Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-10-25
OsOAoP M'coveNss
a rassbsrg ADVISERS ssne ssrseg A.gs.
DSsss ~ Favor ss etivss.


a. risssbsrg ADVISERS sssae ssreeg A.gs-
Dsass - Favor 81 ssivss.
The Harrisburg Patriot publishes IN
interview with kt. Rev. Thomas Mo
Govern. bishop of the diocese of Har-
rtsburg. Pa. In which he says In part:
I am In favor of honest money. Now.
what want to know ". what II hon.
est money. We now have gold. paper.
bonds and promises to pay. and al
pass a honest money. There .. not
enough OF gold In the world 60 pay iss
Indebtedness. The United States gov
eminent could not pay its indebtedness.
In gold because 10 has not got IT, She
gives us treasury notes or bonds. ana
these are TO be paid in honest money.
one paper usually exchanged for an
other"
What about silver asked the re-
porter.
silver 10 surely as good as paper.
and 80 per cent better. n the govern
ment pays her indebt~dnes. In silver
she In paying % IN q bitter currency
than In paper. All nations would he
bankrupt today 10 they we're asked TO
pay their indebtedness In gold Can
we not take silver the same ~ Ne are
taking paper money! silver VIII. at
least. incr-ase the volume OF cirruls-
ton. which i- now in our country too
limited 20 carry on business and makes
rates too high.
Money. after all. IL only . ccmmcdi-
" In the market added Bishop No
Govern. earnestly. when " II scarce
Il rates high: when u h. abundant %
rates low. II We increase The circula-
- -anaa
are employing h~tter substitute
than paper bc~au.. silver has IN IN
trinsic value: paper has not The op-
ponents Of the fre. coinage of sslSsr
assert that o. viii bankrupt us. but
there In no more danger of our rov-
eminent becoming bankrupt by the free
coinage Of silver than there 10 by an
extra issue of parer money ana bonds.
There 10 no danger OF a general
stampede being made on the United
States treasury by the people OF the
creditors. This thing Of preserving the
credit of our nation H. good sentiment.
but our government discounted its own
paper over its own counter during the
civil war. The soldier was paid IN
paper money on the battlefield and
the custom house duties were demand
ed In gold. We sold 81 600 bonds for
$50 In gold and paid 6 per cent inter
est In gold on the face value OF them.
To whose advantage h. the gold stand
ard? The Shyiocks Of Europe and the
goldbugs OF Wall street. And at whose
loss? The toii,ns masses"
DO you believe the prices Of COM
modities would rise II we were to have
free coinage of silver at . ratio % is
to. I. as declared for By the Chicago
PLATFORM"
Some commodities would probably
Increase In price," was the bishops an
swer. but wages would also rise Frce
coinage would also help our nanufac.
turerr because they would he better
able to borrow money At fair rates.
Every man would be employed and he
would get his wages. When there are
two employers after one man wages
are bound 60 so up. and when there arc
two men after one boss for q Job you
may he sure wages are going down
what right has Europe so dictate q
| us what kind Of currency we ought "a
have? II they are not willing to taks
our currency. let them not buy our
exports. Eut they are not going Co ioss
| our trade. They will Accommodate them.
| selves TO tho circumstances. That wiil
act ~ tsrin and be on . sliding scaie
and 70 up and down just a. Europeans
want our trade"
Bishop McGovern said he believed
the free coinage Of silver would he q
boon Co the farmers In the west. whr
pay 10 to Is per cent interest on theis
mortgages. Many Of these people have
bought land for 5000 on which they
have paid ts.cco. They are paying 10 "a
Is per cent. on the mortgage OF ts.cce
which II now only the actual value o.
the property. The result b. that IN q
short time the farmers win iose theis
property and b driven from theis
homes like the tenant farmers % Ire.
land. and lcse all their money they
have paid on o..