The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-09-04

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Of half sense could see why it is SO.
the law should declare that sixty
Is OF wheat was bushel and thirty
LIS OF wheat was bushel, what farm
sould deliver wheat by the sixty-pound
lure II he had sold 1t by the bushel!
NOW, so nice were our people in trying
to adjust this that they went into deci.
NAL fractions. In fact, that is not the
ratio. 1t Is 15.08S plus Now, that IL the
actual ratio. 1t Is so near 1G that we call
1t IT, but the men who made our silver
dollar and our gold dollar were SO nice
IN their calculations that they went iotJ
decimal fractions, into thousandths. to adj.
just 1t accurately.
NOW. what DO these people propose to do?
TO take an account Of thousandths? No
When the markets Of the world fix the rcla.
tive value Of silver or gold at thirty.one
ounces OF silver to one ounce of gold they
propose to say sixteen. daughter, We hear
a great deal about the great resources and
wealth and power of this country, and I do
not allow anybody to go beyond my appre-
citation OF them, but what Ia the ,lse Of
talsiEg about all that when you do not prO-
pose to put this wealth and power and in
nuence behind the silver dollar ut all? ZAP
plause) AS things are now the silver dol.
lars that we have are supported BY the GOV
ernMent' ana the government that supports
THIS silver bullion has issued these dollars
on It's own accOunt-nOt for the mine owner
and 1t has pledged Its sacred honor it
would make every one of these silver dol
lars as good as gold dollar. (Applause.)
and that ts powerful support. Without 1t
disparity between these metals would Mt
once show itself IL the markets and there
would be some sense In the talk which
our Populistfc friends indulge in when they
speak OF the power of the government. They
propose that the men who dig silver out Of
tne mines may bring 1t to the mint and
nave 1t stamped and handed back to them
as a dollar, the government having no re-
sponsibtlity about 1t. These men would re-
Jcct With contempt the proposition that free
coinage was given with n pledge on behalf
OF the government to maintain parity of
the two dollars.
The Governments Fiat.
Will tell you what this government can
do alone. 1t Gun declare by law what shall
be the relative value Of an ounce Of gold
and an ounce of silver, but 1t cannot make
that last declaration good. (Applause.) It
Is unquestionably fully within the power
OF this government to 'ring this country
to a silver basis by coming silver dollars
and making them legal tender. They can
do that. This government says ycu shall
take one of those dollars in discharge Of
any debt owing to you for dollar, not.
withstanding you may have loaned gold
dollars; but you cannot buy and enforce
its decree. II you call out the regular
army and navy and muster out our great
modern ships and add the militia and nut
Bryan In command of them they cannot
enforce the decree that an ounce Of gold Is
the equivalent of sixteen ounces of silver.
(ApplauscD Not only that; not France,
England and Germany can do that unless
the markets respond. (Applause.) Why,
debt. but IL they have bought my goods
at gold prices they cannot make. me give
as many yards of cloth for a silver dollar
as have been In the habit of giving for
a gold one (Applause.) If have gold
dollar in this hand and IL silver one in that,
and you declare they are equal and can
take the gold dollar to bullion broker
and get two dollars for it. know 1t is
lie. (Applause.) II have nothing but q
gold dollar and sugar is twenty pounds
for dollar, will not give that gold dollar
for twenty pounds of sugar. l will take 1t
around to IL broker and get two silver dol
lars for 1t and get the twenty pounds of
sugar and have one silver dollar left We
can coin silver freely, but we cannot make
sixteen ounces of silver equal to one ounce
of gold unless 1t Is, and 1t is not unless
the merchants take 1t at that rate. That
is where it all comes In. 1t Ia the mer-
chant-it is the man who exchanges and
deals in these thlngs-whO fixes the relative
value.
What Is another consequence in this con
nection: These gentlemen say, "Why did
not we win the battle of Bunker Hill?
Naughtcr.) Did not we whip the British
at Yorktown and do yOu mean to say we
gentlemen-if may use such term in
connection with such balderlash--is that IL
nation that can do these great things ard
establish its political Independence can also
he financially and commercially free. It
cannot be free Of the laws of trade. ZAP
plause.). They can say that ten muskrat
skins are equal TO one beaver skin. but that
doesn't make 1t so; the fur trace. fixes that
question. Applause and lauyhtcr.l What is
the next suggestion? 1t is, my friends. in
the case Of free silver, what is the financial
and moral equivalent OF IL declaration that
i0-ccnt pieces are dollars? They might Just
us we'll pass Law that 30 cents is u DOL
lar. That would not make 1t so. would 1t (?
But 1t would be legal dollar. Byt It
would not buy dollars worth Of anything.
What Is the effect Of that? The merchant
would take care Of himself. A man keeps
q store down here on Broadway and the
law is going into opefation tonight. He
summons all his clerks Ind before lie opens
his store in the morning he has marked up
his goods to the new scale.
Affects the WOrkingynan.
He Gun do all that, Tut there are great
numbers Of people, numl crlcss people. who
enlist our interest aud some of whom kind!e
our sympntaies who cannot use the pencil.
Take the wOrktngman. He cannot go to rho
payroll with pencil aud mark 1t up. He
has got to consult somebody. He hns to I'm.
ter into an argument He has got. to get
some other mans consent before he can
mark up his wages. Then there Is the PEN
sloner-thOse TINT are receiving pensions
from this government for gallant deeds
done In the war. and others for the loss ot
beloved ones. He cannot take his pension
certificate when 1t reads So make 1t read
SIG. He must wait for an appcul to con.
grcss, and congress that IL Pcpnlistic In
character would be unsympathetic. ZAP.
planse.l He must make an appeal to con.
gress III have his pension raised to twlce
to whnt 1t was before he Ia made oqunl.
What can the .depositors In oar savings
banks. this great company Of w::aswsi and