Natchitoches populist., 1898-08-12
TT rs BIMETALLISM.
THE WORLD MUST ADOPT THAT
SYSTEM.
So Gong "a the Gold Standard fs Main.
tanned There viii He tdisneas and
Poverty-People May Learn tho Les
SON by Severe Experience.

bOn w 9CVOko GARCIAcACcs
Sooner or later a single system of
finance must prevail throughout the
entire earth. AS a base for that sys-
tenn three things are possible: gold, or
silver, or both. But silver as a single
base seems to have been eliminated as
probability, for not even its best
friends ask that 1t be made the basic
money Of the world uncombined with
gold. The whole controversy Is mar
rowed down to gold or gold and silver.
1t is in its position of world problem
that the silver question must be con-
sidered.
AS whole the financial system OF
the world is In transitory state. To-
day part Of the world Is on silver
basis and part On gold basis, but
this arrangement cannot continue. The
keen tlnanciers that are behind the
movement to make the whole world
come to the gold basis know the In
juries the gold standard countries sus-
tain in their competition with silver
standard countries. They propose In
their hearts to eliminate this feature by
forcing all Of the silver countries to
come to their way of thinking. In
their minds eye they behold the time
when there will be no silver using
countries, and when goods can be
manufactured no cheaper In Mexico
than they can in England. To attain
this end they are willing to have the
manufactures Of their own country sut-
fer for a time, believing The end is not
far of. They krow that were the
present conditions to continue the
manufactures of all gold standard
countries must little by little decline
and manufactures of all silyer-standard
countries must little by little increase,
until the latter would ultimately take
possession of the markets Of the world.
Their plan of campaign Is obvious.
It is to entirely destroy silver as a
money metal and compress the business
Of the world to a point where 1t will
rest on the narrow gold base. They be-
lieve themselves able to do this, be-
cause they know how successfully rich
men can work in the dark. They have
their myriads of financial agents in all
parts Of the world. 1t Is not necessary
that all of the men that do their bid
ding be their exclusive employees. In
many cases they are the employees OF
great banking houses and commercial
enterprises, but they have received
their cue from headquarters and are
Jealous in their efforts to please the
monied men that control those enter
prises. Here lies the danger Of the stu
alton to the world, for we should no
deceive ourselves into believing that
is not possible for them to succeed
They have an army of mercenarie
composed of the brightest intellect
working continually In secret to attai!
their ends. They can work for tel
years or twenty years or thirty year
with no sense of WEAKNESS. On tn
other side the cause OF the people mus
depend on spontaneity. To that cause
waiting year after year is disastrous
for 1t is difficult to sustain the interes
In any cause depending on the enthusi
asm of the multitude. 1t Is eyideu
that our interests can be protected onl
} by the unselfish devotion of the leader:
who should never allow the agitation t
J cease. Ia
, II untold suffering has come to th
people by reason OF the gold standar
, being made absolute In few countrie
what will 1t be when the whole worl
, la forced onto that basis? The procei
, will be slow and The pain excruciatin
: Year by year the general trend {
! prices will continue to be downwar
especially In the silver countries tn:
now are. So much greater will
9 their injuries as they are poorer tina
the countries that more naturally ha,
Z adopted the gold standard The fe
! manufactures that have sprung up
D the silver countries will quickly me
a away, and widespread and long-col
a tinued financial depression will pr
0 vail. Civilization will be stagnant f
/. a generation. Only by arousing II
i. people of the silver countries can
g great disasters be prevented.
> H. F. THURSTON.