Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-27

Reforms. Their Difficulties and Possitih-
;yes Rv the Author OF "Conflict In Nj
ture and Lifc.v New York: ID. APPLE
TON q Co. 1884.
This book discusses all sorts OF politico.
economical questions. He does not agree
with Mr.. HENRY GEORGE IN his theory that
land ownership is the cause OF all the pow.
erty and suffering IN the world.
The silver question comes In for due
share Of attention. We quote;
20. EXCLUSIVE GoLD.-For some time
past the exclusive gold standard mas been
coming steadily into use, ano there 10 dan
ger that II will become still more general.
This great change In the worlds denomi-
rator Of values has been brought about Tor
the following reasons, NANNY: FIRST, to
counteract or more than counterfeit the ell
feet Of any possible increase In the amount
OF the precious metals; secondly, to coun-
teract the Increasing money function OF
credit; thirdly, to further the convenience
and profit of<Dose whose business II Il TO
handle money-the bankers and money
lenders fourthly, to augment the wealth
Of this class by quiet and apparently In.
pocent measure which may escape the at
jured ty Il; fifibly, TO augment the power
Of the money class both by the increase OF
its wealth and the additional control which
the lmouo-metalic basis gives over the
finances Of nations. The absolute gain to
mopey.owners and credit-owners by a de-
scent from bi.metallsm 10 mono-metallism
Is immense, and coyortly and cheaply Sc
cured. When silver was demonetlzed In
this country in 1873, the press and the stump
gave so little sign OF II that political cam
najpns on financial issues were holly con-
tested before constituencies utterly ignorant
Of the fact OF decentralization. And after
reconciliation, an organ OF the banking
interest hoped that the "silyer craze"
would soon die out sufficiently TO allow
Congress to drop the coinage OF silver,
quietly and unostentatiously.'
Banks claim to be public benefactors,
but they contract and expand on business
principles to promote their own Interests
purely. and not to promote the interests OF
The public. Such elasticity could we'll be
dispensed with. And the more contracted
the basis OF credit and currency has be.
come. as under exclusive gold. the more
readily do these alterations OF speculation
and panic take place, and the more surely
as well rs more frequently may the holders
Of credits pounce upon their victims by
foreclosure and cast them down from COM
petence TO perjury.
Gold is constantly coming more in de-
mand for consumption in the arts, while
within the last few years its production
has greatly fallen Of. The effect has been
TO make gold dearer; and this effect has
been increased by adding TO the money
function OF gold through the demonetlza-
ton OF silver. To force gold upon the civ
ilized world as the sole den0minator OF
values, while it is growing comparatively
scarcer ard deayer. would be to commit an
act OF fraud and cruelty so general in It's
effects as scarcely to be paralleled in his
tory.
Uniformity of standard is what the in
terests OF the honest working people re-
quire. II is demonstrated law OF finan-
cial science that the bi-metalic standard Is
more uniform than the mOno-metallic. the
fluctuations i'm the one metal offseiting the
fluctuations in the other. Then. while the
metallic standard is maintained, the bi-me-
tallic is more honest" than the mono.
metallic