The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-07-25
A SENSIBLE BEpUBLICaN PAPER

A SENSIBLE BEPUBLICAN PAPER
Quoting a Washington dispatch that
,'President McKinley's anxiety to send
q currency message TO Congress at this
time IS due to his belief that 1t will help
the Republicans in Ohio next fall" the
Chicago Tribune Rep) makes this com
! ment
"The Lord helps those who help them
| selves. That applies TO the Ohio Republi-
| cans as much as TO any other set OF
| people No message the President may
send TO Congress about the appointment
OF a Currency Commission can aid them
unless they recognize the fact that the
monetary question IL the paramount Is
sue, and make their campaign on It.
Speakers and papers may say that the
free-silver question is a dead issue, and
proceed TO discourse about wool and the
great advantages which will attend tho
levying OF a high duty on that article.
But nobody, unless II may be the raisers
Of blooded rams, will pay any attention 10
arguments about the beauties Of dear
wool and expensive clothing. The per-
sons who attend Republican meetings and
read Republican papers will want 10
know what the answers are TO the free
silver arguments of the Democrats"
That IS the soundest and the most SEN
sible talk. even If it does come from
Republican paper. The people are not
thinking Of the tariff, but they are think
ing of finance. And 1t is not the people
Of the cities who are thinking of that.
The people Of tho cities have banks at
their doors; they do their business with
checks and they. therefore. feel no need
Of money. But the people in the country
have no banks, the national bank note
being endorsed by the Government Is
good at par in any quarter Of the Union,
though issued in the mountains Of Dick
inson county, it IS, therefore, good at
its face in New York city. II conse-
quently leaves the country for the city,
and the countryman is left with
no medium at all to transact his
affairs with. The countryman IS the per-
son who is making the complaint about
money. and he will continue to make the
complaint until justice Is accorded him.
and he is given medium OF exchange
1t Is as the Tribune says. The country
man finds himself slowly strangled for
want OF a medium Of exchange. The free
silver Democrat tells him free coinage OF
silver will give him that medium OF ex-
change, the countryman grasps at this as
he will grasp at anything else that holds
out 2 possibility OF relief TO him, and the
countryman will continue TO listen TO
free silver orators or TO preachers OF
any other ism until he IS given medium
Of exchange with which he can transact
his business. Let him have free exercise
of the rights that the Constitution or the
United States has guaranteed to him. and
let him have his local bank. whose notes
are based upon local credit only, ana
will, therefore. stay with him, ard he
will never give any moro trouble In the
matter Of finance. He will continue to
give trouble though. until his just de-
mand is needed. and some Of these times
the unnatural union between the dissatis-
fed countryman and the unemployed ar
tisan of the city may carry a national
election, and then We shall have reYolu-
ton. and. possibly. something far worse
Why this natural principle Of local
currency should be so bitterly opposed is
one Of tina strangest things 10 The
Times in the world. We had it through
all our history. up TO the war; and It
produced the very happiest results. 1t IS
OF universal prevalence to-day. The
money Of the United states will not cir
culate in England. the money Of Eng
land will not circulate in France, and
the money Of France will not circulate
In Germany, the money Of Germany Will
not circulate in Russia, the money OF
Russia will not circulate in China, and
so on all over the world. Each country
has its own money. which perfectly
serves the people Of that country but
it will not circulate beyond the limits OF
that country. That IS the principle which
the advocates Of State banks invoke and
thy cannot understand how people that
know the universal principle Of local cur
a.