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Show - -is The Able Argument Presented By Charles Schroder of Philadelphia! Phila-delphia! . THE PUBLIC DEBT STATISTICS. The First Eesnltof the Eleventh Census Eelative to Finances Made Public, .Washington', May 29. Uuder the head, "A Candid Argument,-' the New York Times prints a letter from Mr. Charles Schroder of Philadelphia, in which he advances a strong argument in favor of free coinage. Because of the fact that Mr. Schroder represents a pretty largo large class in the community, commun-ity, tho Times in its attempt to answer him devotes nearly a column editorial. Mr. Schroder says: "That the constant and rapid increase in population necessitates an increase iu tho circulating medium is indisputable, indisput-able, and the only question is how we can best obtain the latter. The issue of irredeemable paper money, not-. not-. withstanding our recent bitter bit-ter experience, and though it would be distinctly a "step back" in civilization, is now lieiug and will continue to be agitated. Free coinage ; of silver, while most probably removing this always threatening daugea, would necessaiily be limited in amount, and ! even a greatly increased production of our mines in consoquoneo of the higher price of the bullion would perhaps ! bareiy meet the growing demand oris- i ingfrom our actual necessities. We would th us be re I ieued of the bugbear of an irredeemable paper money issue, the extent of which no man could foretell. fore-tell. Though it would not be difficult to predict the pernicious consequence, we would per contra bo assured of a circulation, tho intrinsic ualue of which would probably increase gradually and permanently uiid tho volume of which would doubtless satisfy our needs for many years to come. Independently Inde-pendently however, of accomplishing the above results the vnlue of which cannot be overestimated, the free coinage coin-age of silver would remove the shackles, from one of our most important pro- ducts and as Mr. Mills rightly says, reopen re-open the markets of tho world to it. Surely this point should have much weight with such an earnest and disinterested disin-terested friend and advoeato of tho freedom of American labor products as i your paper now is and al was has lcen. Mr. Schroder refers to Mr. Mills' article . on silver in this - mouth's North American Review, and says that it proves conclusively, ttt least, to his mind, the utter falsity of the fear that this country in the event of free i coinage would lie Hooded with the sur plus silver of tho world. Such an assurance as-surance , alone, founded on incontrovertible incontro-vertible facts, as ho thinks it is, would induce many people to become strong frieuds of free silver coinage who are now its bitter enemies. In a postscript' Mr. Schroder says that he has not directly or indirectly, in-directly, any interest in silver beyond such as all pood eiti.eris ouglit to , feel, and that his only motive in writing the letter is that ho thinks the points ho makes important enough to possibly change some of the Times' ideas on the silver question, which change would in turn benclit its reader, and thereby accomplish ac-complish some good. |