Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-06-14
where are she silver Dollars:

Chicago Tribune
The New York Nation, the Boston
Advertiser, and some other Eastern
newspapers, affect great concern for the
fate of the silver dollar, aud especial.
ly deplore its tendency TO return 10 the
Treasury in payment Of customs duties
very soon after 1t has been issued.
Their anxiety would perhaps be more
noteworthy IL /, could be supposed for
a moment to be genuine. But II is the
outcropping OF malignancy and disap.
pointed spite. There is no reason why
they should agitate themselves about
the silver dollar. It is doing all, and
more than all, that was expected OF IL.
They cannot affect its standing In COM
merce or in the money of the Nation
by cry ing It down. II has been re-
mone,iz.d for good. Another trick of
slealthy demonstration could never be
successfully accomplished,a the East.
ern organs may be sure that, II this Ma.
ton ever returns to q single standard
1t will not be gold.
The r, ason why silver does not get
into circulation and stay there Is that
II Ia too valuable. Being worth for all
the purposes OF trade about n cent
on the dollar more than greenbacks, II
is driven out Of circulation In accord.
ance with the well.known law that an
inferior currency always supplAnts q
superior. The use OF silver in payment
of customs duties Is perfectly natural
II is one OF the two coins that the Gov
eminent has established by law as re-
ceivable for cuslome dues. II Is thu
used, aud flows back to the Treasury
precisely as gold did before the remon
etization of silver, and still does II
company with silver. There Is indeed
not one argument or sneer drawn from
the recent circulation of silver 10 thiI
country tina; is not as applicable TO th'
circulation of gold. Why IL It tina
gold has not found its way into thI
channels OF trade? Why does gold g
back into the Treasury In payment o
customs duties? Why 10 It that tn
Secretary Of the Treasury now has Of
hand FIVE or six times as much gold 81
silver? IL not gold, we would like Il
ask the Nation, ian %ungrateful It'll
wretch" to continue to keep itself II
these comfortable, dry vaults" wheI
II might be doing q world Of good b.
going out into the country and movinI
the crops? The truth Is that the Ma
ton ana the Boston Advert ser hav
dealt dishonesty by this question
They must have known the reason VIII
silver, a. the superior currency, reiuset
TO circulate; aud, knowing II, the.
chose to ~insinuste a false explanation
OF the phenomenon. Their films
arguments will admit Of The other sup
position.
There Is one way In which the Secre
tary of the Treasury could disprove th
allegations of these Eastern editors. !
, he felt justified In resuming specie.pay
ments at once, and had a sufficient sur
ply Of silver on hand, he might pay
out at par for g%reenbaCks. SilvC
would then come into circulation, 8
/ gold would, without any difficulty.
, would still be available for custom
duties, and would still find its way bac
into the Treasury in large quantitie
but much of It would also stay wit
the people. The Boston Advertise
virtually admits this when 1t says tbI
the Secretary was compelled to stop r.
deemlng greenbacks in silver "becauI
that was only an indirect way Of r
Il ceivlng grsenbacks for customs and
IL furnishing brokers with profit" If Il
= silver dollars are so worthless, as Il
a Advertiser pretends, how could Il
NJ brokers make a profit by paying par
ri greenbAcks for them? The argumeI
i. falls to the ground the moment 1t
N examined. 1t is unworthy Of childre
and much more of men who pretend
have moral sense and reasoning poV
ers.