Wadsworth semi-weekly dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1902-02-11
THE SILVER QUESTION
BELONGS TO HISTORY.
A Masterful Reiutation of Mr.. Bartine's
Argument That a Silver Man Can
not with Consistency Return to the
Republican Party by c. A. Norcross.

- Fftti OOAAS4SANAfSJ ASN 49,
Republican Party by c. A. Norcross.
In the Nevada State Journal Of the
latest date before me | have just read
With much interest the letter Of Hon.
n. F. Bartine challenging the position
Of those Silver Republicans who have
recently returned to their former party
affiliations instead Of entering the
Democratic party.
The high appreciation in which in
common with all other Nevada people.
hold Mr.. Bartlne. and the dignity Of his
communication, calls for some reply.
That the history Of my own con-
nection with the Silver party is similar
TO that Of many others is my apology
for briefly mentioning it here. | joined
the Silver party in 1892, leaving the
Republican party. From that time
Up to and including last electIon-when
| voted for Mr.. Bryan for President
have been reasonably active in that
cause.
Now, however. ten years after the
inception Of the bimetallic movement.
| expect at the next election TO vote
generally the Republican ticket; and
in so doing feel that | al defend
the consistency Of my course through
out, and that owe nc apologies to the
Republican party for having left it, nor
one to any other party for again return
ing TO it.
The silver movement sprang into
life at a time when general industrial
depression existed to an acute degree
in this and other countries.
Those who championed blmetallism
held that the undertaking cause was
money famine, due TO the insufficiency
Of the worlds annual production of
gold to meet the growing wants Of
mankind for money.
We advanced as the only possible
remedy for the hard times the remon-
etization Of silver, and supported 1t with
arguments founded upon the economic
principle that the value Of money Is
quantitive and not qualitive. We de-
MED from every rostrum that the in
terests OF the silver mine owner was a
factor in the equation. We declared
1t all times that the great question at
stake was not the kind Of money but
the iAefficiency Of it; and that we ad-
yocsted silver because the production
Of gold was inadequate, and not from
any belief that silver essentially poss-
essed any inherent quality which rend-
cred it more desirable as money than
gold.
| think that no one can deny the
truth and fullness of the foregoing
statements as expressing the conten
ton Of the blmetallists. As a corollary,
however. we INDUCED in prophesies.
We enunciated as an irrefutable dog
ma, fundamental to the doctrine which
we were unfolding. that the prevailing
industrial depression could not end,
but must continue and grow worse I'M
til the shadow Of the Dark Ages was
again upon US, without there was an
annual increase in the worlds volume
Of money Of ultimate redemption. ade-
quate TO meet the growing demands of
population and business.
From those years of depression we
have passed into new conditions.
Prosperity to a degree never before
experienced in this country is now with
US.
Labor is no longer respondent from
enforced idleness. but employed; and
capital is not boarding its accumula-
ulations but investing it in gigantic en-
terpTises.