Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-05
MIR. DAVIS SPEECH.
He Answers Some of the Critics of His
Monday Night Address.


Monday Night Address.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
When I spoke at the Raleigh Hotel OH
Monday evening last, anticipated my
1allure to please everybody with my views
on the currency question, and, expecting
CRITICISM. l took the precaution to have my
remarks geographically reported. spoke
my temperate convictions, weighing my
WORDS and l stand by every utterance l
theh made or course in expressing in the
short space of one hour the results of the
study and reflections of twenty years upon
the currency question, L was compelled to
a compression Of my matter in short
compass, at the unavoidable expense Of the
possible failure to carry my meaning with
Iuilness and accuracy to all my hearers.
furthermore it could not be expected that
an ADDRESS of the character and length Of
NINE on that occasion should be favored
win full. or even extended, report in the
~ Columns OF the daily press; and SO
II mas happened that the few words which
nave found their way to the public have
peen read out Of connection with their con-
text; and without regard to their places in
the line of my argument
Two of my anticipated critics have spoken
through your columns. young America"
appears to have apprehended me correctly
as TO my attitude toward bimetallism. I
was invited to address a Non-partisan
Sound Money League. 1 understood my in
vttalon 10 be, not to attempt to vindicate
the principles or the platform of any po-
ntlcai party, but to give my own views on
did: l am. and for years have been, a
strlct believer in the gold standard, pure
and simple. alluded to the republican
pla,lorm and Mr. McKinley's letter Of ac-
ceptance as containing illusions Of
1rlend!y character to silver, which 1 re-
garded as lacking in full courage and as
being sop to Cerberus." hold to this
OPINION. The history Of the past fifty
years, and especially of the latter half Of
that period, has demonstrated to my mind
that international bmetallsm as now con-
tended for-that is, on the basis of the I'M
limited coinage of silver at given ratio Of
value In relation to gold-is, in the pic
turesque language of Mr.. ingalls,, IAN Fri
descent dream and l applaud the simple
courage OF the Indianapolis convention for
saying so In effect in its outspoken stand
for gold.
AS respects my valued friend, Mr.. Sid
doha, much regret that he was not pres
ent at the meeting, as "Y Dung America"
appears to have been. Mr. Siddons finds
iault with two expressions made in the
course of my address, which, above in
umated, We're printed without their con-
text and without reference to their places
in the address. l did say that what made
the gold dollar worth hundred cents was
that God had so made it, and that the sill
Yer dollar could not be made or kept worth
hundred cents except by the manage
ment of man.
This was my argument: What we call
the laws of nature, of commerce and CT
trade are inherent in nature commerce and
trade and the relations of men among
themselves and to nature. In the language
of one of my college professors, which to
my mind gives the best definition of what
We call a law in this sense, "a law is the
human translation of a divine procedure"
kepler did not invent the laws which so
by his name, nor did Newton invent the
law of gravitation. Had neither kepler nor
NJ ton lived, others would have formu-
late! the divine procedure in each instance.
Just So Gresham did not invent the now
familiar law which goes by his name, but
only put into human formula the transla-
ton of the divine procedure through the in
strumentalities of commerce and trade.
The operation OF these forces has made
gold the true monetary standard of the
world, and the effect of these forces can
only be tempered with, but not permanently
deranged, by the Intervention of man. This
has given rise to the distinction between
what is known as automatic money and
what is known managed money. The
former is Gods creature through the OPP
Grafton of His laws; the other is mans crea-
ture. This is what l meant, and l hold
to 1t.
AS respects my allusion to the immor-
ality of the silver crusade, the fact was
this: l related conversation had with me
by conductor on one of our street cars,
In the course of which he declared he was
for free silver l asked him why. He re-
piled simply and solely because he had
mortgage on his home, which burdened
him. ana 1nat IL we should nave Tree SILVER
he would be able to get rid of the mortgage
at fifty cents on the dollar. 1 said that
man who would approach the ballot box
with such an idea has in his heart the
canker worm of dishonesty; and I said that
the appeal made to the farmer and the
Workingman to vote for free silver with
any such notion was and is demoralizing.
This also l hold to.
In conclusion. beg to repeat that 1t was
impossible within the short limits of my
address to make clear to all minds every
point in the reflections of SO long a time as
l have siVen to this subject, and this is my
excuse for infringing to SO great an extent
upon your valuable space. But this much
sought to make plain, and hope that l
did, namely. that l am uncompromisngly
for the simple gold standard; that l have
been in that attitude for years; that as l
read history and apprehend the working Of
natural and economic laws. there can, with
our present knowledge of substances which
may be used for money, be no other than
the simple gold standard. and that the
triumph of the present free silver agitation
would only end in panic, disaster and dis
honor. HENRY L. DAVIS.
n Prosperous School.