The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1899-10-26
THE SILVER ISSUE
lIrves IN the QaAntltive The
orr of AaHey.


Gov. Stone Of Missouri 10 an able
man. He says his say clearly, strong
" and forcibly. Read what he says
On the silver issue In a recent speech:
"Silvcr is no fetish With me; neither
ls gold; neither is sixteen to one. Sill
yer aud gold are simply inStrumentali-
ties for the use OF mankind, and six
teen 10 one expresses only ratio OF
value. believe In a quantItiVe theory
n money. ! believe that the value OF
property and labor are directly affect
ed by the quantity Of money In gen
sral use. When money is abundant and
seeking investment IN the legitimate
industries OF the country, the values
Of property increuse and labor hnds
readicr employment at rrmnnerntive
wages. On the contrary, when money
Ia scarce and difioult 30 obtain, the
values Of property foil and the laborcr
finds employment more difficult and
wages lower. believe that only thosr
Nho have fixed incomes and capital
lists are benefited by an inadequate sup
ply OF money, and that all others are
iniuriously affected. What want and
all I want Is money enough 10 easily
supply the monetary needs of the couu-
try and the world II believed that
gold alone would yield thar supply /
would care nothing Cor silver. II I
believed that silver alone would yield
that supply would rare nothing for
rold. /; Is brcause ! do not believe
that either metal. unai,lcd by the other,
ran supply a volume Of money sufii-
rirut 90 meet the Legitimate require
mcnts of business that / advocate the
imperial use Of both metals for mon
starry purposes.
III both metals sTT sSised impartial
ly into primary money they must hc
coined ut some given ratio prescribed
by law. favor sixteen 10 one as that
ratio ! know that at this time, and
under existing conditions, sixteen 10
one Ia not the commercial ratio Of vnluc
between the two metals. know thnt
an ounce Of gold Il commercially worth
twice iG ounces OF silver, Because that
Is true our opponents say that all
yer dollar coined on our theory AZ the
ratio Of sixteen TO one would be worth
only ~ cents and would have but one
half the purchasing power of the gold
dollar, They say that the cheaper
money would drive the dearer money
1ut OF circulation and out Of the conn.
try. and that We would soon find our
selves ON q silver basis In consequence
Of this they say that enormous vest
ed interests 1T home would be des.
pcrHtrly embarrassed and our indus.
tries prustrHtcd. and that our foreign
exchange would rise and huctuate "a
violently ns to make commerce with
foreign nations both difficult and un,
profitable. do not believe these ap.
prrhcusious are well founded. They
nrc all prcdicated on the idea of dif.
ference in the value Of the different dol.
lars. II the party, 80 called, of the dol
lars should be- maintained hy which
mean II ihcy should I've kept Of equal
ynlue-thcu the dangers our opponents
Hpprchend would practically disappear
II the silver dollar should be ~ vaiu
able us the gold dollar; II the dcbt-pny
ing and purchasing power of the tive
should he equal. they would be- inter
changcnblc. and there wonld be no
more reason for boarding the one than
the other. and no more reason for IN,
flight OF one to foreign countries than
OF the other Republican statesmen
and republicans genrrnlly-indccd
,crybody except those who are nctu
atcd by selfish consideration ndmi'
that bimetallism would be- better for
the country, would I've a boon to tn,
country and to mankind rs a whole i
II were only possible.
"But they say our policy is impracti
cable for the reason that the dollar
would part company aud that ail III,
evils they npprchrnd would follow a'
consequence. Now. democrats and
bimctallists believe as much in IN,
parity of the dollar ~ the most raH
pant gold munOmetallist alive. IL ",
thould secure The control of the gov
rrumeut. IL Is to hc presumed ant
should be presumed, that our states
men, uctuated hy honorable and IN
iriotic motives, would proceed in sucl
a way ~ To protect the interests OF ON
own people and country. The parity
nf the dollar would he preserved.
"Bui they say the parity cannot h,
tel Ia /.
nut restriction at the ratio of I6 10 /
That is problematical: ttst IL mat
ter of opinion upon which capable apt
prudent men are not agreed. We did
maintain the parity nj that ratio. ol
substantially that ratio. for sn years
! know conditions have changed sine,
then. know that France. German,
and other nations. following III, as ",
follow England. have gone to goit
basis since then; and ! know that ih,
worlds production of the preciou
metals has greatly increased since then
hut ! know also that the pcpa;ation q
this country and the world has great
~ Increased since then; and know ais,
that the bnsiness of this country an,
the world has Increased since then
The need Of nm increasing volume q
money hns kept pace with the incrrasi
Of population and business, and on
ability to act independently " rela
lively greater now than ever before.
whether independent himeialli,
coinage can he maintained at the rati'
Of 20 to I. is a question we may nd
init ls not free from doubt. ! thinl
II can he; others think II cannot be
There Is bui one way TO test the ones
tion and that IL by experiment. !
we coin both metals at all. we mus
have ratio. II not 10 TO l. what
We could NOT begin a; the presen
commercial ratio, for the free coin
age Of silver would undoubtedly en-
hanee Its commercial value: and at thl
same time lower the commercial valu,
Of gold: and. In thxt ease. the siIvei
doIisr would he Of greater snlue thai
the gold dollar II those who oppos.
the ratio Of 10 10 ] would name som
other ressanahie ratio. have no doub
an agreement could be reached. Bu
ths trouble IN that those who are op
pnsed to bimsfaliixsn In toto object ii
every suggestion. aud eonjure up ~