The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-28

did disturb business. (Applause). Re-
ferring to the silver question Mr.. Har-
rison asked: what is it? Do you
want silver because We want more
money? A larger circulating medium?
/ have not heard anybody say so. Mr..
Bryan Is not urging 1t upon that basis.
II anybody We're to'seek to give that as
a reason for wanting free silver he
would be very soon confounded by the
statement that free silver would put
more gold out of circulation than the
mints of the United States could pos
sibly bring in in years and
that instead of having more money we
would have less. (Applause). With
our six hundred and odd millions of
gold driven out of circulation, we will
reduce the per capita money of this
country between eight and nine dollars.
So it Is not for more money. We have
an abundant supply of circulating me-
dium-gold, silver. national bank paper.
greenbacks, treasury notes and frac-
tional silver. We have something like
s23 per capita of our population. What
is it then that creates this demand for
silver? 1t is openly avowed, it is not
more dollars, but cheaper dollars that
are wanted. 1t is lower standard of
value that they are demanding. They
say gold has gone UP until il has ceas-
ed to be proper standard of values.
and they want silver. But how do they
want 1t.
AS TO BIMETALLISM.
Now, my friends, there is a great
deal OF talk about bimetallism and the
double standard and great deal of con-
fusion in the use of those terms. BIZ
meiallism is the use of the two metals
as money. where they are both used.
BY double standard they mean that
we shall have gold dollar and q silver
dollar, which shall be unit of value, by
which all property and all wages and
everything is to be measured. Now our
fathers thought that when they used
these two metals in coinage they must
determine the intrinsic relative value of
the two so that a comparison of the
markets Of the world would show just
what relation one ounce of silver bore
to one ounce of gold, how many ounces
of silver 1t took to be equal to one
ounce OF gold In the markets of the
world, where gold and silver We're used
and they carefully went about ascer-
tanning that.
This government can fix its money
unit. 1t can declare by law what shall
be the relative value of an ounce of
gold, and an ounce of silver, but 1t
cannot make that last declaration good.
(Applause.) 1t is unquestionably fully
within the power of this government to
bring this country to 4 silver basis by
coming silver dollars and making them
legal tender. They can do that This
government shall say you shall take one
of those dollars in discharge of any debt
owing to you for dollar. notwith-
standing you may have loaned gold dol
lars, but 1t cannot say, and enforce it's
decree-if you should call out the regu-
lar army, our navy and muster our
great modern ships and add the militia
and put William j. Bryan in command
of them, 1t cannot enforce the decree
that one ounce of gold is the equivalent
of sixteen ounces of silver (grcat ap-
plause and cheers) not only that. not
France and England and Germany can
do that unless the markets resuond
Applause.) We can of ourselves. of our
own wisdom declare the unit of value.
We can coin silver freely. but we cam
not make sixteen ounces of silver equal
to one ounce of gold unless it is. Cap
plause) And it is not unless the mer-
chants take ii at that rate.
In conclusion General Harrison said:
My countrymen, this country of ours.
during the troublous times of the war
may have had severe trials, but these
financial questions are scarcely less
troublous than those. Does noe every
instinct Of pride, does not every instinct
of self interest. does not every thought
ful affectionate interest in others, does
not our sense Of justice and honor rise
up to rebuke the Infamous proposition
that this government and it's people
shall become a nation and a people of
regulators. prolonged applause and
Cheers)