Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-14
N parity. or equal in value. win,

suites snail stop purchas ins.
VI us own account. and instead
20 iiihtS 10 the free coinage ~
u r''Saie siiVer AT the old ratio of 1e 10
: :" ".hef words. any man who bas
80 9hser' whether 1t be a bar of hu,
~" W ar oid spoon, may carry il tn tb,
anu nave every 80 cents worth q,
ihoo a dollar that viii be legal
vate pN'iN vi pri-
Not only this. but the coinage IL to
ii..eu our mints are to freely
inns service for all the silver
'e9 10 Them from any source
II ENGLAND can dump all her
az our mints and have II
- 49, VI charge, into nice new
"heh that Is done, she can
anu pay for her purchases
'i' ~, '"ultfy' chiefly farm products
~ SILVER 80 cent dollars where ebo g.
-" 'piiSeu 70 pay for them in loo
cent Soid dollars. In the Same u,a.,
d" Tue othef countries in the world
could dump their old silver an ON.
mints for coinage free Of charge A,
no time would the government avn on
ounce of the silver 1t thus coinod r.
would not even be paid the expenee -,
| "A
pay that. The silver left at the mints
under free coinage would belong OK
clusively To the man who brought II
there and he would carry it away as
soon as it was coined into dollars and
pocket as part of his private profits.
the seignioragc that, under the present
SYSTEM goes INTO the national treasury
for the benefit of all the people.
no
lutely no responsibility for these dol
iafa aitef lhey left the minis 1t
""uiu ne under no obligation to keep
,heih OF equal value with gold, and,
even If 1T We're, il would be nowerlesa
I" 90 So Tor gold, being largely under
valued, would at once disapnear from
circulation. The silver dollars Tins
coined would have to stand upon their
own merits, and their value as
measured in exchange for commodities
would speedily shrink to the market
value of the pure silver contained in
them, which at the present time is So
cents, and this country would take its
place with Mexico and China and
Japan on a monometallc silver basis.
When the silver owner carries his
collars home from the mint. what
then? How are you and | To get anv
Of them? Only by exchanging our
labor. or the products of our labor for
them, or by borrowing, begging or
stealing them. Uaughter) There is
no wholesale and gratutous distribu-
ton of them contemplated bv this free
coinage scheme. and the silver kings
have abundantly shown that they know
how to drive sharp bargains
This is what tho FREQ o,l
coinage of silver at n ratio of 16 to
means, and | think you will agree with
me, my friends. that the American
PEOPLE want nothing to do with il
(Applause)
In presenting his plea for the mine
owners. Mr.. Bryan has not a word to
say about class legislation" And vet
my friends, the history of tariff legls
lation. from the foundation of the
government down to the present time.
presents no instance of such hare
faced and unblushing class legislation
as this proposition to take millions of
dollars from the pockets and the liv-
ing Of the American masses. and add II
tn the profits of a powerful monevaa
trust, already immensely wealthy
through the indulgence of a generous
and forbearing people. The members
Of this great Trust are practically con-
lined to six states of the Union. with
an aggregate population less than the
population of the single city of Phila-
1elphia, and one of which Nevada. has
a population more than 10000 smaller
than the population of Kennebec
county How long since few pocket
borough states could dictate the policy
IF this great republic?
Few people realize the immense
power and activity of this great silver
trust. Never in the whole history of
this republic has any organization of
been formed that repre-
Sented such an immense aggregate of
wealth. Why. % of it's members. in
IiNlduals and corporations. are alone
worth $500. 200. 600 The single Hearst
estate represents s75. 900 900, and the
fair estate, $4,000 900. 1t is here. and
got with the American people. that the
agitation for the free and unlimited
,oinage of silver has it's source and it's
When | was in WASHINGTON last
| was told that this great sill
yer trust had then on the ground and
actively at work. the most powerful
cbby ever known to the history of the
American Capital The trust. too. has
ons maintained a thoroughly organ
zed literary bureau, with a large corps
II PAID writers, and heaven knows
now many paid lecturers its members
laVe sent ranging up ard down this
road land to preach the gospel of their
'eit interests. | venture to say that
rot mail has come to my office for
our years that has not brought me
ome book or pamphlet. or marked
PAPER from this source.
Now it must cost many thousands of
iollars to carry on campaign like
ms. DO you suppose these mine
'wners are doing all this from philan-
hropic purposes. animated solely by
ofty desire to aid the American
masses? Not at all, my friends. They
IRE not built that way Laughter)
hey are doing it for the enormous
'folts they hope to secure from it. and
or no other reason. Isn't it about
me that we should take with a proper
'iscount the platitudes of the man
Who buttons his Prince Albert tjebtlv