Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1898-11-02
Open Letter to Hon. F.
G. NeWIands.
RENO, NEVADA, Nov. 1, 1898.
Hox. +. G. NEwLAxDs,


SIR:-You We're elected as silver
man to Congress for three terms and
you are now candidate for re-elec-
ton on two platforms; one Silver
and the other Democratic. which
make free coinage at the ratio OF 10
to by the independent action of the
u. 5. the paramount issue. Were
you while IN Washington faithful
to the cause of silver!
In the End session of the 53rd Cong
ress, during President Cleveland
administration, Mr.. Bland, of Mis-
souri,, introduced "A bill to issue sill
vcr certificates on the idle bullion in
the treasury, then amounting to over
$50, 100000, and requiring that the
silver should be thereafter coined.
The bill passed both Houses OF Cong
ress by an overwhelming ajority.
President Cleveland vetoed it. An
attempt was made to pass the bill
over his veto. The question came
before the House on April q, 1894
The requisite two-thirds to pass it
over the veto could not be obtained.
The record shows that you failed to
vote for it's passage over Cleveland
veto. Why was this?
On the 22d OF July, 1897, another
most important question was pend
ing before the House of Representa-
tivcs relating to the question OF sill
yer. The Wolcott Commission was
receiving at that time considerable
attention in Europe. President
Mckinley sent message to Congress
advising the appointment OF a COM
mission to carry into effect the In
dianapolis plan, the cardinal princi-
pie OF which was the maintenance
of the gold standard and the retire
ment OF all paper money in circula-
ton and the substitution therefor OF
bank notes. The Silver men of the
House resisted the resolution for the
appointment of the commission. Mr..
Carmack, of Tennessee, moved as
an amendment to the gold mems
scheme the following:
The commission IN preparing a
scheme of currency reform shall
proceed along the lines laid down in
the financial plank of the Democratic
platform adopted at Chicago in 1896,
and it shall especially include the
restoration of the system of bimetal-
lism by the free, independent and
unlimited coinage of both gold and
silver at the ratio of 10 to l."
The House Journal shows that you
did not vote upon this vital PROPOSE
ton. The resolution, however, was
defeated in the Senate. 1t might be
possible for you to make some excuse
Tor your failure to vote on these very
important measures il you had not
subsequently, III letter to Mr.. Gage,
the Secretary of the Treasury,
abandoned the cause of silver and
advocated a most drastic measure
for the destruction OF silver as a
money metal.
On the 10th OF November, 1897, the
Washington Post, in an editorial,
quoted letter written hy you to
Secretary of the Treasury Gage,
suggesting the utter decentralization
OF silver and the total destruction of
silver mining. Without reproduc-
ing the whole of the original COM
munication the Post introduces GER
tain extracts by saying:
Hon. Francis Newlands of Nevada. has
addressed letter To the Secretary of the II
ury, In which he advocates the expedient of
making silver coinage a purely American ques-
lion. lie shows that the western hemisphere
produces nearly fourtiths of the silver o. the
world and he argues that. through the medium
OF Pan American agreement. we can regulate
the price of the metal to restore its actual
parity at 10 to or any other ratio we may see
ut to adopt
An important feature in Mr. Newland SCENE
Is the substitution in all American countries
of real money for representative money lie
quotes from the Mint Directors report for 1875
TO show that the uncovered" paper money is
as follows
The United States .. $il6, zoe. 900
Mexico. ..--.........,..,...... 1000 600
Central American States. ..,......,.. 5000. 600
South American States. .,.... ..... $4,000, 600
Total. ........................ 1915. zoo. 900
He then adds
1--WE have then nearly one billion dollars of
representative money for which we can sub
stitute metallic money. both gold and silver,
and we could so regulate the coinage OF both
as to maintain their parity Why should not
the Americas absorb in coinage all of the fifty
three million dollars OF gold and all OF the one
hundred and forty.four million dollars Of sill
yer which they produce? At this rate IL would
take four or Ave years before all the uncovered
paper money would be retired. even though
none of the gold and silver were absorbed in
the arts. aud this demand leaves out of calcu
lation entirely the necessity for increasing the
money volume IL proportion TO population or
business Would this be inhationG Would this
be expansion?
II may be said that with this stimulation of
use production might be stimulated. My ans
weri is that the American countries can easily
limit production II they wish. But before en-
tering upon the question OF limiting produc-
tion would like to say u few words as to the
necessity for 1t
Now | would not intimate and do
not believe that the fact that this
was communication addressed to
Mr.. Gage in any way influenced the
expression of your views. But
will say this, that there is nothing
in it in any way antagonistic to the
well-known views of the Secretary.
Mr.. Gage believes in gold standard.
For ought that appears in the quota