Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-09-11
A SHORT CA1rECHISM.
AN EASY METHOD OF CONVERT
ING MrSLED VOTERS.
Once They Understand That This II .
Battle for Universal Supremacy Be-
e~ven Uncle Sam and John Bull
They'll Vote for Free Silver.

our monetary system.
Q.-Why is so much earnestness felt
OIL the subject?
A.-Because the vote next November
will probably determine the question
finally one way or the other.
Q.-Is not the tariff equally an issue
In the campaign?
A.-No, there is no appreciate oppo-
sition to protective tariff, and all 9TH
err issues are lost in the great one Of
gold or bimetallism.
Q.-Explain the position Of the gold
advocates?
A.-They insist that 1922 grains Of
gold shall constitute the measure Of the
dollar, no matter to what point gold
may advance.
Q.-Why are they so welded to the
gold standard2
A.-Because it is the English stand
ard, and England is looked upon as the
most enlightened nation of the world
Q.-Is there any reason why we
should have the same standard as Euro
pean countries?
A.-None whatever. The monetary
system of country is purely a matter
OF its own internal concern.
Q.-What influence has precipitated
the issue at this time?
A.-The speculative money influence.
Q.-What do you mean by speculative
money influence?
A.-Capital legitmately employed
has little to make or lose by the ques-
tion of the standards A piece of prop
erty is worth just as much whether ex-
pressed in English pounds or in French
francs or in American dollars. So in
vested capital represents the same in
trinsic value whether it be measured
BY gold dollars or silver dollars. Only
large investors in money have any very
real interest in maintaining forever the
gold standard.
Q.-But would not a change Of stand
ard be an injustice to them?
A.-The issue had better not have
been raised at this time, but as it has
been raised some injustice must be ex-
perienced on one side or the other.
Q.-Who raised the issue?
A.-The advocates of the gold stand
ard.
Q.-What are their chief arguments?
A.-Denouncing the advocates Of BIZ
metalllsm as populists, anarchists, ia
natics and cranks.
Q.-Are these denunciations justi-
fed?
A.-No; many able political econom-
lists and statesmen advocate bimetal-
lism.
Q.-Does free silver carry with 1t the
destruction of the national banking
system, the restriction of the powers
Of the government to preserve the
peace in times of riot and insurrection,
and other sC-called populistic meas
ures?
A.-By no means. The remonetiza-
ton of silver is legitimate question
of craftsmanship with a solid basis of
scientific truth underlying it.
Q.-Just what do the bimetallists con-
tend for?
A.-For the free coinage both of gold
and silver.
Q.-What do you mean by free coin
age?
A.-The privilege on the part of any
holder of the precious metals of taking
them to the mint and having them
coined into money without limitation.
Citizen the term free" simply |
means unrestricted as to amount?
A.-Exactly. II every coin contains
the full weight of pure metal and passes
object in limiting the coinage. The
more money we have the better.
Q.-But how about the expense Of
running the mints?
AT present gold is coined at the
expense of the government. In some
countries the cost of coming is charged
to the person getting his metal convert
ed into coin. That would be matter
for congress to settle. There can be no
objection to charge for coinage. There
may be advantages in it.
Citizen free silver simply means
putting silver on an equality with gold
in throwing open the minis to its coin
age?
Alt does.
Q.-What do you mean by 16 to 1?
A.-The present silver dollar has 16
times the weight of the gold dollar. The
expression 16 to means the contin-
uance of the coinage of the silver dol
lar at the present weight, or at 16 times
the weight of the gold dollar.
Q.-But the present silver dollar has
but half the bullion value Of the gold
dollar, has it not?
A.-True, but its depreciation results
very largely from its decentralization.
Restore it's functions as real money and
1t will certainly advance.
OWL it return to parity with
gold at the 16 to 1 ratio?
A.-Many good thinkers believe 1t
will. In any case the disparity would
be but very small compared with what
1t is to-day.
Q.-What advantages are claimed for
free coinage?
Alt would break the existing cor
nor in gold and cause the dollar TO re-