The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-09-06
CARL SCHURZ
HEARD FROM
Addresses a Large Audience in Chi
cago on the Sound Money
Question.
Mr.. BRYAN IS NOT INFORMED
Does Not KaoM What free Coinage Is
Every Sane Man knows Agricultural
Staples ShoN No Effect Of
1873 Calamity"

Chicago. Sept. 5.--Central Music Hall
was packed TO the doors tonight TO
hear the address Of Carl shurz, who
spoke under the auspices Of the Ameri-
can Honest Money League. Schurz
paid particular attention to the New
York speech Of Mr.. Bryan, and descrip-
ton Of what would occur II Bryan Is
elected provoked repeated cheers from
his audience. He fatty declared that II
Bryan believed certain things. which he
quoted from Bryan's New York ad-
dress. then Bryan did not know what
free coinage meant, even though he
was its most ardent advocate. The au-
dience. which numbered $500, received
the address with enthusiasm. He spoke
in part as follows:
There are sporadic discontents in
the country. partly genuine. partly pro-
duced by artificial agitation. There
are farmers who complain Of low prices
Of agricultural products; laboring men
complaining Of lack of remuneratlve
employment; men in all sorts OF pur-
suits complaining OF general business
stagnation and Of scarcity Of money.
In some parts Of the country, especial
ly in the South and West, there are
many people complaining Of want Of
capital and too high rate of interest
The cry for more money is the fayorite
cry. Beyond these complaints, how
ever. the impression has been spread by
agitators that an organized conspiracy
Of monied men, mainly the great bank
ers in America and Europe, backed by
the monarchs and aristocrats OF the
old world, is seeking the establishment
of the gold standard OF value to monop-
Olize or corner the worlds money to
the general detriment
Are these complaints well founded?
That there has been considerable fall
in the prices of many articles since
1878 is certainly true. But was this
fall caused by the so-called demoneti-
zation Of silver through the act Of
1873?
THE facts prove conclusively to
every sane man that for nine years
after the act of 1873 the prices OF ag-
ricultural staples show absolutely no
trace of any such effect as would have
been produced upon them had a great
and sudden change in the purchasing
power of the money of the country
taken place; and that it would be child
ish to pretend that but for the act Of
1873 these prices would have been 100
or 80 or 20 or ten per cent higher, and
that, therefore. all this talk about the
gold dollar having become a 200 cent
dollar, or a $50 cent dollar, or a 125 cent
dollar is, pardon the expression, rank
nonsense. But what is it, then, that
has caused the decline Of prices? ap-
peal to your common sense. The new
economic conditions, somewhat sudden
ly created in our time by the vast i'm
provement in the means and methods
Of production and transportation, have
surprised, puzzled and perplexed the
minds Of many well meaning people.
They became alarmed at the natural
and necessarily following decline Of
prices of agricultural as well as indus
trial products. Honest people in that
state of mind fell an easy prey to the
equally honest financial quack as well
as to the dishonest demagogue. Thus
they were readily persuaded that the
so-called demonstration of silver was
the true cause of their troubles and
that the free coinage of silver would be
the true remedy, while thorough inquiry
and calm reasoning would have con-
vinced them that the true cause Of
the progress of civilization in produc-
ton and transportation, and that the
true remedy can be found only in the
of our schemes of husband
ry and our business methods to that
progress.