The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-09-03
DANGEROUS ASSAULTS.

n
remarks that "it takes two of Mr.. Bryans
silver dollars, and then some more, TO
buy a bushel of wheat nowadays" Ne
suppose this is intended to be funny, fot
we have observed that the pungent nara
graphists of many Republican, gold Dem
ocr,ltic and Mugwump newspapers have
made the "BryaL dollar" target for
their sharpest shots. And we have no.
ticed, also, that the same sneer has been
used in the leading editorials OF some of
the most conspicuous sound money or
gans, while, at the same time, u number
of public speakers. writer's and Federal
officials have carefully utilized every
available opportunity to lampoon the
metal in the standard dollar and dis
parage the currency that represents that
coin-the currency which constitutes the
bulk of the money in actual circulation.
"Mr. Bryan's silver dollar" # he hap
pen to have specimen of that coin on
hand, is just like Mr. Vanderbilt's, Mr..
Morgan's or Mr.. Astor's silver dollar,
and is identical with the other dollar
paid to the laborer by his employer 1t
is the dollar that Congress, as the agent
of the people, created for the people, and
the assertion that it takes two such dol.
lars to buy IL bushel of wheat is false.
."The Bryan dollar" the 16 to dollar,
the dollar that, in the shape of it's paper
proxy, Is in til" hands alike of ''tEe
masses and the classes" will buy just as
much wheat or any other commodity as
gold dollar. 1t stood Mt it's face value,
reck oned by the gold standard, when gold
was going out Of the country by the mil
lion on every departing transatlantic
steamer. The parity vas kept intuct
when the Treasury gold reserve was run
down to something near 800 GOO, 600.
Why? Simply because the faith ard
credit Of the nation held it up. 1t WAS
not because the silver certificates could
have been exchanged for gold. MS no
such exchange could have been possible.
Even If the administration had desired to
pay out gold for notes made payable III
silver it could have not done so. Nor
could the Mckinley administration stand
n run for gold in payment of silver obi
cations. Our financial structure, there
fore, rests chiefly on the confidence of the
business world in the honesty of the PEG.
pie and their ability to keep their
promise.
But the fact that the government has,
thus far. been able to hold IT'S Bryan
dollar" up to parity with gold does
not seem to us to be IA good reason for as
saults on ethat dollar. The enormous
stake which this nation has in silver-n
the coinage. in bullion, and in the mines
should admonish patriotic citizens that
II slump in the price of silver is not a
thing for jokes. IL seems to us that
there is danger in this assault on our cur
rency. If kept up with rhe'present yigor
it will have one of two results-it will
either break down the parity and bring
ON n panic or it will give dangerous
strength to the ''fiau heresy." Neither Of
these results can be contemplated with
cheerful composure, but one of them will
come if the war on silver is persistentIy
pushed. The advocates of sound money
whether they believe in the gold standard
or in international bimetallism. are as
much interested in silver as are their OPP
ponents. Every decline in the price of
silver is Il misfortune to the government
and the people of the United States. -
Washington Post.