River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-02-21
A FEW FACTS TO CONSIDER.
BY D. W. wooDwoRTH.

| been for some time before the people
and no matter of equal Importance
certainly no financial question-has
ever been presented so unfairly. In
deed the Eastern advocates of the
gold standard have reached the high
est degree of art in systematic unfair
ness. When the true history of our
coinage and the facts connected with
decentralization cannot be concealed
by sophistry and circumlocution, the
great journals of the East NEARLY all
controlled by government creditors
and their few Western echoes, are
profoundly, and may say aggresslvely
silent. AS an example turn over the
files of our Eastern dailies and see if
you can find history of the manipu-
lations of the experts through whose
agency silver was demonetized 7 The
grave is not more silent. There is
probably not an anti-silver paper in
this union but has paraded the state
ment over and over again that IS, 0OO,-
600 is the total amount of legal tender
silver coined by this government, when
the facts are that about 800 900, 900
have been coined, the fractional pieces
minted before 1853 being full weight
and unlimited legal tender.
1t should be borne in mind that our
monetary system is based upon silver,
that our unit of value is the old Ham,
iltonian dollar of 37I4 grains of pure
silver, represented by 4l2h grains of
standard silver; that this dollar was
the first dollar and remained unchang-
ed until the demonetiZatiOn conspira-
cy of 1884; that the gold dollar has
been twice changed ; that in the rela-
ton of sixteen to one, silver is equal to
or more valuable than gold in all the
nations OF the earth; that the United
States is the great debtor nation, and
the great silver producing nation; that
the people have a right to discharge
all debts with the 4l2L grain silver
dollar because 1T was standard OF
value when their debts were contract
ed; that silver was taken away from
the people. against their interests, by
fraud and stealth that Congress did
not know what it was doing when it
passed the decentralization act; that
silver will not drive out gold; that
France has resumed specie payment
with both gold and silver, and she is
to-day the most prosperous nation I'M
der the sun; that Germany demone-
tized silver and Notwithstanding an
immense war indemnity from France
is to-day financially crippled; that
silver is necessary to resumption
that the people are entitled to all the
benefits arising from double stand
ard, and that common honesty requires
the instant RECOMMENDATION of the old
silver dollar.
Of all proposed amendments to the
Bland bill that of measuring silver by
the gold standard is the most infam-
Gus. Silver is money and not mer-
chandise. For purposes of gain silver
has been robbed of its money quality,
and the robbers backed by the govern
ment have used their utmost endeav-
ors to depreciate it and to appreciate
the value of gold. Decentralization is
undoubtedly one of the causes of de-
probation, as before it's money quality
was interfered with silver was the
more valuable coin. The men who
were instrumental in demonetizing
must needs howl against restoring sill
yer, because silver under the ratio is
not as valuable as gold. This reminds
the Chicago Tribune of the boy who
thrust his finger into pie and asked,
what the price of this ere damaged
tart -
The true silver dollar is the
old one of 4l21a grains of standard
silver. The people demand this and
will be put off with no other.
Our Government issued bonds paya-
bic in legal tender Interest in coin).
After more than doubling in value
the Government virtually consented to
pay its bonds in coin by giving coin
value to U. S. treasury notes. BY
stealth silver was taken from our coin
standard, and now when it is proposed
to re-establish it, these men who wax
ed fat on our national calamity--these
sticklers about contracts who have
had their contracts twice changed in
their own favor, raise up their hands
in horror. The advocates of the
double standard propose to live up to
the letter and spirit of our financial
obligations with equal justice to debt
or and creditor. If it is more profit
able for the Government to pay its
bonded debt in silver than in gold,
then the toiling millions upon whose
shoulders this mountain weight of
debt is crushing should have the adj
vantage of it. Why not manifest a
slight sense of honor for the debtor
as well as the creditor. But the old
partnership of silver and gold will be
revived.
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