Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1896-07-17
THE soLrsRs, Appeal.

Foolish Reasons Given For Their Action
By the BoltinR Silver Republicans.
At a secret conference Of the boiling
silver delegates TO the st. Louis conven-
tion an address to the people of the
United States was agreed upon and Civ
en- TO the press This declaration of free
coinage doctrine was prepared after
careful consideration by Senators Teller,
Dubois and Cannon and other silver
leaders and may therefore be held to
embody the strongest arguments which
can be made in favor Of the silver stand
ard
The grounds on which Senator Teller
and his associates ask for support are
the assertions Chat ''the basis Of our
money is relatively contracting;" that
''our financial policy is dictated by
creditor nations;" that I'VE produce all
the necessaries Of life, while other ma
tions consume our products;" that the
restoration of bimetallism by this coun-
try will double the basis of our money
SYSTEM" that failing prices are the
deadliest curse of national life," and
that "bimetallis1n will help to bring
about the great hope Of every social re-
former" Of better conditions for the hu-
man race. On this platform the boilers
nominated Senator Teller as an indie
pendent free coinage candidate for pres
ident
These claims of the silver Repub-
licans are all untrue. Instead of CON
tracting, the basis of our currency is
steadily increasing. The production of
gold is now about 5000, 900, 900 per
year, and Of this over $18O, 600, 600 is
added to the worlds stock Of money.
Our stock of full legal tender silver has
increased from less than $50, 600, 900 in
1873 to $500, 600, 600 in 1895.
Our present financial policy was de-
liberately adopted by the representatives
Of the American people In congress as
sembled The charge that it was die
tated by foreign nations is an unfounded
imputation ON the men chosen to make
our laws
The idea that this Is a country of pro-
ducers while other nations are consum-
ers only is too silly for argument For
every dollars worth of products we sell
abroad we buy back at some time a dol
lars worth Of foreign products which
we consume. We consume in the long
run exactly as much as we produce.
The claim that "bimetallism," by
which is meant free coinage at 10 TO 1,
will double the basis Of our money sys-
tenn is not believed by the silverites
themselves. They know better, for they
know that with the bullion value of sill
yer at 80 to of gold, the cheaper metal
would drive out the more valuable.
Thus instead of doubling the basis of
our money, free silver monometallism
would cut it in two by forcing gold out
of circulation.
Falling prices are due almost entirely
to improved methods Of production by
which labor ON the farm or in the work
shop can create wealth more easily than
in former years This means that the
masses can get more Of the necessaries
and luxuries of life, and it is therefore a
great blessing and not a curse Other
reasons for falling prices are the new
sources Of production opened up in vari-
Gus parts of the world in recent years.
The gold standard has had nothing to
do with lower prices.
The claim that "bimetallism (silver
monometallism) will help bring about
the great hope Of every social reformer"
would be more convincing if it was ac-
companied by information as to how it
would do it. In the absence Of proof
general promises Of better conditions
under free silver are altogether too
vague for sensible men to take risks on.
A policy which depends on baseless as
sertions and positive perversions Of
facts can never gain the support of a
majority Of the American people, and
the movement headed by Senator Teller
is therefore doomed to failure.