Conservative *
Robert G. Ingorsoll. In the eyes of
clerical expansionists ho is doubtless an
infidel , but in my opinion ho is a cour
ageous , liberty-loving man , brave
enough to champion the cause of hu
manity. Col. Ingorsoll says :
"I have one sentiment for the soldiers
cheers for the living and tears for the
dead. If it wore meet to weep over the
sacred dust of the bravo who died to
render our flag stainless and keep it in
the sky , it is now in order to flood the
graves of the boys who are falling in
the Philippine islands. For they are
not fighting to add luster to 'Old Glory'
or to save the Union , but as more ma
chines at the behest of the administra
tion , which for the time being is the
government of the United States.
"War with Spain , for which the vol
unteer took up arms , has long since
ended. Congress has not declared war
against the Filipinos nor voted money
to carry on a foreign war of conquest.
Then why this thunder of guns , the
flying thunderbolts of hell , and these
new-made graves as numberless as the
stars ? It is a war not in behalf of lib
erty , but against it. Our arms are not
adding glory to the flag , but instead are
staining that starry emblem of freedom
with the blood and tears of a people
fighting for the rights of self-govern
ment. The soldier is not to blame. It
has always been considered a glorious
thing to die fighting for truth , liberty ,
and eternal right. But when one falls
in the Philippine war there burns no
halo of glory above his dust , but his sad ,
untimely , uncalled-for death causes
tears to moisten the eyes of every pat
riot in the land. Therefore when he
falls in such a war his bier should bo
draped in deepest mourning and drenched
with the tears of his fellow countrymen.
' 'Take Colonel Stotzenberg as an ex
ample. No braver , truer soldier ever
wore uniform , or marched in the shadow
of a flag. He only recently remarked
that he was sick of such a war and
looked forward to the near future when
he and his brave volunteers would bo
relieved from killing men who were
fighting for independence. He arrived
on the battlefield fresh from the arms
of his wife at Manila ; at the head of his
regiment , leading a charge , ho fell ,
pierced through the heart. "
WHAT GREAT PRINCIPLE DID
HE DIE FOR ? WILL THE ADMIN
ISTRATION PLEASE ANSWER ?
JOHN J. VALENTINE.
San Francisco , June 24 , 1899.
Now hero is what we get as a reward
for waging war in the Philippines. A
California rancher says the price of
baling rope has gone upjfroni $1.40 to $2 ,
and all on account of a short hemp
supply duo to the war. The granger
wants to know how ho is benefited by
expansion. Oakland ( Calif. ) Enquirer.
A SINOM3 MONETARY STANDARD.
Ill 17G6 The East India Company at
tempted to establish bimetallism and to
maintain a coinage ratio between gold
and silver in India. At that time there
were 991 coins of the two metals in cir
culation and all of different weights and
fineness. These early and earnest at
tempts to establish bimetallism utterly
failed.
Then The East India Company sought
the advice of Sir James Steuart , who
was regarded as the ablest economist in
England , prior to the publication of
Adam Smith's ' Wealth of Nations" in
1776.
In 1772 Sir James Steuart prepared
and published , for the benefit of The
East India Company a treatise on
money. In that work , in precise accor
dance with all preceding authorities , ho
proclaimed it impossible that "gold and
silver can circulate together in unlim
ited quantities at a fixed legal ratio dif
fering from the market value of the
metals. "
A master treatise on this subject was
published by Lord Liverpool in 1805.
It was circulated in India in 1806. The
governor-general and council considered
it and issued an order to subordinate
governments unreservedly condemning
bimetallism. The minute of the India
office which preceded the general con
demnation of Indian bimetallism reads
as follows :
"A proportion between the gold and
silver coins is fixed by law , according to
the value of the metals , and it may bo
on the justest principles , but owing to a
change of circumstances gold may become -
come of a greater value in relation to
silver than at the time the proportion
was fixed ; it therefore becomes profit
able to exchange silver for gold ; so the
coin of that metal is withdrawn from
circulation ; and if silver should increase
in its value in relation to gold , the same
circumstances would tend to reduce the
quantity of silver coin in circulation.
As it is impossible to prevent the fluctu
ations in the value of the metals , so it is
equally impracticable to prevent the
consequences thereof in the coins made
from those metals. "
Further on The India Company declared
clared the unhesitating adhesion of the
council to the principle that one metal
only should bo adopted as the standard
unit , though coins of the other metal
might circulate at their market value.
Thominuto decided that silver should
be the solo standard , which was perhaps
natural under the circumstances. But
the error was most unfortunate and
having been carried out by Lord Dal-
housio with the extreinost severity by
the total demonetization of gold has
been the cause of all our present
troubles.
The principles first declared by Petty ,
Locke , and Han-is , which wore fully de
veloped by Lord Liverpool , and re
ceived the entire adhesion of the Indian
government in 1806 , that one metal only
should bo adopted as the standard and
that subsidiary coins of other metals
might bo issued in limited quantities
and made legal tender only for very
small amounts , were fully adopted by
the British government in 1816.
Thus while the bimetallists of the
present day allege that a fixed legal ratio
tie between the coins can control and
fix the relative value of the metals , the
experience of five centuries and a chain
of authorities comprising some of the
most illustrious names the world over
produced , with the consequences of bi
metallism before thorn , clearly and un
animously decided that such an idea is
a delusion , and that it is the market
value of the metals which regulates the
relative value of the coins.
KORKSTDE- \
,
STRUCTJON.w" ° luis
291,000 acres of
timber land for the Southern Pacific
Company , remarks that the wholesale
destruction of the forests in California
and Oregon , by the lumbermen , threat
ens to ruin the Pacific coast. That is to
say , as a representative of the railroad
company , which is a money-making cor
poration , Mr. Mills is helping to hurry on
the destruction , but as a citi/eii ho regrets
the course of events. This is very credit
able to Mr. Mills ; some railroad officials
would be so happy over the making of
good sales that they would forget to re
gret. But regrets alone never cured an
evil , and as Mr. Mills knows this , he
has resolved to collect data and to in
quire whether it is not possible to do
something to stay the devastation.
Like many others , ho inclines to the
opinion that the time has como to repeal
the duties 011 lumber. Oakland ( Calif. )
Enquirer.
ARE THEY WORTH THEIR COST ?
Probably in response to the demand
for information as to the health of our
troops in the Philippines , the war de
partment has published the statistics of
the period from February 4 , the begin
ning of the insurrection , to Juno 6.
They show that 226 men were lulled in
action , and 69 died of their wounds a
total of 295 while 864 died of disease.
It is further stated that 1,866 men were
wounded during the same time , but
how many wore and are still on the sick
list is not stated. The figures are im
pressive. Are the Philippines worth
their cost in human life ? Apart from
their cost paid in the lives of our bravo
soldiers the administration paid Spain
$20,000,000 in gold for the islands. But
Spain did not deliver them ; did not
give possession of them. Yet Spain has
the $20,000,000 and the United States
has a costly and , apparently , an endless
war of conquest and subjugation.
adelphia Ledger ( rep. )
