The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1896-07-09

much to be desired. For my own part.
l have always believed that Lord Alden
heim-then Mr. Gibbs-was right
when he declared in his evidence before
our currency commission III 1856, that
any first-class nation. but especially
America, could 90 safely to free coin
age. Mr.. Gibbs is, rs you are aware,
one of our merchant princes, whose
whole life has been spent i'll trading
with every part of the world, and to
whom exchange complications are as
the points Of the compass to mariner.
VINO is in position to ridicule such
an authority as this? Certainly not
the ordinary editors of the daily papers
who yet continue to call free silver,
which Lord Aldenheim declared prac
ticable, "a ''craze y
A word in conclusion. On a certain
Monday in June, 1898, the ratio of
silver to gold was "a Il on Friday of
the same week it was 30 Il :; your go
cent dollar had in four days become
"5O-cent dollar and why? Because
the mints of Il single foreign country,
India, (not a first rate country III poiut
OF trade) had been closed Presumably
then had the India mint reopened on
that Friday. the ratio would have re-
verted from 80 Il to "a Il before the fol-
lowing Wednesday, Now let ne ask
those who object to the free coinage IL
the United States. what would have
been the effect if Oh that same Wednes-
day, you had opened your mints to the
free coinage of silver? If India, single
handed, had been able to raise the ratio
20 per cent that is from 80 Il TO "A Il
by free coinage, would not the adj
ditional support of the United States
| have carried the ratio to IL la rise
OF 33 per cent more? And if the
| United States could not have accom-
piished this through free coinage, will
somebody explain why:
The great difficulty, | am aware, as
to the silver question IS TO dlvest men S
minds Of their furious prejndlces. II
i; by playing upon the prej 1dices and
pa, sions Of honest and honorable men
that the one class now becoming rich
and powerful by the mlsfortnnes of
the other classes, has been and still is
/ able to thwart every measure of none
tary reform. | am painfully aware Of
this difficulty which confronts US, be-
cause never having studied the qu0s-
ton, was so fully Convinced OF the
soundness Of the gold theory tia l
could net even bring myself to consider
the arguments of my then oDponcnts-
the bi-mtallists.
Believe me, yours, very faithfully,
MORETON FREWEN.
To the Hon. r. P. Bland. Lebanon,
No. To comment at length upon the
facts and arguments of this remarkable
letter would be a work of superhuity.
So far, it is undoubtedly the most
fOrcible, the most logical, most COW
vincing bolt that has been disch Urged
in the silver campaign. Every Mon
tanian should feel it duty to familiar
ize himself with its incontrovertible
fact and impeachable logic. 1t should
be distributed broadcast in every
wavering district in the United States
and when the various bureaus OF finance
belonging to the Trades and Labor
councils of Montana get down to their
practical task distributing silver liter
ature among the laboring men Of the
eastern states, they cannot make ii bet
ter beginning than by making arrange
ments for the extensive circulation of
the Frewen letter to Dick Bland,
Widely distributed and carefully read,
it should rally to the silver forces in
November thousands of eastern voters
who are now in the mire Of ignorance
and slough of doubt.