The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-10-11

IL 'N a. ifI'if ftA
/ may be coined Will be a waif in the
iu,n,y woII0, with no governmental arm
] 10 protect H. 40 government promise 10
| keep ii as good as gold dollar.
1t means more dollars 10 me farmer
I for has crops but more dollars IRON DIS
pockets for his taxes farming lmpie-
ments clothing, and everything he has
TO buy.
1t means that the prices Of wheat and
! corn horses ana cattle WOAil utpchu
upon the price of silver, ana that the sll-
/ yer miners could initiate or depress the
/ prices OF the farmer $ products ana apccu-
/ late to their heart IS content on MS ldpOi.
IL means higher rents and increased
/ cost of living TO the wage-earner, with
B out 81 cores DCmulug increase lu his wages.
IL means dcarer board. dearer clothiu5,
dearcr every tnlns with certainty 10 the
/ salalied man, with only the chances OF
: an advance IN his salary.
/ 10 means higher living 20 every public
school teacher In the state with 40 III
I crease in his salary already too low, or
{ 40 means "a reduction ~ the school term
/ il salaries are raised, for the school fund
cannot Ue enlarged al the present rate
of taxation.
10 means that American exporters must
pay sound money Tor their custom duties
10 foreign countries, while foreigners
can pay our government cheap money
Tor duties on the goods they pring mere.
IL means the immediate reduction OF
our circulation more tplu tMru Ly
the driving out Of 5000 0ly.o0O OF gold.
IL means Il dcbascd dollar. like the
. Mexican frcc-Coinaee dollar, when,
though 81 has more silver an 10 t.au the
present United States silver dollar, has
only one-half the purchasing power oil
our dollar.
IL means that the United States viii
discard the monetary system Oh the
powerful nations OF ine earth and adopt
the monetary system OF some OF tLc
small and weak countries OF the world.
IL means That She viii cut loose from
the great gold standard nauOnaltle5 tnat
control % Il per cent. OF an the hteilla-
tiOnal commerce under the sun, TO whose
ports "a per cent. OF her exports 80, ana
from which she Draws So rer cent OF ncf
imports, and unite hel fortunes VITA
Mexico. Japan. India, and emma. IL
means that she viii attempt the foolish
thing OF cOefcug Great Britain, France,
Germany, RUSSIA. ana otncr great co4l-
tries 10 recognize her dcbastd free coinage
silver dollar ass "a huudr-l-ccnt dollar,
when she herself refuses. as she does
now, 10 receive the free coinage silver
dollar OF Mexico at more than nlty cents.
Free coinage. in my opinion. except by
and through international agreement
means confusion and destruction 10 the
business and material interests OF the
United States. and can sec no benefit In
10 10 any citZ,n eNcep, silver mime
owner. Every silver dollar to-day is as
good as q gold dollar. Why; Because IL
is Government money, and the iaith OF
4
parity with a gold dollar Every free
coinage silver dollar VIII drop down like
the Mexican dollar. Why Because II
Will bc the silver miners dollar, not the
dollar of the Government and there VIII
be no Government pledge behind IL 20
make IL good. and IL viii have nothing 10
support II but its intrinsic value-that Is,
the value Of the metal IN (which IS now
nGy-tnrce cents. other countries have
tried free coinage. but every strong coun-
try has abandoned Do.
The United States has endeavor-
ed 10 hold the white metal up.
Am 1875 by the Bland-Allison act. she
authorized the annual purchase Of TWEEN
ty-four TO forty-eight million dollars, yet
silver fell. In $50. under the sherman
act. she purchased iOweJ ounces an
nually yet the metal fell. II the purchase
of 54Oo0.O03 ounces a year Gid not prevent
further decline. what would be the result
IL her minis were thrown open TO the
silver OF all the mines Of the world?
The Chicago platform declares that the
present low prices Of agricultural pro-
ducts is the result OF the demonetiz1u)n
Of silver IN lSlS
Can you. my fellow Democrats. be 50
fCrgetful as not TO remember that In 1881, /
1873 and 1892, eleven. fifteen, 9ni min etecn /
years after dcmonctiZatlon, Democratic /
canvasscrs all over the land with intense /
eaInestncss aNowed that IL was a pro- !
tective tarin that had caused fall in /
nrices and brought distress TO the farmer |
bid you ever hear one of hem attribute /
the depression Of agriculture 10 what /
they now term THE crime or lSlY? Many /
OF these canVassers are now Nehementiy |
insisting that the gold standard is the |
farmers curse. | do not question their
sincerity In former canvasses or the pres
ent. They have simply changed their
views.
But my opinion as to the effect OF
protective tarff has not changed. / !
claimed. as did every Democratic can
Nasstr in the years mentioned, that pro
lection" was the countrys curse and that
IL had wrought havoc TO the farmer
interests
What | said then I believed and be-
lieve II now. In the Fifty-second Con-
gress the Wilson tariff bill was passed.
and the country was about TO enter upon
an era OF prosperity. but just then the
silver agitation came. At once confidence |
In the stability OF our currency was