The climax. [volume] (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1887-1897, 1896-08-12
SOME TERse TRUTHS.
fns Argument of c. 8. Darrow, of Chi.
czgo, for Free Silver.

cago, Tor Free Silver.
In debate at the MoEona lake as
sernbIy grounds, Madison, Wis, will:
Senator John NJ. Thurston. of Nebraska.
Z. 5. barrow, Of Chicago, made some
very telling arguments in favor of BIZ
metallism and free coinage, as ev;-
denced by the frequent interruptions
OF hearty applause. He said, In part:
Chicagoan WAKES Sarcastic.
The able senator has described the con-
ditions of the United States. He SAYS that
We have 'tramps on every hand lie de-
plores the distress of the farmer and the
distress of the laborer. but TO all of that
Say amen. What does the able senator Of
fer you as solution OF the great calam-
ity In which we suffer to-day7 lie offers
you four years more OF gold cure admins
tered by Mckinley instead of Cleveland
and nothing else.
What DO we say 20 the American peo-
pie? We are told that we ask you to sail
out upon an unknown sea with neither
compass nor guide, and that we ask you to
try new experiment different from that
OF any, other. town in the world; that We
try an experiment and plead upon the
poverty of the people to ask them to LET
US do IL. My friend, he who understands
this question, and he who seeks to under
stand this question before this campaign Ia
closed. must learn the lesson that those
who ask for new experiments are the other
side and not US. tApplausel We turn 10
you and We ask you to bring the Ship back
TO the mooring OF the last Ice years, and
place II where oil the statesmen of Amer
lean have ever placed II. anu support the
financial policy which William Mckinley
supported until he became a candidate for
the presidency of the United States
Republican Platform Attacked.
And what do they ask? mean 70 meas
ure my words and speak by the book, and
ask you at your own leisure and In your
own home 10 decide between us is TO whom
n right. In the life of this great republic,
In the ice years of It's existence no national
| party. either republican or democratic,
ever appealed 10 the American people TO
| do what these men ask you to do to-day.
| Never before. and defy the gentleman or
any other, to show where any national par
| ~ before In the history OF America de-
! clnred that silver should be stricken down,
and that gold and gold alone should be
the money OF the people of the United
6tetes. IL rests upon these men. who Get
aside the presidents Of 100 years. who set
| aside the teachings OF oil the fathers of the
| country-these men who propose 10 strike
| down one-hsf the peoples money and ad-
vocate openly where before II had only been
| advocated secretly In the rooms Of the con-
| spirntors-to answer the question why to-
! day we should depart from all the tradi-
| lions of America and destroy silver and tie
our fortune 10 gold alone. Has the gentle
mon told ms why?
! That In not all. So outrageous is this
proposition that the man who framed it
did not dare stand by II and adopt IT. So
| outrageous and unheard of Ia this PROPOSE
| ton that in the convention over which the
| eminent gentleman presided, and In the
| resolutions shat were reported to the
| American people, they declared their al
| ieeiance 10 the gold standard, but pledged
their honor-what was left of it-llaugh-
| tcrl-that they would use all their power
| and oil ;heir efforts TO cause oil other nR-
lions OF the world to adopt silver as well
as gold. IApplause.l They come before
! the in."ilIsen. American people and ask
| them 10 help this great party, which was
| once the party OF human liberty, and to
| which we once ell fondly looked-they ask
The American people 10 help them carry
| out the policy which they themselves ad-
| nit r. wrong. and which they propose TO
| correct. since England will give them per-
mission 10 DO as they please. Applause
Now. let rs ece what this question 'rrnI-
| ly means- l have becn told of new Issue.
| and that wo are advocating something
| specioCs and untried ] ask you, men and
| women. 10 gil nee back at history from the
| Gay OF civilization until about 1873. Gold
and silver mike have been the money OF all
the most civilized nations OF the earth from
the earliest time down TO about this period.
| All nations alike used these two metals
side Icy side as the money OF the world.
| England alone demonetized II some years
| ppIOres Dut lelt AZ me OtDef nations using
| these two metals side by sido.
As to Free Coinage
| Now what does the free and unlimited
coinage Of gold and silver meant think
| by proceeding In the reg ular way / may
/ answer most of the arguments of the
| gentleman. The world, for some reason
or other. has adopted gold and silver as the
| money OF the earth. ana provided that these
| metals and these alone are absolutely
| money. Paper Is not money-lt is promise
| TO pay money; but gold and silver have.
| ali tfe years Of the world, been considered
| alone ms money, everything else being pay
| able in them, and down TO 1873 for more
| than ~ years the ratio of gold and silver
| remained substantially the same as to-day,
| fifteen and one-hslf TO one, as such ratios
| are to-day In France. For nearly 70 years
! this period was substantially undisturbed.
'I am willing to admit. II you bring me
| "a or q grains of gold, whatever 1t is. we
| will stamp q dollar mark on Il and you may
take II and go away. and II you bring TO US
| sixteen times the weight in silver we will
stamp a dollar mark on that and you take
| II and go away. And these two things only
| are money to he used as the absolute money
| of redemption all over the world, as they
were practically UP TO 1873. Now the
! amount of gold and silver In the world for
| 100 years and more has been 5uDst antlally
eQual in value at a ratio Of fifteen and one
half or sixteen TO one.
GOLD and silver, as have said, have been
| the money OF the world. And here's an
other fact which even the intelligent gentle
| man will not dlspute-that the value Of
| everything depends largely upon the-amount
| of money there is in the world. The more
| money there is in the world the cheaper
| that money is, which is very evident. lap
| plause The more wheat there is In the
world the cheaper II is. The more Of any
commodity there Is in the world the
cheaper II Is: the less there is of any COM
| modify in the world the dearer II Ia; and
that applies to money the same as every
thing else And upon this. strangely
enough, the gold and silver men agree
| alike The senator says we wan: 5p-cent
| dollar and that there Is 70 much silver IN
! the world that If we coined II II VIII be
| worth only % cents, which proves exactly
the position ] take-that the more there Is
the cheaper II Is; the Tess here Is the dcarer
| II Is.
Now. up TO 1873 every farmer, every
business man, every person who contracted
| a debt or obligati of am kind new that
that was payabl either In gold or silver.
4 and that he hac recourse 10 all the gold arc
silver of the earth from which to draw the
money 10 pay the obligation " hicil be made
They understood perfectly well that All
the mounts and valleys and hills OF the
whole world were open 10 them and from
ali of these they could dig OFT the gold and
the silver alike, and that these would DC
taken. either one. as the dcItcr saw n, 10
choose, in payment OF the op'sdeio" 'N"'
he made.
From about 1850 to 1873 ives growing up
the great manufacturing and commercial
spirit which has been strongo. during
those years than In any previous history
of the world. Factories. mines, mills. rail-
roads. the great development Of ali the ma
lions Of the earth, was taking place largely
from 1850 to 1873 CT 1876 In all these years
also municipal. state. national and private
Indebtedness was growing Up as Well Ii
was growing up because of the enterprise
and Industry II the people. not alone OF
America. but OF the whole world. too. Dur
ing those same years were growing up that
class of people who have not only been a
blight TO this age. but the blight of alrnos;
cy.-y age thot has gone before 1.-The great
creditor ciass OF the earth. During those
years the public ard private. the municipal
| and national bonds Of the world were be-
ing accumulated In lie haade Of q few peo-
Gle % .he older nations Of The earth. AL
OF these bonds, all of this Indebtedness. was
| payab,e from all the gold and all the silver
that would be dug from every mountain
of the earth.
Creditor Glass Under Fire.
.can any person tell me why In 1873 It
vas q good thing for the American people.
, or for any people. to strike down one-half
the money OF the world and provide that
a load of indebtedness should be paid In
eoId alone? Has anyone ever given 10 any
4 raln a