The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-03-05
FACTS ABOUT SILVER.
Comments of q Former Director
the Mint.

Z. O. Leech, formerly director of the
mint, and now second vice president
and cashier of the National Union bank
at 30 Nassau street, said, in speaking Of
the situation in the silver controversy:
at is somewhat remarkable that the
Teller resolution that the obligations
of the government are legally payable
in silver dollars--a fact no one disputes
should have been reported to the
senate just at the moment that the
Indian government took the final step
to place that great empire on gold
basis by law authorizing the issue
OF currency notes against deposits OF
gold. Next to the closing of the mints
of India to the free and unlimited coin
age of silver this is the most significant
ard important fact in recent monetary
legislation-far more important than
the adoption of the gold standard by
Japan, for the reason that for ages In
dia has been the great absorber of the
surplus silver product, the silver sink
of the world, and the most active mover
III TIC tllOItS lOl
allism. In marked contrast to the ac-
ton of the great silver nations of the
orient, in the efforts to place their
domestic and foreign commerce on the
same basis of valuation as that of the
commercial countries of Europe, is the
pitiful piece of political bravado now
being enacted in the senate of the
| United States, where grave and rev.
erend senator's declare with mock
solemnity that the obligations Of the
government of the United States
which has had the gold standard prac-
tically since 1894, and legally since
1s73-which is bound by duty, honor
ard self-interest, as well as by an un-
broken line OF practice for over IS years.
to pay it's obligations in coin of full
vaiue-may legally be paid in dollars
which contain less than so cents worth
of pure metal ~
ITO what helpless and ridiculous
position has the silver controlersyAin
the United States degensrated, Chen
the only feasible way of keeping it
alive is to get an irresponsible COM
bination of democrats, popuhsts and
'silver-producing senator's to resolve
that the bcndholders better watch out,
that the foreigners better keep shy Of
the obligations of this government, for
the said combination declare that the
bonds may be- paid in silver dollars.
What an inspiring spectacle it must be
to the youth of the country to see the
highest legislative body of our land seri-
ously at work to injure the national
credit and dshonor the national faithE
Fortunately, every intelligent citizen
knows that the farce which is being
enacted in the senate chamber is SIM
ply an effort to galvanize Organism,
and still more fortunate is the fact
that the people Of this country decided
by decisive majority at the last ma
tional election that all our silver and
paper currency must be maintained
at parity with gold, and we favor
all measures designed to maintain in
violably the obligations of the United
States, and all our money, whether coin
or paper, at the present standard, the
standard of the most enlightened ma
tons of the earth The resolution re-
ported from the finance committee OF
tie senate ought to be entitled: The
senate against the people in the matter
If free silver. IN Y, Sun.