Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 October 1900 — MONEY STANDARD [ARTICLE]

MONEY STANDARD

Attitudes of Parties .Defined With the Utmost Clearness. The money standard is an issue between the two parties, defined with the utmost clearness. The Republican party stands by declaration and action | squarely ou the gold standard. The ; Democratic party stands, by rei peated ’ specific declaration, for the 1 free coinage of silver at 16 to 1. ’ We ■ have been operating for more than ,20 years on the gold, standard. A change would mean a violent readjustment, a shock to business that would cause very much more widespread distress than the closing of certain mills by trusts, bad and distressing though the results of the closing policy are. And would there be a change in case of Bryan’s election? Unquestionably there would. The maintenance of the parity with gold of the great silver circulation we are carrying ‘n our currency 1 still rests with the secretary of the treasury. Rob our millions of silver dollar coins of half their purchasing power and there would be a smash. Let the Democratic party carry the elections of 1900 and 1902 and it would be in a position to repeal the gold standard law and throw all our government obligations, Including most of our paper money, on a silver basis. Here would be another smash.