New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-30
PLAIN WORDS.

Men and brethren: Why not take TINS Tree
coinage bull by the horns? Why beat about
the bush. and through fear Of giving offence
to men who want to engage IN dishonest
transaction and still maintain reputation Tor
honesty, treat the 10 to rascality as a ques-
ton of political economy or fnancef 1t isn't
either: and no grown man Of ordinary intelli-
gence thinks 1t Is 1t Is a plain question OF
common honesty and nothing else. No formula
of words or. phrases can disguise it; no maze
Of scientific or technical terms conceal It; no
tedious dissertation on the volume OF currency
and the per capita adjustment affect Its merits;
no profane denunciation Of 1.-The crime of 10
change its character. They say there are a
great many honest farmers" In the country
who are discouraged because their products
their wheat corn, oats hay and hogsbring in
sufficient prices. and that they are inclined to
look with favor upon the 16 to business IN inc
vague hope that in some way one pretends
to know how-just as soon as the Government
begins to stamp flfty-three cents worth or Sill
yer as a hundred-cent dollar their products
will advance In price prOportionately, while all
other things, including wages and the neces-
saries Of life. will remain unchanged.
And these are "honest farmers! Yes; just
such honest farmers as the "come-ons, who
see no harm in an "hOnest" endeavOr to I'M
prove their financial condition by specializing
In green goods" Just such honest farmers
as have fattened bunco-steerers and made the
green goods industry profitable these many
years Make no mistake about your honest
farmers or any class Of deuded fools who
think that by any sort Of hocus-pocus OF finance
or Juggling with the plain meaning OF words
they can sneak forty cents out OF every
dollar of their debts or sneak forty cents
of fictitious value into every dollars worth OF
the products they have to sell There's no man
with intelligence enough to count hundred
who does not know almost by instinct that such
process whatever be the sanction for 1t or
the authority under which 1t is done. is dis
honest in It's origin and rascally in It's result
And the man who toys with the temptation,
hestates and mumbles about 1t. and doesn't
quite understand it," but thinks there may
be something in it,, or, at any rate, that IL can
make times any harder" end 1.-THE experiment
IS at least worth tryng'-that man. You may
be sure lacks the fibre Of personal integrity
He has the propensity to dishonesty which with
varying degrees Of cunning or discretion only
awaits opportunity.
We are not mincng words. The time has
come when not only the credit OF the Nation
in paying its debts and its nonor in fulfilling
all its obligations to the letter without question
or bubble are at stake but the reputation or
every citizen as an honest man is involved and
the issue cannot be too fOrcibly or too plainly
stated Let no man fool himself with the no
ton that he can improve his own condition or
| promote the interests Of any class of citizens
by advocating such a bald swnde as the de-
basement Of the National currency would be
and either maintain his own credit or hold up
his head among honest men. There is no ex-
cuse for being bewildered. befuddled or be-
logged by existing conditions or by the incom-
prehensible nonsense with which the silver
mine owners the Boy Orators and the be-
whskered demagOgues are flooding the cour-
| try. The obligations Of this Nation, to the
amount Of hundreds Of millions are outstand-
ing all over the world. They have been taken
and paid for at hundred cents in the dollar. ac-
cordng to the accepted standard OF value the
world over But here IS a commodity which
| can be bought anywhere In the markets OF the
| world at the rate Of GO cents per ounce, ana
| the proposition Of these buncO-steerers. green
| goods men and money fakirs Is to call 1t worth
| 81 20 an ounce by Government nat, ana pay
In 1t all our National and individual obligations.
That Is the simplest statement OF 1t. and II
cannot be evaded. Can any man favor That
process Of paying debts and pretend to be
honest?
Let us have done with this pussy-footed treat
ment of bald dishonesty and this tender solicl-
tude for the feelings Of men who want to DO
| n dishonest thing without losing their standing
| and credit in the community as honest men.
lot us draw the line and call things by their
| right names