The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-10

and every man who has the true interest
OF his country at heart wants to see the
best plan adopted. even though the credit
should go to the party in opposition.
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MIR. BRYAN on. FOREIGNsFINiN
One OF the strange ecceptricities of the
human mind is its disposition to lead
where ii is itself totally in the; dark. This
is pardoxical, but perfectly true The
loudest mouthed advocates Of this or that
are invariably men who do not under
stand the subject.
We know of no Illustration more perfect
than the case OF Mr. William j. Bryan in
his relation to finance. Mr.. Bryan Will
tolerate no suggestion that he lacks in
formation in regard to this most difficult
and important subject yet 1t is as certain
as anything can be that he does not uli-
derstand the elementary principles M
yolved in the subject He has demon
strated this often enough. Heaven knows
but never more successfully. perhaps, than
in his speech last Saturday night at the
fremont House banquet to his friends in
Chicago. He started by denouncing the
currency bill now before Congress. be-
cause it "fastens us to the financial sys-
tens of the old world and subjects us
10 all the disturbances which affect
them"
It is hard to see in what the present
currency bill "fastens us to the financial
systems of the old world" except i'll de-
claring that there shall be one standard
Of value, fixed and invariable, SO that
when man takes u note for S1G0o. pay
able twelve months after date, he will
know at the beginning exactly what he VIII
get at the end. If this is the point at which
this bill "fastens us to the financial sys-
TENS of the old world we feel that every
man, woman and child in the United
States who appreciates the Importance OF
certainty and detiniteness in contracts will
thank his Maker that there is such bill
about to pass Congress.
And if it does fastcn us to the financial
systems Of the old world, how does it
hurt us thereby? Where on the face OF
the earth is there so good a financial
system as that of England? What Eng
lishman was ever heard to complain Of
either the quality or the quantity of Eng
lish money? Every dollar in the kingdom
is as good as a gold dollar, and interest
is lower there than anywhere else In the
world. showing that there is the greatest
men can get all the money there that they
need for any purposes whatever. If they
can give good security for its return. This
is a sine qua non to getting money in
England and that may be the source
of Mr. Bryan's objection to the English
system. But it is the condition every
where to getting money, and Will remain
SO until Mr.. Bryan's Populist friends in
troduce their financial millennium Of beets
ana cabbage collateral. But Mr.. Bryan
thinks this new ligament that is to bind
us to the financial systems of the old
world will subject US to all the disturb
ances which affect them.
And pray, what financial disturbances
are they subjected 10: w ucL was IHSi
a financial panic in England? There was
some little disturbance some thirty years
ago over the failure of Overend. Guerney
&. CO., but it was a mere ripple. and. with
that exception. there has been nothing
that approached a 1inancia! panic in Eng
land in fifty years. When was there
a financial panic in France? 1t really
seems to us that if we can get the gold
standard solidiy imbedded in our system,
and be at the same time as free from
panic as England and France are, and, at
the same time. as abundantly supplied
with money as they are, we ought &c be
able to control ourselves. ~.
But Mr. Bryan seems to be Unsuitable.
After he has got everything that the
world can give, he still wants more.