The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1896-08-21
MR.. HARRIS TALK
He Deals with ti,e Currency in n Plain,
Convincing Manner.

Convincing Manner.
After Mr. Dayton had finished, Chair
man Whitaker introduced Mr.. Charles
Burdett Hart. In u few we'll chosen
words. Mr.. Hart said:
"Thirty-llve years ago the country
turned to the Republican party to save
1t from the disaster of disunion. The
Republican party. new to the business
of government, accepted the solemn
trust and discharged we'll that sacred
duty. Every sane person rejoices to-
day that the conflict OF that day result
ed as 1t did Now the country turns
again to the Republican party to save 1t
from the disaster OF unsound money
and unsound thrift, Tho Republican
party, now experienced In the business
OF administering the affairs OF the gov-
eminent on business principles. accepts
this solemn trust and Will discharge with
fidelity and success issucrcd duty; and
even free silver Democrats will rejoice
to know that they are to keep on getting
II hundred cents every time a dollar il
due them.
Political conditions have changed in
this county. There Is no longer a solid
south; but there is Il solid, sound bus
mess sense that cannot longer be de-
ceived and Will not he tritled with. The
men who would debasc the currency
and disturb public and private credit
concede this business sense to the
counting room, and take for granted
that 1t does not exist in the workshop.
III the mine, on the farm. BY misstate-
ment OF facts. by twisting the philoso-
ply of history, by Juggling statistics, by
drawing false conclusions from an undi-
Eestcd and indiSSstible mass of gro-
tesque abSurdities. they seek to make
the people believe that at last they have
found great deal of nothing out of
| which very much of something of great
| value may be made. They profess to
| know how to extract sunshine out of
cucumbers without cost and as they 20
along lay up treasure out OF the by-pro-
\ duct. They offer a stone labelled bread.
but the American masses are aroused
| and VIII pelt them to death with their
| bogus bread.
L What Does II Meant
"Whnt is this new peril that mcnaces
the country? There is loud clamor
for the free. unlimited and independent
coinage of silver dollars at ratio of is
to !. What docs this mean? Many
fairly informed persons do not know.
The thing has been rushed to the front
In the hope off catching the people nap
ping. The better 1t is understood the
4
First. let us see what free coinage
docs not mean. 1t does not mean. as
some think, that the government is Ia
give AWAY silver dollars. Ii does NOT
mean that the government is to be COM
PEELED to coin sixteen silver dollars as
often as 1t coins one gold dollar II
does not mean that for every gold dol
lar man has he can get sixteen silver
dollars. The other day a man went
Into u Wheeling bank with n respccta-
Bile sum of silver and paper money and
asked to have 1t exchanged for gold.
| TIC cashier give him the gold and then
neked what he wanted with it. He re-
Piled that We are going to have free
coinage of silver at l6 to I, and then he
would get sixteen silver dollars for ey-
I cry gold dollar he had. Meanwhile m
make sure of his savings, he wanted Ia
lay them away in gold. Senator Teller
Will Erieve when he hears of this. There
are other views MS erroneous, but these
VIII serve to illustrate.
THE free and unlimited coina.c nj
standard silver dollars means that who,
ever has the amount OF standard silye,
that goes into II silver dollar may send
1t to the United States mint and have
II coined into n dollnr and handed owe,
TO him free of charge. II the owner al
that dolalr wishes to make n purchase
the seller must accept the silver dollar
no matter what may be the market
value of the silver in it. If he owes n
uebt tue creditor must accept the nun.
bcr OF these silver dollars reprcsented
by the debt, II he tenders--offers--th
silver dollars the law Is to compel thci,
acceptance. This is what is meant IN
the free coinage OF full legal tender
dollars.
The Ratio.
1--WE come now to the ratio There
are 4i2is grains OF standard silver In n
silver dollar. There are 25.S grains O,
standard gold in gold dollar. There
Is sixteen times the weight of silver in a
silver dollar that there is OF gold In a
gold dollar. This ratio was fixed Inv
law to correspond with the relative
commercial values of the two metals nj
time when sixteen ounces of silver
would buy anywhere an ounce OF gold
The law did not create the ratio. Il
merely recognized 1t. The present de.
Inand Is that the government shall de.
clare that sixteen ounces of silver are
worth one ounce OF gold. For sixteen
ounces OF silver to be worth one ounce
OF gold. silver should bring in the mar.
Ret Sl.2929 per ounce. IT brings a frnc.
ton less than co cents an ounce. which
ie 10 cents an ounce higher than II wns
last year. The true ratio to-day il
about 81 to l instead OF l6 to l. Tint is
TO say, II you wish to buy uncoined poid
with uncoined silver you must give a
ounces OF silver for every ounce Of gold
Nowhere on earth can You buv Won,