Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-05-28

violent, so revolutionary, that / cannot
believe that the government will propose
it, or that the chambers will vote it.
Secretary Carlisle in 1873. when the
bill to demonetize silver was pending,
said:
sThe contamination of such scheme
would ultimately entail more misery
upon the human race than all the wars,
pestilence, and famine that ever occur
red in the history of the world. The
absolute destruction of half the movable
property of the world, including horses,
ships, railroads and all other appliances
for carrying on commerce, while it
would be felt more sensibly at the mo-
ment, would not produce anything like
the prolonged distress and disorganiza-
ton of society that must inevitably re-
suit from the permanent humiliation OF
one-half the metallic money of the
world"
Yet Mr.. Carlisle is now gold stand
ard man of pronounced views, and his
speeches on his tour through the south
last season in favor of honest money
and free tradesare really accepted by
some republicans of Kansas as the posi-
ton of their party on the finance ques-
ton. Mr.. Blaine said of the act of 1873:
"No power was conferred on congress
to declare either metal should not be
money. Congress has, therefore, in my
judgment, no power to demonetlze
either. IL, therefore, silver has been de-
monetized, I am in favor of remonetiz-
ing it. If its coinage has been stop
ped am in favor of its being resumed; 1
am IN favor of having it enlarged"
~
tainly accept Mr.. Blaine as authority,
and surely if he was in favor of restor-
ing silver, we as Republicans, at this
day can accept and adopt his theory on
the financial question.
That times are sadly out of joint no
one will deny, and that they have been
SO caused by the decentralization of
silver and consequent appreciation of
gold admits of no argument. What,
then, is the remedy? President Cleye
land says, issue bonds for and take up
the Sherman notes and greenbacks.
The leaders of the Republican party say,
give us more revenue, increase the
tariff. Either would contract the cur
rency, and would afford doubtful relief
The silver coinage Republicans of the
west and vast number of Democrats
and Populists say, redeem all outstand-
ing government obligations in coin
according to law, and open the mints to
the coinage of silver on an equality with
gold.
But parties who have not given this
matter careful thought say that the
free coinage of silver would ruin the
country, that all the silver in the world
pay in anything other than gold would
be reputation. On this point, I will
insert right here an extract from a
speech delivered in the present congress,
which I claim is unanswerable, and
which proves to my mind that free coin
age is possible, Independent of the action
of any other country. Mr.. Cox says:
"Again, it is said that if you open the
minis to silver it will drive out the gold
and you will then be on silver stand
ard. Suppose we assume that silver
will drive out gold. I ask in all candor
if gold is not already driven out of CIR
CulaGlOn! Inc ldSG loan showed DID,
dings of five hundred millions, it was
claimed, for one hundred million of
bonds. Who had the gold and what
had it been doing? 1t was locked up
and absolutely out of circulation, and
never showed it's head in business enter
prises that employ labor, but rises in it's
might when the government, to obtain
it, pledges it's taxing power as security
for it. Can any intelligent man expect
business will revive, when the standard
money of the country absolutely shrinks
from productive industries? If free
silver drives out gold, pray tell me how
it is when our minis are closed to silver,
and you confess you are on gold basis,
that your gold not only refuses to circu-
late but is ABSOLUTELY driven out of the
country? AS our gold leaves US we in
crease the demand for it. Did our
silver money drive out of the country
this gold? Did the silver dollars move
gold from the country? Will anyone
answer yes? In every speech of the
gold-standard men-sound money men
the scare is held up that we will go to
a silver basis. So the President argues.
Well, for the sake of argument, let us
assume that such a result will follow.
Will this destroy the country or its
prosperity? Gold, they say, will go to a
premium and leave the country. It is
at an enormous premium now, and leav-
ing the country every day to find itself
locked up in the war chests of European
powers lis it to be supposed that a