Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-09-04
M1DDLEBURY REGISTER, SEPTEMBER 4, 1895.

China - $500, 000,0 600 more than Great
Britain, $50, O0O 600 more than Franco,
$400, 600, 600 more than Germany, 1895,
600 less than India and S125, 900, 600 less
than China. The Republican party has
declared i'm favor of an international agree
mcnt, and if elected president it will be my
duty to employ all proper means to pro
mote it,
The free coinage of silver in this coun-
try would defer if not defeat irternatiOn-
al bimetallism, and until an international
agreement can he had every interest re-
quiros us to maintain our present stand
ard. Independent free coinage Of silve' at
a ratio of Is ounces of silver to l ounce of
gold would insure the speedy contraction
of the volume of our currency. 1t would
drive at least 500, 900, 900 gold dollirs,
which we now have, permanently fDm
the trade of the country and greatly de-
crease our per capita circulation. 1t isnot
proposed by the Republican party to IKE
from the circulating medium of the com
try any Of the silver we now have Onthe
contrary, it is proposed to keep all ofthe
silver money now in circulation on Inri-
ty with gold by maintaining the pledgi of
the government that all of it shall be equal
to gold This has been the unbroken pol
icy of the Republican party since 1878. 1t
| has inaupurated no new policy. 1t VIII
keep in circulation and as good as GOLD al
of the lVor and paper money which are
now included in the currency of the cOIn-
try. 1t will maintain their parity. 1t
will preserve their equality in the future.
as it has always done in the past. 1t will
not consent to put this country on II silver
basis, which would inevitably follow indie
pendent free coinage at ratio of rs to |.
1t will oppose the expulsion Of gold from
our circulation.
Effect on Farmers and Laborers.
If there is any one thing which should
be free from speculation and fluctuation,
it is the money of n country. 1t ought
never to be the subject of mere partisan
contention. When we part with our labor,
our products or our property, we should
receive in return money which is as stable
and unchanging in value as the ingenuity
of honest men can make it. Debasement
of the currency means destruction Of val
ues. No one suffers so much from cheap
money as the farmers and laborers. They
are the first to feel its bad effects and the
last to recover from them. This has been
the uniform experience of all countries,
and here, as elsewhere, the poor and not
the rich are always the greatest sufferers
from every attempt to debase our money.
1t would fall with alarming severity upon
Investments already made, upon insurance
companies and their policy holders upon
savings banks and their dcpositors upon
building and loan associations and their
members, upon the savings of thrift, upon
pensioners and their families and upon
wage earncrs and the purchasing power of
their wages.
The silver question is not the only issue
affecting our money in the pending CON
test Not content with urging the free
coinage of silver, its strongest champions
demand that our paper money shall be is
sued directly by the government of the
United states This is the Chicago Demo
cratic declaration The st. Louis people 5
declaration is that "our national money
shall be issued by the general government
only, without the intervention Of banks of
issue. be full legal tender for the payment
of all debts, public and private and be
distributed direct to the people and
through lawful disbursements of the gov
eminent " Thus, in addition to the free
coinage of the world silver, we are asked
to enter upon an era of unlimited ire
deemable paper currency. The question
which was fought out from 1865 to 1879 is
thus to be reOpened, with all its uncertain
ties, and cheap money experiments of every
conceivable form foisted upon us.
This indicates a most startling reaction
airy policy, strangely at variance with ev-
cry requirement of sound finance, but tho
declaration shows the spirit and purpose
of those who by combined action are con
tending for the control of the government
Not satisfied with the debascment Of ou1
coin, which would inevitably follow the
free coinage of silver mt is to /, they would
still further degrade our currency and
threaten the public honor ny the unlimited
issue of an irrodecmablo paper currency.
a gravcr menace to our financial stand
ing and credit could hardly he conceived
and every patriotic citizen should be
aroused to promptly meet and cffectually
defeat it.
1t is cause forpainful regret and solici
tude that AN EFFORT is being made by those
high in the couuscl~ of thenllipd parties tc
divide the people of this country into class
Is and create distinctions among Us
which, in fact, do not exist and are 70
pugnant 10 our form of government. These
appeals To passion and prejudice arc be-
meath the spirit and intelligence of a free
people and should be met with stern re
buke by those they are sought to influence
and l believe they win be. Every attempt
to array class against class, 1.-THE classe:
against the masses" section against sec
ton, labor against capital, 1.-THE pool
against the rich" or interest against in
tercst in the United states is in the high
est degree rcprehensible. 1t is opposed tC
the national instinct and interest anC
should be resisted by every citizen.
We are not nation Of classes, but o.
sturdy, free, Independent and honorable
people, despising the demagogue and new
er captivating to dishonor This eve
recurring effort endangers popular govern
ment and is menace to our liberties. L
Is not new campaign device or party ap
peal. 1t is rs old as government among
men, but was never more untimely anC
unfortunate than now. Washington warn
ed us against it, and Webster said in thu
senate in words which feel are singular
ly appropriate at this time: Il admonisl
the people against the object of outcrie
like these. l admonish every industriou