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Show THE SILVER QUESTION. Twenty-one years since the productive produc-tive energies of the Ui ited States received re-ceived a staggering blow, when like a thief in the night the fiend of demonetization demone-tization succeeded in reversing the policy of the ages by clutching the crown of equality from the brow of eilver. Few men then understood the gravity of the blow with which our industries in-dustries were stricken. As time went Blowlyonthe full nature of the fell work of the republican party in its malign enerey began to be apparent. Then commenced the system of makeshift make-shift legislation to let the good old money of civilization "down easy." Not one of these measures was adequate. No one believed they were, and while the price of silver was measurably kept up to the paying point the masses of the people were not alarmed. Yet all this while the intelligent, observing and weary were losing confidence, not only in the Etability of our financial eystem, but in the actual money by which the commerce of a great nation daggered on. The merest tyro in trade, in commerce or in finance will tell you that the withdrawal of confidence confi-dence is the most serious blow commerce, com-merce, agriculture or manufacture can receive. This great truth is evolved by the situation today. It is lack of confidence con-fidence in the sufficiency of the world's stock ot the money of ultimate redemption re-demption to which is chargeable the present dire depression. Kow then can it be met? Simply and only, in our judgment, by returning to the point where the. first great mistake was made, and there applying the one only possible remedy; that is by placing the finances just where they were in '73 a nd prior. The best thought, of thi3 nation, aye I of civilization, has been at work ; on this very problem now for twenty-one twenty-one long years and the concensus of the opinions overlaid by this long period of honest labor is that the ca use of depression is lack of confidence, and lack of confidence is produced by the manifest insufficiency of world's sup ply of money, as we have said. So it turnB out that any plan which does not contemplate the restoration of silver does not and connot reach the seat of the blight which is now resting upon the production energies of the country, not only this country but of the entire covilized world as well. Ex-Governor Adame of Colorado is uui m a neat mue ,paiupiiiei Strongly advocating the postal savings policy, and th e keeping of our bonds at home, by the policy of issuing the bonds of the nations in small amounts and encouraging en-couraging our own people to invest in ! them. This is all well enough. It could not be successfully assailed were silver in this exact position it was prior to '73. This would then be the prac tical copying of the French system of finance and it would have the same effect here as it has had in France. Restore confidence. If the i government needs to borrow money let it borrow from its own willing people. In this way make each American citizen who is one hundred dollars ahead a partner in the government and interested to that extent ex-tent in eustaininz both the credit nf I the government and confidence in its ability and integrity to pay when paper pa-per matures. This is all that is needed. This we do need, and this we must have ere prosperity returns again in full force to our once happy land. |