The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-08-14

ing force of that decision so long as it
stands as part of the law of the land.
There is in the platform no suggestion
of an attempt to dispute the authority
of the supreme court The party is
simply pledged to use ''all the consti
tutional power which remains after
that decision, or which may come from
its reversal by the court as it may
hereafter he constituted" Is there
any disloy atty in that pledge? While
the money question overshadows all
other questions in Importance. l desire
it distinctly understood that L shall
offer no apology for the income tax
plank of the Chicago platform. At
present the expenses of the federal
government, collected through internal
revenue taxes and import duties, are
especially burdensome upon the poorer
classes of society. A law which col
lects from some citizens more than
their share of the taxes and collects
from other citizens less than their
share, is simply an indirect means of
transferring one mans property to an
other mans pocket, and while the pro.
process may be quite satisfactory to
the men who escape just taxation, it
can never be satisfactory to those who
are overburdened. The last income
tax law, with it's exemption provisions,
when considered in connection with
other methods of taxation in force, was
not unjust to the possessors of large
incomes, because they were not COM
PEELED to pay total federal tax great
er than their share. The income tax
is not new, nor is it based upon hostili-
ty to the rich.
The Money Question.
Now let me ask you to consider the
paramount question of this campaign
the money question. 1t is scarcely
necessary to defend the principal of
bimetallism. No national party dur
ing the entire history sf the United
States has ever declared against it,
and no party in this campaign has had
the temerity to oppose it. Three par
tie:-the democratic, populist and sill
yer parties-have not only declared for
birIetallism, but have outlined the
specific legislation necessary to restore
silver to it's ancient position by the
side of gold. The republican platform
expressly declares that bimetalksm is
desirable when it pledges the repub-
ican party to aid in securing it as
soon as the assistance of certain for
eign nations can be obtained Those
who represented the minority senti-
tim ont in the Chicago convention op-
posed the free coinage of silver by the
United States by independent action
on the ground that, in thuir Judgment
it would retard or entirely prevent
the esta blishment of international bi-
metallism, to which the forts of the
government should be steadily dl-
rected." When they asst rted that the
efforts of the government should be
steadily directed toward che establish
ment of international bimetallism,
they condemned monome sallism. The
gold standard has been weighed in the
balance and found waiting Take
from it the powerful support of the
money owning and the i.aoney-chang-
ing classes and it cannot stand for one
day in any nation of tie world. 1t
was fastened upon the United States
without discussion before the people,
and its friends have Eevsr yet been
willing to risk a verdict before the
voters upon that issue.
Are They Sinoers3
There can be no sympathy or CO.
operation between the advocates of
universal gold standard and the
advocates of bimetallism. Between
metallism-whether independent or
international-andt the gold standard
there 10 an impossible gulf. Is this
quadrennial agitation in favor of in
transitional bimetallism conducted in
good faith, or do our opponents really
desire to maintain the gold standard
permanently? If they are in fact de-
sirous of securing bimetallism, we may
expect them to point out the evils OF
gold standard and defend bimetallism
as a system. If, on the other hand.
they are bending their energies to-
ward the permanent establishment OF
a gold standard under cover of a
declaration in favor of international
bimetallism, am justified in suggest
ing that honest money cannot be ex-
pected at the hands of those who deal
dishonesty with the American people.
What Is Honest Money!
What is the test of honesty in
money? 1t must certainly be found
in the purchasing power OF the dollar
An absolutely honest dollar would not
vary in its general purchasing power;
it would be absolutely stable when
measured by average prices A dollar
which increases in purchasing power
is Just as dishonest as dollar which
decreases in purchasing power. Prof
Laughlin, now of the University of
Chicago, and one of the highest gold
standard authorities, in his work on
bimetallism not only admits that gold
does not remain absolutely stable in
value, but expressly asserts 'that
there is no such thing as standard OF
value for future payments, either in
gold or silver, which remains abso-
lutely invariable." He even suggests
that multiple standard, wherein the
unit is biased upon the selling prices
of a number of articles of general con-
sumption" would be more just stan
dard than either gold or silver, or
both, because "a longtime contract
would thereby be paid at its maturity
by the same purchasing power as was
-r;wa,, ~ %hM haCiuninr" 1t cannot be