The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-03-18
GRIGGS' GEORGETOWN SPEECH
,r WAS ENTHUSIASTICALLY RE-
cFTyED LARGE CROWD.
, strong Plea for Both Silver and Gold
as Primary Money. VIII Speak III
CLAW Next Week.


Tndge Griggs' speech at Georgetown,
(which THE NEWS gives its readers
short synopsis below, was strong pre-
santation of the evils of the single-gold
standard and an able plea for the res
foration of silver as b. sic money.
A large crowd heard him, and his
sreech was heartily applauded and en-
dorsed by all.
Judge Griggs showed briefly how, in
the early history CT the world, it became
necessary to establish medium of ex
obanoe. which, afterwards, in the nature
- events. became the measure of values
and then the standard of nalue, and how
cold and silver had been made this
sstandard of value. He showed that the
two metals had held equally the position
of urinary money in our government
from the time we became an independ-
emit ton until 1873, when, with the
tsstealth of cat" bill was engineered
through our national congress which de-
monetized silver thus cutting off one
half our primary money.
He quoted from government statistics
TO show tha5 the cotton planters of this
country realized as much IN the aggre-
cate for about three million bale crop
Of cotton in 1872 (before the demoneti-
cation of silver as they did for seven
and half million bale crop in 1898
underthe single gold standard.
He urged that silver should be remone-
tizd because RECOMMENDATION, in the
&c RViY1
because restoring silver to the position of
primary money would double the volume
of primary money and therefore increase
prices He insisted that the only rem
edy for this would be the immediate
return to the constitutional standard
of gold and silver by the restoration by
this government, independently of any
foreign power, of the unrestricted free
coinage of both gold and silver into
standard money at the present radio of
16 to /, upon termsiof exact equality
as they existed prior to 1878; the silver
coin to be full legal tender, ,qually
with gold, for all debts sand dues, public
and private.
"The Sound money people tell us"
he sad, 'that if we do this the United
States will become the dumping ground
for the silver of the world, and that we
will become flooded with silver. Well,
admitting that it would, let's see what
the result would be. There is less than
$4,000, 100000 worth of silver in the
world. If all should come it would give
to the United States a per capita circula-
ton of only $57 a.
@In speaking of the folly of the ''inter-
nationa! agreement theory Judge Griggs
said that the United States was strong
enough to stand alone, and quoted from
Mulhall, the celebrated English statisti-
clan, to show that in 1880 the United
States was stronger than England and
Germany combined.
He did not think it necessary to con-
slider but OF ratio, Is to l, the one tried
for SO long, as nature had fixed the ratio
there being Is $40 times as much sill
yer as gold in The whole world.
"Gold standard advocates tell us the
honor of the United States demands
payment in gold," said he; ''bonds say
standard money of 1870, and silver was
the standard in 1870. The senate pass
ed a resolution of Senator Matthews, of
Ohio, in 1877 that bonds are payable at
the option OF the government in silver
dollars Of the United States, containing
each 4123 grains of standard silver. The
nations honor demands no more than
personal honor"
He illustrated the money power advis-
ing the farmers with the fable of the
wolf and goat. A wolf was walking
along valley one fine morning and
spied a goat standing upon high rock.
The wolf said: "Good morning, Mr..
Goat" to which Sir William replied
Good morning, Mr.. Wolf" Said the
wolf; "Mr. Goat, why do you stay up
there where the grass is short and scarce
and parched, when down here in the
valley the grass is so tender and green
and the waters So sparkling and
sweet?' cit is true replied the goat,
that the grass is short and scarce and
paTched up here and that it is very fine
down there in the valley, but, Mr..
wolf, there are no wolves up here,
coats should never take advice from
wolves" The people should never take
advice from Wall street as to their inter
ests,
In closing Judge Griggs said "Roman
mythology teaches us of the she-wolf
VINO heard the CRIES of the castaways,
homuluS and Remus. on the banks of