, 1896-09-26

obS' vi any ia
ton on Garth Great applause.) And
1t is said that the poor beast actually
rolled over and died. daughter and
applause.l Why you would think tina,
the silver question was the entire sal
vation of this country. and that moth
ing else is worth mention in the sane
week. It's a good deal like a boy with
a jumping jack-free silver up, free
silver down, free silver, free silver. free
silver. CLaughter.)
1t is a little like the man who. when
John Randolph was opposing the APP
preparation for some river. kept in
terrupting Mr.. Randolph by rising and
saying every few minutes. Mr.. Speak
er, | rise to a point of order" John
told them that he vas opposed to
making an appropriation for a river
that was dry half of the year and froz-
en- up the other half. The representa-
tive who introduced the measure was
in fear that he would lose his point.
and after many Interruptions, Mr.. Ran
dolph thus addressed the speaker: Mr..
Speaker, the people of the Netherlands
have constructed of wood a very in
genius little device which if properly
operated will give forth the sound
Cuckoo. Cuckoo, cuckoo The people
of the second congressional district,
with less and a poorer class of material
at their command, have sent a man
here to congress who on every con-
ceivable occasion arises and bawls out.
Mr.. Speaker, | rise to a point of or
der This is the way with the silver
peOple-some of them. They talk this
nothing else in the world worthy of
consideration. 1t is free silver morn
ing, DOR and night. a good deal like
Mark Twain's diary: Monday, got up.
washed and vent to bed; Tuesday. got
up, washed and went to bed; Wednes-
day, got up, washed and went to bed
Thursday, got up. washed and went to
bed: Friday. got up, washed and went
10 bed; Saturday. got up. and conclud-
ed to keep no diary no more" laugh
teri That's about the way with the
silver theory-you'll zeal nothing of it
after election.
Now our friends tell us how much
they have done for silver. If you COM
pare the history of the two parties.
YOU will find they have done less than
we have. Now what was the ratio
when they started out? In the time of
Washington. we find that the ratio vas
fixed at IL to |. Washington was an
honest man. wasn't he? So it was with
jefferson. Madison. the two Adams.
and they were all honest men. Then
reduced the ratio to 16 to |. After they
had left the ratio at Is to l for years.
and we had practically the free coin
age of silver. what was the result? The
| silver mines developed and before long
the gold began to leave the country be-
cause silver was at a premium at that
time. and it drove out the gold. Thomas
Jefferson himself thought it an unwise
policy. and stopped the coinage of sill
yer dollars in 1906. He thought there
should be more half dollars
and subsidiary coin in cir
culation, People thought the dol
lar was too big. Then in 1894. the
ratio was changed from Is to l to 16 to
/. They thought they would thereby
get the gold back by lessening the
ratio. Now what was the market value
of silver at that time? You will find
it was l55s to l. Dr. expressed in deci-
mails, 15.625. There's only three-eighths
of ounce difference between the ratio of
that day and the market value. you see.
Now why did they wan to change the
ratio to 16 to l? Because there was
nothing but silver in general circula-
ton. The gold had gone abroad, and
they wanted some of it back. They
were tired of silver. What was the eff
feet upon silver? Silver gradually fell
in price in the markets of the world,
and by keeping our ratio at 16 to l, our
coinage value was overrated, and it
drove silver right out of circulation. A
man who had silver bullion didn't have
to have it coined in this country at 16
t 0 /: he could take it over to France,
and have it coined at 15k to l, and
make money at it. This continued up
to 1873. Well. they tell us that the law
demonetizing silver went through con
gress like the tread Of a cat. and that
by this great crime, brought about by
Lombard and Wall streets,-the great
Red Dragon that's got our country by
the throat,-"The Gobelins II get you.
eff you don't watch out" (applause),
when silver had been demonetized for
40 years! At the time that law was
passed, you know and | know we were
on a paper basis. and there was neither
gold nor silver in circulation. We were
on a paper basis. Neither gold nor sill
yer was used. except in the measure
that wal required by the contracts
made in gold; and we have always, dur
ing all the history OF this country, been
on a gold basis excepting those years
we were on a paper basis. You know
that well enough. The free coinage of
silver was practically retired in 1884,
and Their silver commenced to decline.
The forced production Of silver proved
too much, and the people of that day