The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-10-04

civilized. society. 1t constitutes a
large proportion of the decorative
habits and tastes of the world. In
ancieet times it was SO abundant that
Polpbius says the tiles upon the roof
of the temple at Ecbatana were OF SOL
i'd silver, and the beams and2pillars OF
i the temple were covered with plates
of silver and gold. Not then, or in the
days Of King Solomon, when it is said
to have been still more plentiful, did
silver cease to be standard. 1t was
reserved for an American congress to
pass law demonetizing silver, and
} for the American press to, maintain
that the payment of our national debt |
upon the terms agreed to between the |
borrower and lender is reputation.
} Il alluded in former letter to the
fact gold as a medium or currency has
no international character; than even
between England and France, divided
only by narrow channel, there is no
common gold standard. The English
and the French gold coins bear the
ssuperscription' of their respective
, sovereigns, and are restricted in their
., circulated to their respective coun-
tries. English gold coins that come
; to New York when the balance OF
t trade is in our favor, go not into cir
: culation, butremains temporarily or go
to the Mint for re-coinage. Nor do
e any of the American gold eagles or
5 half-eagles, exported to England or
! France, enter into the circulation OF
those countries. Until the Latin gov
:. eminent capriciously demanded sin
J. gle standard, silver coins enjoyed an
J. international character. The Spanish
n and Mexican dollars formed part OF
r the circulating medium Of England,
n Europe and America, and were almost
n exclusively the currency Of India,
II China and Japan. But now, withuot
2. any public necessity Or for any reason
o affecting the rights of nations or the
2 welfare of peoples, we are arbitrarily
n required to discard monetary stand
# ard with which the whole world is Ia
r. miliar. and which has furnished facll-
IS tiles for conducting the various
ID business interests Of all the nations OF
n the earth witg convenience and safety
20 for more than twenty centuries. And,
r. as / have before stated, the grounds
f upon which this demand is made
IS stripped of verbiage, are, first, that a
q. double standard is inconvenient; anC
at second, that America is too rich IN sill
r. yer. Will it be seriously urged that
r. these objections are sufficient to be
he guile us into betrayal of vital inter
u ests-interests protected by ou1
constitution and laws! The embar
d. RAISING and notifying circumstance
nv is that the pressure comes not so muci
to from abroad us from ourselves. II
,al 1873. congress, with a very imperfec
as understanding of the question, passe'
ne a law demOnetiZing silver. And now
,at with a better knowledge Of our dut.
lst and interests, when the repeal OF tina
he law is demanded, vehement and de
ert mandatory opposition is made by TIL
ks leading and most influential journal
of of our city! The advocates of a cor
ars stitutional currency incur the sam
Ter reproaches and epithets applied t
in those who are avowedly in favor of a
nd irredeemable paper currency. Fo
use insisting upon the payment OF til
AL public debt in the precise currenc
lib- nominated in the bond, we are fiji
i'd PANTY stigmatized as repudiator
Md This gratuitous imputation will los
the it's power as soon as silver is restore
.ov- to its proper use. Both gold and 81
if yer were valueless as money unit
ary they were made precious by COVER
en-, ments. The minis, under the dire
cen ton of congress, can make the go
+ of and silver dollar of equal intrins
mn value with all the artificial disadva
.ers tages under which silver labors,
GO a relative value to gold is constant
vel approximating. The immediate effe
,old of its RECOMMENDATION will be to restO
aoe the equilibrium that had existed t
ich centuries.
ntil Among other devices against S
tile Yer, it is said that its remonetizati
ncy will so seriously affect our cree
ma abroad that foreigners will send o
the bonds home. 1t is to be hoped tn
|; so will do so. We shall be ready to ia
ates all they will send. American capi
pun now seeking investment at three, to
the and five per cent, would gladly invt
their millions in government SKIES
o 600 par. We have lived through sixte
1000 eventful years. The magnitude
o 600 our civil war is without a parall
o,oo o The efforts to dissolve the union G.
" coo rivers of blood and millions of treasu
10 600 but those sacrifices did not 'tramr
No 900 up the consequences. Twelve We
70 900 of financial arrangement and offie
'oo ooo decentralization ensued, leaving too
n 600 all the various business interests
- our country either standing still
50, 900 greatly depressed. We have bt
rita- looking forward anXiously to
CEN sumption of specie payments as
was best. surest and speediest means {
afn1. hone of relief. That hope can
fully realized if we avail ourselves
,rnia the right to pay our debts in sill
that and gold. III accordance Win our
,ited tract. But if we voluntarily, bin
-erri- and recklessly throw away one-hal
nv of the money power so essential to
, and sumptian, that promised boon. it i
vast be feared, will be indefinitely de
been red. On the other hand. if we acc
was the means providence has provided
,ed as our great need. the country and pee