The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-15
SUCKER STATE slLvERITEs.
Impudent Claim of Sixteen to One Shout
crs at Peoria.

crs at Peoria.
The Illinois democratic state conven-
ton added hypocrisy and double deal
ing to the silverite doctrine of repudia-
ton and dishonest dollars when it de-
clared in its platform: "We favor the
soundest and safest money known to
man. + = = We demand the repeal of
that republican and plutocratic legisla-
ton which demonetized silver and re-
duced it to the level of token money,
destroying by one-ha!f the stock of real
money. : < = We demand the i'm
mediate restoration of the free and
unlimited coinage of both gold ana sill
yer as a standard money at the rate Of
sixteen ounces of silver to one of gold
of equal fineness, with full legal tender
power t. each metal" This declaration
Of free silver was termed the "bimet-
alIism which was made the basis OF our
monetary system by Hamilton and JEFF
ferSon."
Of all kinds of fraud the c2nting
humbug is the worst. The sincere but
mistaken silverite, who admits that
free coinage at sixteen to one would
put this country on the silver basis, arc
deserving of far more respect than the
men who have the i]mpudence to talk
of sound and safe money in connec-
ton with their 50-cent-dollar scheme.
Every man who is old enough to vote
knows that free silver, with the bullion
value of the two metals at a ratio Of
thirty to one. means silver monometal-
ism pure and simple. This is the
standard of Mexico, China and India,
where its frequent and violent fiuctua-
tons and decreasing purchasing power
testify to its "soundness and safety"
Is that the kind of money the American
people want?
II will be somewhat difficult to secure
the repeal of 1.-THE legislation which de-
monetized silver and reduced it to the
basis of token money" since there is
no such legislation on the statute
hooks. What the Sucker state tinan-
ciers referred to was probably the legis-
lation which since 1913 has given US
S550,OOO,O0O of full legal tender silver
money. not one dollar of which is token
money, and $%75,COO,O0O of subsidiary
coinage. As there was not $50, Coz 1000
of silver money of all kinds in the
try in 1873 and less than $S,GC0,000 full
legal tender silver coins. ii is hard to see
low the stock of real money has been
destroyed one-half." Since an increase
Of $40, GG0.GO0 is considered coEtrac-
ton Of the currency, it IS easy to under
stand how the cross-cyed silvcrijcs can
believe that forcing $G25,000,O 600 iii gold
out of circulation would give lis more
money.
The bimctallism of Hamilton ard
jefferson" was the coinage Of gold and
silver a. 4 ratio which was as nearly 2s
possible the commercial ratio between
the values of the two metals. In FIX
perieGce it was found that whenever
Cre of the metals VS. O~vcrvalu"d it
disappeared from circulation, the
cheaper money only being used, 50 that
the country was always on either the
gold or the silver standard. Under
present conditions, with the bullion
value Of silver 80 times that of gold, it
would be impossible to keep gold in
circulation, and the country would go
who favor real binetallisIn, nader
which an almost equal value of gold
ard silver money is now kept in circu-
la&on. must work and vote against free
silver mOuOurptaIiSr,.