The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-02-13

1HE1 WILL NOl III IL
The genuine devotee Of the Chicago
platform has committed himself to the
advocacy OF calamity. lie is not willing
to part with disastrous period. lie has
tender recollections Of how nearly he
came TO bringing a terrible disaster upon
the country. and his most anxious wish
is that those conditions which were once
50 promising TO him shall not pass away
Find him where you will therefore, and
he IS button-holing every victim he can
lay his hands upon. and showing how
all the evidences of a new and rising
prosperity are illusory and the country
is going down TO the very bottom of the
bad. We feel sure we do Mr.. William j.
Bryan no injustice when we say that II
the whole people should rise up and with
one acclaim, declare they had found the
gold standard 10 be the very thing they
wanted and that it had made them all
prosperous and happy, It would make
Mr. Bryan a very wretched man. Mark
Tapley never loved calamity with half
the fervor that do the enthusiasts Of the
Chicago platform.
Nevertheless the Chicagoist will not ac-
cept the consequences Of that calamity
he loves so well. Anxious as he is 10
hear that the country Is in distress, yet
he rebels at the consequences Of dis
tress
Some two weeks ago when the Mat
thew-Tener silver resolution was before
the House. Mr.. Swanson. Of Virginia.
made a speech. and he thought IT con-
tanned so much pith and moment that
he held it for revision until now, and it
has just made its appearance in tho
Record. In the course Of il he said the
following:
This might properly be called. not
proposition TO strengthen the credit of
the United States. but a proposition 10
strengthen the bondholders Of the United
States. II seems strange that every time
4 vast public indebtedness is created,
whether in this country. in England, or
in Germany, at once the bOndholders
come and get control OF legislation and
make their obligations payable in the
dearest money that can be obtained. Az
ter the great NapOleOnic wars in Eu-
rope after the Indebtedness OF England
had grown vast and immense, then 1t was
that the bondhOlders of England obtain
ed from Parliament a proposition that
England should pay in gold alone which
put English consols up 10 double their
previous value.
When the same conditions existed in
Germany, after the Franco-German war.
nor indebtedness hpl f.
ed and the interest OF the hondholder
class was great and potential in Ger
many I'm 1872 the same interest, the same
bondholding class struck down silver
and made gold. the dear money. the only
standard of payment in that country. We
find that when the same conditions
came 10 exist in the United States after
the great civil war. when public indebt-
edness Of over 5000 600 COO had been Gre
ated, then the same bondholders. the
same power. came 10 the Congress Of the
United States and induced 10 70 change
its solemn obligations and promises made
In the contract for payment IN currency
into coin obligations. and then demone-
tized silver and left no coin but gold.
The same conditions produce the same
results, and we find gold made the stand
ard OF payment I'm the United States.
Just as II was in England and in Ger
many, all I'm furtherance OF the avarice
and selfish greed of the bOndholdcr
class.
Now everybody IN the country except
a Chicagoist can see that business is
reviving all over the country under the
influence Of the established gold stand
ard. vet Mr.. Swanson would contest the
point with YOU, never mind what array
OF facts and figures you might present.
The Chicago free silverite will not have
gold standard prosperity. and 1t IS use
less therefore. to tell him he is We'll of
Nevertheless. how he kicks against
calamity. though calamity is his god.
Here is Mr.. Swanson complaining that
the great calamity Of the Napoleonic
wars brought about the gold standard
for England. that the great calamity OF
the Franco-PrussIan war brought about
the gold standard for Germany. and that
the great calamity of our civil war
brought about the gold standard for |
America.
Suppose they aid Mr.. Swanson. why do |
s'N HNs "'Ntpl tue result OF cdlutllN !
with a cheerful Chicago countenanoe. |
Your platform viii have nothing but |
calamity and why do you not accept the |
consequences Of what your party wants? |
But Mr.. Swanson has appraised us OF |
some historical facts that we did not |
know. We really were entirely ignorant
OF the fact that gold was the dear
metal. at the magical ratio OF is TO |
when England, in 1916 adopted the gold |
standard. We were under the impression \
that silver was then N. dsarer metal /
at tina; ratio and we had the same I'm
preston in respect to the periods when
Germany adopted the gold standard, and
when the shyiocks brsbed through our
Congress that he'll born eve think