The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1898-01-22

rhe Cheap Money Moses Working
His Old Racket.

AAts Vsa ak8sAtas
The other day William j. Bryan told
the Indians. half-breeds and palefaces
who greeted him at Muskogee. in the
Indian territory. that
From i792 to 1873 the people OF the United
States had a system OF bimetalllsm which
during all that time was not condemned by
any political party and was good enough
for Washington. Jefferson. Madison. and
all other great patriots and statesmen. IN
GLIDING Abraham Lincoln: that the system
was abandoned without the knowledge OF
congress or the request OF any political
party"
But Bryan did not tell his miscel-
laneous audience that the silver dollar
which the United States had between
1903 and 1873 had as much intrinsic
value, within a cent or two. as any gold
dollar which was coined during that
period. Sometimes the silver dollar
was worth a cent or two less than the
gold dollar. That was the case up TO
1894. From that time on up to 1873 il
was worth two or three cents more than
the gold dollar.
During the long period OF 81 years
the mercantile value of the American
silver dollar all over the world was the
same within n small fraction as that OF
the gold dollar In other words. every
where 37lh grains of silver bullion
would exchange for just about 90 is
grains of gold bullion. Practically one
was the equivalent Of the other.
If the Indians 70 whom Brayan spoke
or their fathers-had been paid their
annuities in silver dollars subsequent
TO 1894 they would have received money
OF greater exchange value than the gold
dollars actually paid them. But Bryan
is not calling for that superior kind OF
silver dollar. He is demanding one
worth only about two-ffths as much
or 40 cents on the dollar. He was very
careful, however, not TO explain TO his
hearers that that was the case.
II he had told the Indians that he
wanted to have their annuities paid in
Mexican dollars instead Of American
dollars-in dollars worth less than half
their face-there might have been
sudden demand for his scalp. Some
red brother, indignant at this PROPOSE
ton 10 cheat him. might have gone for
Bryan with tomahawk.
If Bryan had been honest he would
have admitted that the free coinage OF
silver means the coinage of dollars
which have only 10 cents Of gold value
ard that he wants these half-bogus dol
lars 10 be made full legal tender in
the discharge Of all present obligations
the Indians annuities included-rep-
resenting gold values or 100-cent money.
Being a tricky, disreputable dema-
goguc, he hid his real designs. He
tried by concealment and suppression
to make his hearers, both those with
copper-colorcd and those with white
compilations, believe that Washington,
Jefferson, Madison and Lincoln were in
favor of the coinage OF free silver dol
lars possessing only half the value OF
gold dollars, and making them a legal
tender for gold dollar debts.
Bryan knew that those men advocated
no such thing, and would not have con-
scented TO such a proposal. He relied
on the ignorance OF his hearers, how
ever, at Muskogee, as at other places.
For scores OF times during the cam
paign of 1896 he tried to fool audiences
in the same way.
Bryan well knows that the men named
above never favored lying, cheating.
half-yalue dollar. Neither did Hamil-
ton, the Adamses, Clay, Webster Ben
ton, Jackson, Cleveland or Harrison.
What American statesman has ever
written or spoken in behalf OF silver
dollarof the kind that Bryan advocates?
The only silver dollar which reputable
men in public life in this country have
asked for is one which should be up TO
the standard laid down in the Chicago
national democratic platform of 1902.
Since Bryan has returned to Nebraska
from his Mexican trip the republican
papers Of that state should resume the
task Of exposing his shameless perver-
sions Of fact and his downright false
hoods.-Chicago Tribune.
COMMENT AND OPINION.