Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-01-25
A CERTAIN STANDARD.
Salient Features OF the Currency
Bills That Are Now Before
Congress.

The passage of one of the currency
bills before congress will be the log
ical result of the last presidential cleo
ton, the election Of 1898 and of the
course of events. The real issue was
between a gold and silver standard in
1896. With a timidity which ill BELTS
a great party, many republicans were
reluctant to declare for the gold stand
ard. but the convention did so by a
decided majority, with the proviso Of
one more attempt to bring about inter
national bimetallism, which, at that
time, no one who had watched the
drift of sentiment in Europe and had
weighed the effect of the doubling of
the output of the worlds gold mines
believed had the ghost of a chance. 1t
is fair to say that the issue in 1896
was between the gold and silver stand
ard, since there is not an intelligent
man who has any information regard
ing the history of coinage in his own
and other countries who will not con-
fess to himself that free and unlimited
coinage at the ratio of sixteen to one
would bring the country to silver
standard as soon as 1T should be
adopted. The country declared against
the silver standard in defeating Mr..
BRYAN in 1896. Two years later six
teen to one was made the leading issue
in the congressional elections. Again
the country, having to choose between
the gold and silver standard stood for
gold. The democrats in the east, eX-
cept those controlled by Tammany,
were elected upon platforms which as
sumed that the question of standards
had been settled. The party standing
for the gold standard won states which
voted for Mr.. Bryan in 1896, indicat-
ing that the sentiment in favor of the
gold standard had grown because of
the good results that followed from
the decision of the country in favor
o. that metal.
Such being the case, the republic
ans in congress, by virtue of their
pledges, were in duty bound to estab-
lish the gold standard beyond ques-
tion by requiring that all the obliga-
tions Of the government shall be paid
with gold. Such requirement may
seem unnecessary, since the United
States has had a gold standard since
1884, when, undeF the influence Of
President Jackson, a democratic con-
grcss changed the coinage ratio, max
ing the silver dollar worth more in
trinsically than the gold. But while
the gold standard has been in force
practically. it has not been fixed by
law in such way as to prevent the
president from putting the country on
silver basis by declaring that all
the obligations of the United States
should be paid only in silver. The peo-
pie having declared in two general
elections in favor of the gold stand
ard. the congress elected on that is
sue would be recreant to duty and un-
mindful of the voice of a majority of
the voters if it did not place the gold
standard where it cannot be set aside
except by an act of some future con-
s-ress. Giving what has been the prac-
tce of the government for 65 years
the payment of its obligations in gold
the force of law and placing the gold
standard on a secure basis are the
salient features of the currency bills
before congress. The bills simply
make certain what has been the prac-
tice of the country. They do not
change the character of Il dollar of the
money now in use.-Indianapolis Jour