The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1897-06-11
Bryan's Bad Break.

on its fourteenth anniversary contains
a congratulatory. half fault finding
letter from Mr.. William j. Bryan to
the editor, Mr.. Pulitzer. He praises
what the world has done for tariff
reform" etc, but, 'as it would not be
fair to commend the good without
~condemning the bad" he asserts that
1.-The Worlds support of the gold
standard" which, he says, lis at this
time doing more harm than any 9TH
er one thing, is out of harmony with
the newspapers efforts in other direc-
TONS
The New York World criticises its
critic quite freely. 1t tells Mr.. Bryan
that the country has had several peri
DDS of prosperity since the free coinage
of silver was suspended in 1873. 1t
challenges as untrue his assertion that
the financiers unmolested have
looked after legislation on the money
question" and calls his attention to
the Bland-Allison law and the Sher-
man law. which the "~fnanciers" as
suredly did not favor.
The New York World simply tries
to smooth down Mr.. Bryan, whom
it calls a versatile and clever politi-
clan" 1t should have called on that
individual, whose versatility may be
admitted, but whose cleverness is
open to grave doubt-for he has been
a failure as a politician eve since he
entered upon the avocation-to answer
a few simple questions. They are ques-
tons which have been put to him oft
en-, but which he always eyades and
never answers, though he has made
more than 800 speeches within six
months and has compiled a big book
or the currency question.
These points have been made on
him:
1. Silver free coined into STA
grains to the dollar will be worth only
half as much as the existing gold dol
lar. Altgeld admits that fact and
indorses it. And Bryan does not de-
ny it. Ee has admitted it by indi-
rection by his refusal to deny The as
sertion.
?. Bryan demands that the half
value free coinage silver dollars be
made by law ~retroactively equal for
debt paying purposes to the gold stan
dard dollars, which would be twice as
valuable. If this were done by a re-
~troactive free coinage law, then about
eight billions of credits, notes and de-
posts based on the gold standard
would shrivel to four billions. The
existing credits, deposits, and money
on hand would be reduced to half their
value. The owners Of these deposits
and credits would be robbed By Bry-
ans scheme of half this property.
Bryan has Unlisted and still insists
on this retroactive robbery, and yet
lever attempts TO justify it or show
that it was right or honest. Like the
members of the Illinois Legislature
who voted for the Infamous Humphrey
bills, he has assigned an honest
motive for his dishonest propositions.
But supposing Bryan were to aban-
don his demand for retroactive free
silver legislation and ask for the 2dop-
ton of the half value silver standard
to apply only to future transactions.
Then the question for Bryan to answer
to the American people is. What will
be gained by using two pieces Of sill
yer. each worth so cents in purchasing
power, to do the money work which
one piece of gold standard money
does now? In what respect are two
pieces of silver, each worth half 4 gold
dollar, better than one gold dollar, or
other currency maintained at the gold
standard Of value?
8. Suppose a farmer of Nebraska
sells a horse for 100 silver dollars. each
worth 80 cents, aid then sells it for
so gold dollars, does he receive more
value for the former named animal
than for the latter? Bryan seems TO
argue that two free coined silver dol
lars. each worth 80 cents, IS more
money than one gold dollar or one
dollar of any gold standard money.
Bryan tries to convey the idea that the
two half value silver dollars are worth
double as much as the whole value
gold dollar. His argument seems to
be that 371A grains of silver under
free coinage are of equal value TO
% is grains of gold but he well knows
that % is grains of gold will buy 80
times its weight of silver bullion any
where in the world, instead of Is to /.
He knows that, and he also knows
that under free coinage a silver dollar
can only be worth the commercial
value of the bullion it contains.
4. With a dollar under the gold
standard worth 100 cents, a certain