Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-01-09

THEY WANT An AoMgsT DOLLAR.
We believe in every instance where
an Iowa journal has heretofore advo-
Gated retaining gold as the legal stan-
dard of money-making it the only
legal tender, they have now all yield
ed that point and by inference place
themselves upon the double standard
ground. At least we no longer find
them making single argument for
gold alone as the basis of money.
This is point gained of immense
value. 1t leaves, indeed, the sub
stance of the whole controversy, so
far as Iowa Journalism is concerned,
settled.
One of the Rothschilds, in the
worlds monetary convention held in
Paris in 1869, said:
"The simultaneous employment of
the two precious metals is salts
factory, and gives rise to no COM
plant. Whether gold or silver domt-
mates for the time being, 1t Is al,cays
true that the too metals concur togeth-
er IN. forming the none tary ctrcula ton
Of the acorld, and 1t is the general mass
OF the TWO METALS CONFINED chich
serves as the measure of the ydlue of
things. THE DESTRUCTION OF SILVER
WOULD AMOUNT TO A vERITABLE DE-
sTRUcTloN OF VALUES WITHOUT ANY
CONVERSATION"
Ben Butler, in a very recent speech
in Boston, said:
"Men cannot do business on q fall.
ing market, and they are afraid to try.
The attempt to resume on gold alone
is causing the perpetual shrinkage in
the value of property, and conse-
quently Is enhancing the weight of
debts. Restoration Of silver as legal
tender will stop the shrinkage and
start prices upward. This would re-
store confidence in future values, and
cause enterprising men to again en-
bark in business" Says Butler =
Thereafter it would be known to all
mankind, values would 90 upward
and upward till they near the value
Of the labor and material put into
them. When that comes there will
come business. No man will build q
ship If he thinks that month after II
Is made its value will be lessened 1C
per cent"
That is, these gentlemen settle the
simple truism that taking away one.
half or one-third, as the case may be,
of the basis money, viz: silver, we re-
duce by so much the purchasing medi-
UNI ofthe country, and just in that ratio
would decrease the value Of every
mans property; in just such ratio
would it reduce the amount in dollars
that farmers products, the manufac-
turers' goods, the labor of the me.
chanic, or of any other man would
bring in market, trhile at the same
time there could not be one title Q,
shrinkdge in the number of dollars
! represented in the indebtedness of the
nation, the state, the county or of the
city and of the individual as we'll
. All this is SO plain and presents q
case so repugnant that, as we have
, said, at this time we understand ali
, the former gold journals of Iowa tt
have abandoned the discussion upor
the question rs to whether Their,
should be single or double standard
ell We repeat then that the substance
of the difference at the opening o
the discussion some few weeks ago
has dropped out by the gold journal
: apparently being forced to yield
They have not done SO gracefully
however, for now the gist Of thei
whole argument is, give US an homes
: silver dollar, and not one worth onl,
81 cents. Well, our opponents ough
not to be deprived of having one lit
tie corner of the battlefield, from
which they may keep up kind o
skirmish fire as q show of pluck. Il
comparison with the main question
this latter is mere bagatelle. Will
y we admit, however, the minor i'm
9 portance Of this last issue, we ar
n just as sanguine that the position W
r have assumed upon it is correct, a
Il was that taken by us on the other.
It Three hundred and seventy-one an
8 fourth grains of pure silver ha
y been always the amount contained il
+ a silver dollar since the government
n made such coin. twas never chang
& cd in weight save in the amount {
) alloy used and this was always tn
d unit of money in this nation down I
'e 1873. The grains of pure gold in tn
r gold dollar has been changed, an
this shows conclusively the fact ths
silver was the select metal of the nj
. ton, the regulating standard, reguls
ting gold itself. 1t is now worth or
: ly 81 or 80 cents, because it is debase
!, in this country, as is iron, mad
" an article of commerce.
IL The real genuine difference the
between ourselves and the fello,
who cries aloud 80 Unfortunately fo
an honest dollar Of silver and nc
one of 81 cents, is that he woul
make the standard Of value betwee
gold and silver what it now is, Will
!" we would not; that is he would max
$ it what it is when gold is the fosteret
- petted, only legal money, so made sui
: reptitiously, and silver is the despiset
, dishonored article of commerce.
u and so choapened, as we firmly b
= lieve, by over riding the plain and nj
10 questionably fair construction of th
= Federal Constitution. Why, is ther
~ man so simple as not to know tn,
,e fixing the comparative value b.
A. tween gold and silver for coinag
" while the former is the only legal te1
II and the other is mere bullion, woul
+. necessitate an immediate revision
d. that relative value so fixed, after 81
i. yer was reinstated as legal tender
ID If there is such man he is to be pitie
Mt for his want of judgment. In SON
!, instances, we are fain to believe he
to be pitied for his want of honest
al We can look upon this project in I
IN other light than that many gold sta1
IN dard men, having been foiled in Il
10 great scheme of totally destroyir
silver as money, now wish to have Il
D. silver dollar measured by the sta
1t dard of that metal at this time, an
Y when remonetized it will be wor,
"a SO much more than the gold dolla
ae then they will demand that the latt,
Ve shall have enough added to it
d. make it equal to the former; and
- - the creditor class cheat the debtt
No class out Of eight or nine cents on Il
\. dollar. This last scheme, we SUI
,e pose, is invented upon the princip
Ifhof if fhnv nonnn% rot 10,