The daily gazette., 1877-06-15
Give Us the Silver Dollar. l..
From the Reading Eagle.

Almost the whole of the debt of the Uni
ted States was contracted when green backs
were the "iawful currency" of the country.
and II was expressly agreed that this debt
was to be paid in ''lawfsl currency" But
through the manipulations OF Congress by
the large holders Of government bonds, who
were very careful not 10 20 to the front
when the war of the rebellion was waging,
but who staid at home shark like and specu
lated OF Of the necessities of the govern
ment, had law passed In 1865 by which
the government was committed to q policy
OF paying its debt in coin and not in "ia wiul
4 currency" as was the understanding when
the debt was made. The wicked acts of
these conspirators whereby the debt OF the
United States was 70 be paid in metallic
instead OF paper money is now seen and
felt on all sides. People out of work or
when employed getting unTemunerative
wages, property depreciaIing and business
Of all kinds very dull, are few of the sur
face facts which shows the policy of the
| usurers who have been directing the none
tary policy of this government since the 4th
| OF March, 1868. But while 1t appears now
that the debt is to be paid In eoin there is a
revulsion of feeling against the law which
| declares that il shall be paid in gold coin
only. One of the best and most inde-
pendent papers In Pennsylvania is the
| = AsesbutB AtuNtfp WhOu
"The "silver dollar" agitation in the west
continues to increase, and II looks now as
| If the demand upon Congress for lis remon-
etZ ,tion will win. The President, and we
believe Secretary Sherman, are avowedly in
| favor or 1t. Tue passage Of tue Illinois
| Legislature of the ''silver bill" shows the
| drift of public sentiment in that State, even
though tine Governor did veto it. In Indi-
anna, M ssouri and Kentucky the inAation-
| lists are ali silver men now. In Ohio the
| the sentiment is almost unanimous in favor
| OF the "Dolar OF our Fathers" In Pennsyl-
vania there is less feeling ON the subject,
but yet Is certain that the Pennsylvauia
| congressman Will not stand in the way OF
| the demonstration OF the "shining dross,n
The South Is willing. The Pacific coast,
where they dig silver and want to increase
| the market for 1t, lie more than willing that
| the Government should make it the legal
tender it used to be. Only the East op.
\ poses the scheme. But the East is opposed
! TO 1t.
"For it is impossible to deny, we think,
the assertions OF the Cincinnati Commercial
and other western papers, that the silver
dollar, which was aiwa, 8 a legal tender for
auy amount from the foundation of the
government till 1873 was demonetized,
without the people knowing any thing about
1t. Neither gold OF silver was in use as
currency IN 1873, and hence the act making
gold alone the coin of the United States
was pat through without discussion and
without thousand people out of New
YORK knowing what 1t meant or what it
was for. Not a newspaper in the land dis
cussed the matter, and until after it was
done, Il nation did not realize that certain
certain eastern theorists, at the suggestion
OF IorelRn hnanciers, mad caused silver to
De no longer money exc pit for debts of less
than hive dollars, and hau made gold alone
the medium through which we must pay
our debts as soon as we should resume spe-
Gle pay ymenfs.
Now, If this act had referred only to
JutuTe debts there would be no moral OBJ
lection to it, and the only question at is
sue would have been one of policy ,wheth-
er 1t was better or not to have but one
metallic standard of value or two But
the act declared that the bonds of the
United States must be paid in gold alone
and that all debts of the people contract
ed to be paid sin coin, must be paid, not
I'm silver and gold" but in gold alone
This is the unjust feature of it bout
which the West is clamoring. The bonds
, of the United States were issued and sold
, when both gold and silver werea lawful
money.
Thepurchasers and holders expected to be
paid In silver and gold, had no other ex-
4 poSOouOh-hdu uO IlSul 10 expect any
thing else. But silver meanwhile has
deprecated in value till it is worth some
ten per cent. less than gold, and the
bond-holders and their friends in Europe
= declare that they must be paid in gold
alone. This is giving the creditors an
unjust advantage over the debtors, says
the West. The debtors had the option
when the debt was made to pay either
r ''silver or gold," and because one of the
A metals happens to be cheaper than it
was then it is not right that they shall
not be allowed to take advantage of that
a circumstance and pay off the debt in the
r cheaper medium. Both parties took the
q risk of the rise or fall of the precious
metal, and the one who loses by the
event has no more right to grumble than
the man who lent money when green
I backs were worth l 05, and got paid back
when they were worth 1.09 in gold. In
i saying that the bonds should be paid in
}. the coin, both silver and gold, in which
the nation contracted to pay them--no
Fl more no less-no matter what the conse-
8 quences, nor what is thought of it in Eu-
q rope or anywhere else it seems, to us, the
West occupies an impregnable position
q and one around which the people will
rally next fall when the question comes
up"