The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-09-20
Mr.. CAGES SILVER BOGY
A CONFESSION OF REPUBLICAN HY-
PocRlSY AND DISHONESTY.
No Sane Person Believes Mr.. Bryan Wouiu
Go Out of His Way to Force silver
Dollars Upon the Public Creditors
Alleged Danger That Does Not EXIST

Alleged Danger That Does Not EXIST
A lady whose intelligence should
make her the voter of the household
instead of the husband whose obtuse-
ness she is trying to overcome writes
to the Journal that the chief difncuity
she finds in landing the family vote
for Bryan is her husbands fear that
Democratic victory would put the
country on silver basis. She asks
US to answer Secretary Cages recent
statement about the power of MIR.
Bryan, as President, to upset the ma
tional finances.
Mr.. Gage said
There is no doubt Mr.. Bryan could
order his Secretary of the Treasury
to make payment in silver OF oil the
public debt payable in coin, and for
all current disbursements of the Gov
eminent as well, which amount to a
million and q half to million ana
three-quarters dollars day That he
would give such an order, too Is very
certain, if he is in the same mind tnat
he was in 1896, for he was then quoted
us SdyIuS. IL thClC 10 Hiiy wv "
believes that the gold standard is a
good thing, or that it must be main
tanned. I want him not to cast his
vote for me, because l promise MIN
it will not be maintained in the coun-
try longer than 1 am able to get RID
of it."
This is on it's face confession OF
Republican hypocrisy and dishonesty.
The Republican party, being in con-
troll of all branches of the Govern
ment, had the power to put the mon
etary system of the country beyond
the reach of executive disturbance.
If it deliberately chose to leave the
law it passed imperfect from its own
point of view, so that it might work
I'D scare among the voters DeIore
the next election, it was guilty Oh u
cynical betrayal of trust that ought
to deprive it of any further opportu-
mites of playing tricks Of the same
kind.
AS q matter of fact, the alleged dam
ger does not exist. The silver coins
now in circulation in the United
States have no more relation with
"silver basis" than if they were MADE
of gold, copper or platinum. They are
not connected with the worlds stock
of silver. In the absence of free coin
age they are purely token money.
Their quantity is strictly limited, and
hence the Government never has had
and never can have any difficulty III
keeping them at par with all other
forms of money. France, with half
our population, keeps atioat nearly
twice the quantity of silver coin that
we do, at more difficult ratio, and
the Bank of France has no hesitation
about redeeming it's notes in silver in
stead of gold 'Theneyer it feels so in
clined.
Mr.. Bryan is in favor Of the free
coinage of silver, which it would be
impossible for him to secure from any
Congress that could be elected. In
the absence of free coinage it would
be no object to him to create needless
disturbance by juggling with the token
dollars in the Treasury. He is as
deeply interested in the maintenance
of prosperity as anybody else.
The interest on the public debt is
paid now by checks. Mr.. Bryan
would doubtless continue to pay it in
the same wa. The checks, as a rule,
are passed through the Clearing
Houses. They would doubtless con
tinue to be. Balances due to the
Clearing Houses, banks or individuals
are paid now in any kind of money
that comes handy. If you present a
fifty-dollar money order to be cashed
now at the postoffice you will prob
some greenbacks, some national bank
notes and some silver certificates. No
doubt the same thing would happen
under a Bryan administration.
If you have check for interest on
a Government bond and you insist
on your legal right to have it cashed
in coin you can get the coin, and as
there is fifteen times as much free
gold as silver in the Treasury. the
payment will naturally be made in
gold. There is no reason to suppose
that Mr.. Bryan would make any
change in this respect.
Nobody who really understands the
bimetallic theory can honestly believe
that convinced bimetalliSt like Mr..
Bryan would go out of his way to
force our little stock of token silver
dollars upon the public creditors. Such
a proceeding would in no way advance
the cause of bimetallishm, nor could
it disturb the gold standard any more
than it does in France. In the alb
sence of free coinage law Mr.. Bryan
will let the currency alone and devote
himself to the more practical prob
lens of restoring the republic and
curbinS the trusts.-New York Jour-
nal