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McKinley, William, 1843-1901

"A Supplement to A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents"


It is manifest that we must devise some plan to protect the Government
against bond issues for repeated redemptions. We must either curtail the
opportunity for speculation, made easy by the multiplied redemptions
of our demand obligations, or increase the gold reserve for their
redemption. We have $900,000,000 of currency which the Government by
solemn enactment has undertaken to keep at par with gold. Nobody is
obliged to redeem in gold but the Government. The banks are not required
to redeem in gold. The Government is obliged to keep equal with gold all
its outstanding currency and coin obligations, while its receipts are
not required to be paid in gold. They are paid in every kind of money
but gold, and the only means by which the Government can with certainty
get gold is by borrowing. It can get it in no other way when it most
needs it. The Government without any fixed gold revenue is pledged to
maintain gold redemption, which it has steadily and faithfully done,
and which, under the authority now given, it will continue to do.


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