Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-05-07
The Kansas City ssstarv Capitulates.

The Kansas City ssStar" Capitulates.
Editor DkMocRAr-
Senator Teller, of Colorado, in
recent colloquy with Senator Sherman,
of Ohio, in the United Ste ties Senate,
said that he did not propose to LET the
Ohio senator fool the people by telling
them that if the Mckinley bill was
re-enacted it would bring prosperity.
The Mckinley bill would never be re-
enacted, and if it was it would never
bring prosperity
Mr.. Teller claimed that the cause of
our existing trouble was the demon
citation of silver, whereupon the Kan
sas City Star" proceeded in an edito-
rial last Thursday to take him to task
for his position on finance, and con-
cluded as follows:
"He proceeds on the false theory
that the coinage of fifty cents worth of
silver bullion into hundredcent dollars
will benefit the debtor class of the
country AS matter of fact, the only
persons who could possibly be benefit
owners, who would be enabled to mar
ket their bullion at double its value,
and the gold owners, who could pur-
chase silver at its bullion value, and
pay their obligations with the metal at
its coin value, thus discharging their
debts in full without impairing their
capital at ALL"
To the advocates of free silver it is
certainly source of much satisfaction
and qualification to note that for once
the ''Star" has told the truth in regard
to silver in case of reconciliation, that
is, in the admission that free coinage
would double the price of silver bullion.
This has been strenuously denied by
the monometallists, who claim that
nothing short of almost absolute de-
struction of silver could raise the price
of that metal. But here is the admis-
sion OF regular rip shorter, gold bug
paper that free coinage would double
the value of silver bullion. Well, now,
if free coinage would do this, is there a
man anywhere who supposes that sill
yer mine owners and owners of silver
bullion would sell it for half what it is
worth? If free coinage would advance
the price of silver is anyone so foolish
bullion would dispose of it at less than
it would bring when free coinage was
established? The s'Star" says they
would, and such is the argument of the
single gold standard people, but let US
see. To use homely expression, sup
pose the government of the United
States would say that on January Ist,
1897, it would pay one hundred dollars
for each and every black horse in the
country, how many holders of black
horses would sell them now for half
that?
Patterson, of Tennessee, recently
said in his speech at Kansas City, and
ali other gold bugs, including the
Star" says, that the only persons who
would be benefited by free coinage
are the miners and owners of silver
bullion, that their product would be
enhanced in value hundred per cent.
and yet in the very next breath claim
IN all apparent soberness and truth that
we should have fifty cent dollars. Is
this not wilfully and maliciously mis-
representing the question? Will these
gold standard people, including the
Register" please explain how we can
have fiftv-cent dollar if silver bullion
is doubled in value? How many own
ers of gold, or owners of anything else
for that matter, would be able to buy
silver bullion at its present price if free
coinage was to occur on January Ist,
1897?
| know the general opinion exists
among those who are ID favor OF the
gold standard that anyone who is in
favor of free coinage of silver is lacking
III grey matter, or as the Chicago
Journal says of silver speeches,
''they are Indicative of harmful bac.
terra in the brain,''. but l venture the
assertion that if free coinage were to