The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-01-23
DISCUSSES FINANCE, ETC.
MrTCHAM STATION, Or,
Jan. l3, 1896.

EDITOR GkZETTE:-
After ad;-;,s to wife aud infant, started
to the train, Al Ea,:nd friends holding train
for me. Dr.. r. II. W. accompanied me to
crossing; gave him cll' =. OF the family
heath. This train carried ..s.nry Gerhard
and sister and Miss Rubenack for Los Ange-
les, and n. B. Avery, for San Francisco. All
were going to Portland to lake the overland
for San Francisco at night. Prof. Headrich,
for an agricultural society meeting at Lafay-
cite, Iamhil county, WAS also aboard, and
a. Forest Grove Prof Moses Craig aud his
brother Austin, also put in an appearance.
Prof G. was also bound for San Francisco
Mt night, and Mr.. Austin for IIillsboro. Mr..
Austin Craig i. now editor of the Oregon
Hatchet," paper published at Forest Grove.
This was new. to me. l was lnquisitlve as
to its position on silver, and learned that the
"Hatch-it' advocates that we should have
free and unlimited Coinage Of silver-conined,
however, to the home product. My inquiry
as to how this was to be confined to American
silver, revealed the editors plan Of placing
duty on foreign silver equal to the difference
between the commercial value and the mint
coinage value, which would be about so per
cent. 1 asked how the government would
prevent the outside product from slipping in
over tho border without paying its duty. and
learned that it would be restrained as opium
10 nov restrained. I am delighted to learn
that an Oregon paper, published in populist
or practically yso-community, can advance
a theory so satisfactory to its supporters, L
do not believe, however, that the republican
party will pat this Utopian idea into its plat
form. The theory is commendable; 1T indI-
Gates that the editor has good heart, and
believes in tho preponderance of good in the
human family; but it fails, utterly, to indl-
cate any reason why silver, under such con-
ditions, would not be smuggisd into this
country, practically free, just as any man,
who knows anything about the opium trade,
knows that opium finds its way into the uni-
ted States, practically free Wo do admire
the evident patriotism and righteousness of
the editors theory, but we are too dense to
comprehend how it can be made practical.
This subject was discussed by others inter-
ested, and the various populist, democratic
and republican positions were compared. 1t
was not made clear to my republican intel
lect how any kind Of circulating medium can
be permanent and enduring, which is not in
itself commercially worth the amount it Is
declared by the government stamp to repre-
sent. Either it must be worth as much In
any foreign country, without the mint stamp,
as it is in this country with it, or else it must
call for payment of a commodity worth COM
mercialy just what it claims on its face to be
Nyha "a
| gold or silver or wheat or real estate or real
estate securities or personal obligations or
| what not, must be actually on deposit at the
place where that medium is made payable.
| IF any other sound currency can exist, have
never heard Of it; and I have read all the
"Coxey," George" "Bellemy," populist,
democratic, fat, free silver, and foreign-fat
notions and theories which have been able
| to find on that subject.
| At Portland I was met by my brother,
Edwin, and dined With him, after which'I
took the Union Pacific overland flyer" for
I the east The Pullman car 'Kalama" was
| we'll filed with we'll dressed people, and I
| found my bed comfortable, the cars easy and
the roadbed smooth. At the summit of the
Blue mountains, 2S0 miles from Portland,
! we had an excellent breakfast; which cost
six bits, and was set out in great log house.
This log house is artistically adorned on the
outside and the interior is we'll furnished It
probably cost twice as much as frame
house, ,-and would make an excellent fort in
case of an Indian uprising.
This is written while the train is passing
through the Grand Rounde valley, the hill
sides all around being covered with snow,
save iu spots where the sun has melted the
sides bear; and, as our friend Col. K, the
"Nestor' of the Oregon bar. would say
'sall very fne." ). ii. WILSON. :