Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-04
AS TO GOLD, SILVER AND TREASON.


Wheeling, W. Va. as second-class matter
AS TO GOLD, SILVER AND TREASON.
The esteemed Intelligencer revamps
an editorial from the few York Press
"a notorious Wall street organ-and
delivers a heated diatribe against the
silver Senators" in Congress, who
have placed themselves flatfootedly ON
record as opposed to the issuance OF
gold bonds should our complications
with Spain necessitate a war loan. In
deed. the Intelligencer accuses these
silver Senators" of TREASON. 1t
holds that we could not borrow money
except on bonds payable in GOLD:
1t shouts, speaking of the silver Sen
ators'':
The people of the United States would
take them in hand, says the Press. Whlch
adds: In times of war treason IS q daii-
gerous thing, even for Senators with SIN
Yer barrels.
This is followed by other lurid and
more or less patriotic declaration and
opinions from the Wall street point of
view of the New York Press, and
then our neighbor concludes;
Any bond issue that will be made will
be offered for popular SUBSCRIPTION. Inc
lesson learned by the last administration
was enough to settle that question for all
time. The public will ask for bonds pro-
viding pa yment in the money which is
the standard of the country Mark this
prediction.
So. bimetallism is TREASON.
The government could not float
war loan unless the bonds were made
payable in GOLD.
And the public will ask for bonds
payable in the money which is the
STANDARD of the country.
There we have our neighbours con-
tention in a nutshell, and how Wall
streetesque it Isl
To begin with, in the name of COM
mon sense, what does our contempt
rary mean by saying that it is treason
for anyone to advocate payment CT our
national debt in our national money?
What is our national money? 1t is
gold and silver. What is the law gov
erning the payment Of our national
obligations? 1t says simply that they
shall be paid in COIN. Not gold, not
silver, but COIN-gold or silver. at the
option of the government If the Re-
publican administrations under which
hoJ
stand which the Wheeling organ of
patriotic Wall street takes to-day,
namely, that they should be paid in
the money at that time the dearest,
these bonds would have called for pay
ment in SILVER, for silver at the time
these bonds were contracted was the
DEAREST money on earth But Lin
coin and Grant and the Congresses of
those times did not take that view of
the matter-the view that Wall street,
Hanna and all the Hannacratic organs
are now advocating as the only one
compatible with the preservation OF
the honor of the country. In pain
language, these patriots say that
TO preserve our honor we
must abrogate our sacred contracts,
pay our debts in the dearest money on
earth, twice as dear now as when these
debts were ontracted-compel the
debtor to pay twice his debt-in other
words, rob him for the benefit of the
bondholder, That is the infamous
proposition advanced by our Republic
can contemporary copying after the
New York Wall street organ. which
declares that anything else is TREA-
SON.
Is is treason to uphold the law and
the rights of the American people
against the rapacity of foreign money
sharks? Is it not rather more like
treason for any set of selfish citizens.
or a political party in the United
States to attempt to overthrow its
plain laws in order to enrich foreign
creditors and millionaires at The ex-
pense of the American people?
The lntelligencer says the govern
ment could not float war loan unless
the bonds were made payable in GOLD.
Where did the Intelligencer get this
information?
The United States has f1oated bill
ions of COIN bonds and those out
standing are at a premium to-day We
carried on a five years war on COIN
bonds. when silver was the dearest
money
What is wrong with the same bonds
now? They are above par and have
never been complained of. No Amer
lean outside of Wall street and Lon
don and their organs, the gold stand
ard press, is protesting against the
issuing Of coin bonds or that it is
TREASoNABLE not to pay our debts