Vlll OBITUARY NOTICES. 



time, and giving a clear exposition of the laws of trade in relation 

 to the action and influences of the coinage of the precious metals 

 under the different ratios of silver to gold, he argued that inevi- 

 table danger and disaster would ensue should the bill pass author- 

 izing the free and unlimited coinage of the silver of the whole 

 world at the artificial standard contemplated." The result was 

 that "the Coinage Committee, on February 20th, reported the 

 Free Coinage bill to the Hcfuse with an adverse recommendation." 



One of Mr. Fraley's audience upon that occasion, Mr. William 

 V. McKean, for so many years the honored Editor-in-Chief of the 

 Philadelphia Public Ledger, and by reason of his knowledge of the 

 financial history of the country and his trained intelligence a most 

 competent critic of such a performance, has recently said of Mr. 

 Fraley's speech that it covered the whole history of the silver coin- 

 age from the beginning of the Government to the date of its de- 

 livery, that it omitted nothing historically or inferentially which 

 could elucidate the subject, and that spoken as it was by a man 

 then eighty -seven years of age, without reference to a paper or a 

 note, and compressed and clear, it was, in its character and in its 

 effect upon its hearers, nothing less than marvelous. 



In the memorable national campaign of 1896 Mr. Fraley assisted 

 by his wise counsel in the educational and other efforts of the 

 Sound Money League of Pennsylvania. 



Mr. Fraley had throughout his life an exceptional facility in 

 attracting and attaching friends to himself. To mention all of 

 those with whom during his life he was on terms of intimate friend- 

 ship would be to give the names of not only the best citizens of 

 Philadelphia, but also the names of many distinguished men from 

 every part of our country for the last seventy years. He drew all 

 these men to himself by his kindness of heart, his unfailing cour- 

 tesy, his sincerity, his wide and varied information and his keen 

 sense of humor. 



It is deeply to be regretted that he never committed to writing 

 the reminiscences of men and of affairs with which he was accus- 

 tomed to interest those who were fortunate enough to be admitted 

 into intimate intercourse with him. 



Mr. Fraley never undervalued the uses or the advantages of 

 wealth, yet he did not care for wealth for its own sake, and he 

 thought that there were other things in life better worth having, 

 such as the truth, the steadfastness, the unselfishness, the charity 

 and the peace of conscience that go to the making of and accompany 



