reason they
keep their candidate on Tire stump: they
are unsogsr stscated a. 10 the queer prop
critics OF the boomerang"