International Bimetallism

E-099. Very Good. Hardcover. Hardcover. 8vo. Published by Henry Holt & Company, New York, 1896. V, 297 pgs. First Edition/First Printing. Bound in tan cloth boards with titles present to the spine. Boards have shelf-wear present to the extremities (spine is faded and sunned). No ownership marks present. Text is clean and free of marks. Binding tight and solid. Walker published International Bimetallism in 1896 roundly critiquing the demonetization of silver out of political pressure and the impact of this change on prices and profits as well as worker employment and wages. Walker's reputation and position on the issue isolated him among public figures and made him a target in the press. The book was published in the midst of the 1896 presidential election pitting populist "silver" candidate William Jennings Bryan against the capitalist "gold" candidate William McKinley and the competing interpretations of the nation's leading economist's stance on the issue became a political football during the campaign. The presidential candidate and economist were not close allies as Walker advocated a double standard by all leading financial nations while Bryan argued for the United States' unilateral shift to a silver standard. The rift was heightened by the east-west divide on the issue as well as Walker's general distaste for political populism; Walker's position was supported by conservative bankers and statesmen like Henry Lee Higginson, George F. Hoar, John M. Forbes, and Henry Cabot Lodge. EB; 8vo 8" - 9" tall .