Show JERFERSOXS BIMETALLISM Of late the gold standard press has sought emphasize the fact that Jefferson Jef-ferson in whatever zS0 of suggestion or recommendation he made about establishing estab-lishing a monetary system for the United States while acknowledging that he was a bimetallist insist that he always sought to ascertain the commercial cm mercial ratio of gold and silver and then make that the mint ratio And from this they argue that i he were here to deal with this question today he would follow that same alan or at least he would not attempt to estab estb lish free coinage of silver at a ratio rto of 16 to 1 wlien the wlen commercial ratio is about 32 to 1 j The Chicago Chronicle hcgo takes this view of the case and commends exGover nor Russell of Massachusetts for say ing at Monticello the other day in speaking of Jefferson and silver that with Jefferson the silver question could not be either i a sectional setonal or aclass issue with true patriotism he would ask Where lie the honor and credit of our common country where rest the interests of our whole people Of course the Chronicle is of opinion that the old sage of Monticello would have found the honor and credit of our common country in maintaining the single gold standard and this because he had a scrupulous regard for the sacredness of contracts But let us look at the matter a little more closely That he recommended that the commercial cm mercial ratio of silver to gold should be ascertained and then the mint ratio I rato of the two metals made to conform to it may go unchallenged but suppose after the ratio had been fixed and both metals were mentioned in the constitu cnttu tion in such a manner a to imply that gold and silver constituted the money metals of the United States Suppose furtherlmore that after an elapse of time and mainly for the reason that silver was demonetized the commercial ratio and the former mint ratio drew far apart would he then have been so careful to make the mint ratio conform to the commercial ratio I is said that he evinced the most scrupulous regard for the sacredness sacred-ness of contracts and beyond question that is true but his strong sense of justice and his regard for the interests of the whole people was also a strong factor in his character In this connection It will be remembered remember-ed that he it was who abolished the law of entail which had perpetuated in Virginia a sort of American nobility and that he also successfully suc-cessfully assaulted the principle of primogeniture I was claimed that vested rights were assailed when the repeal of these laws was advocated by him Such legislation threatened to abolish cherished Institutions and implied contracts but none of these things altered the course of Jefferson He went right on to perform the act of Justice nor did he halt until full justice was done just as we believe he would do now True he would as suggested by exGoA ernor Russell ask Where lie the honor and credit of our common country but he would also ask Where lies justice to the people peo-ple He would take into account somewhat the act which makes the rehabilitation re-habilitation of silver necessary and finding that a great wrong had been done his first concern would be to right that wrong believing that the credit of the state the honor of the state could safely be trusted to be on the same sIdes side-s an act of justice to the people of the state It i In vain for our gold standard friend to hope to draw the prestige of Jeffersons nam to the cause of the single gold standard |