Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-02-10
THAT DOLLAR ONCE MORE.

THAT DOLLAR ONCE MORE.
Friend Blake. | am going to answer
your questions without pairing them to
suit myself. as you did my principal
one, which read "What disadvantage is
there in the present method. supposing
aOe are to hare silUer coinage at ALE"
You reply only to the first clause.
But first let me say again what init
mated very plainly in my last. I am
not and never have been an advocate for
issuing legal tender dollars made of sill
yer, so long as that metal is SO unsteady
in value. When the matter was before
congress, and still undecided, l had a
little talk with Gen. Grout about 1t in
the cars, and told him 1 thought it
would neither do the good its friends
expected, nor the harm its foes predict
ed. But he thought it would put gold
up 7 per cent.
What | am at, in this correspondence,
is to show that nobody suffers any
wrong under the law as it is, and that
if we are to have dollars made of silver,
there is no way to improve on the pres
ent law, except by making the explicit
declaration proposed in the present con-
gress by Mr.. Hewitt, democratic repre-
sentative from New York; that the
legal tender silver dollars shall always
be exchangable at par for gold at the
U. S. Treasury. This is practically SO
now, since they are receivable for all
payments due the government.
The issue between you and me is not
as to the expediency of the issue. l dis
agree with you in thinking it dishonest,
or that anybody is going to suffer by it.
Now for your questions:
"What if war, secession or other
emergency should make it impossible OF
unadvisable for government to exchange
gold for silver? Would not silver, in
that event, depreciate here to the value
of Mexican dollar that now sells for
So cents, or to a lesser value? Would
not the dollar then be rated at its in.
trinsic value o.
That is pretty wild supposition
but no matter. l reply, certainly, if oul
government ever again suspends specie
payments in gold, and its paper and
silver depreciate as paper did during
rebellion the silver money will be dowr
to its value as bullion, whether that b.
95, 80, 81, IS, so, or any other number
of cents on a dollar. This, however
only with the understanding that be
fore the next rebellion Congress doe
not fix the weight of the silver dollar t.
match. But what right have you to as
sumo that it will not? Has our govern
ment the reputation of dishonesty. ant
have you any record to show, unde
democratic or republican rule, that an.
such thing was ever done? Amt yo1
scared at bugbear of your own gettin|
up? And in such tight place as BIZ
war which would be the worst, for silve
coin to 60 down to its value as bullion
and stag there, or for paper money t
60 down, down, down, till nobody know
where it will stop? And that does no
require war; witness 1857, 1887, an
all previnns nanics and crises That
what bank money does, every tim
there is a furry in business while tn
government paper greenbacks. will onl
decline in case of big war, such as W
are never likely to see again. Did 20
60 against the old bank paper in tn
time of it? That was something real
fight, while this silver bugbear is onl
a scare-crow.
eff it is right to issue light weigh
silver, what harm is there in circulatin
counterfeit specie or double-eagles tn;
have had their insides dug out by cour
terfeiters ?'
| reply to this that the first is ma
| ter of doubtful expediency, but not di
honest so long as the government stanC
responsible for all Deficiencies. I'll
; other is simple stealing" as you sa
l think it pity SO smart man as yc
e are can't or a00nt, see the -differenc
, Thus | have answered your questions,
hope squarely and satisfactorily.
L. Ii. HosKINs.
1nasmuch as DR.. Hoskins is your
t and inexperienced writer, and may d
:. sire tho last word in this discussion Y