The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-01-31

From me American Register.
The War Upon the silver Dollar.
This is one of the extraordinary
things which puzzles the disinterested
aud unsuspecring American citizen.
Why should any man make war OH
the venerable silver dollar, the honest
money of the pioneer from the time
he entered the unbroken forests of this
country, and one of the precious met
ais used as standard of value since
the days of the patriarch Abraham?
1t contains all the requisites of money,
and although not As precious as gold,
yet it is one OF the precious metals and
has been used concurrently with gold
in nearly all countries and ages with
out complaint. The reason assigned
that it contains in value only eighty
five cents on the dollar as compared
with gold, is A FALLACY AND A FRAUD.
And This is not the G tuse but the false
pretense for the warfare, which in re-
aIity arises from the fact that silver
fills the channels of circulation which |
the paper money banks desire to occu-
py " it'll their debt currency.
It is an ascertained fact, that THE
COINAGE AND USE as money of either |
gold or silver add to the metallic value |
OF the metal when not used as money. |
So the silver III standard dollar, IF
NOT USED AS MONEY, would be worth
only eighty-ive cents. But If coined
and given the quality of money, it's
value is enhanced BY THE INCREASED
DEMAND FOR 1T, and it is worth the
full value of q dollar in gold. 1t is
stamped by public authority as one
dollar, made legal tender, aud receiv-
able in payment of the public dues AT
THAT VALUE; and is the standard
VALUE OF ONE DOLLAR. Now, when
bankers ia defiance of the public au-
thority, attempt to repadiate the STAN
dard value of the silver dollar as money
in order to depreciate it, with view
of substituting their paper debts for it
as circulating medium of the country,
their charters should be revoked and
taken from them. The attempt on the
part of bankers to depreciate silver
made by law standard of value is a
fraud upon the public, and effectuates
q wrong upon people not in situation
to protect themselves.
The same thing was attempted with
the trade dollar, but for several years
the dealers prevented this by taking
| the trade dollar at par in the confident
belief that Congress would protect the
country by either making the trade
dollar II legal tender, or requiring the
Secretary to take it up at par. But the
bankers We're enabled to prevent this
necessary act of Congress until they
succeeded in depreciating the trade
dollar to eighty-five cents On the dol
lar. Then they bought it up; and now
they will have Congress perform THE
DUTY, and they will make large
amount by the speculation.
| GonUrasS in the interests of the ma
tional banks and by fraud upon the
country, demonetized silver to make
room FOR the debt paper currency OF
the banks. But the people walked to
this monstI Gus wrong, and in '7S silver
was restored by Congress to it's place
as a standard OF value. Since that the
banks, with their agents and attorneys
have been most insidious and untiring
in their movements to depreciate ami
discr. dit silver currency, and equally
SO to drive out of circulation goia anG
silver certificates.
The fallacy used in the attack upon
the silver dollar has been successfully
exposed by Mr.. Henry Carey Baird, il
u series of articles in the Philadelphia
Inquirer, from one of which of the
date of October 23d, 'S3, we take the
following extract, which is in point, tC
J. wit;
"That the silver dollar does not cir
culate more freely than it does, is no
owing TO any want Of value in it, bu
c because paper money is preferred
This is, indeed, more marked will
gold than with silver, there being per
haps today more dollars in silver il
circulation in Philadelphia thar dol
r lars in the tota! gold circulation here
. This is well illustrated in the dispOsi
q ton of the public to exchange golt
coin for silver certificates, which ar,
only convertible into silver dollars;
i leading Philadelphia paper of the 20tl
| inst. i'll its money article saying:
THE steady coinage of silver dol
lars at the rate of -, ,000,C00 a mOntl
for several years, has resulted in
Y sufficient volume of silver certificate
v this year to take the place of othe
curl ency to a considerable extent, il
> the Fall movemen to the South ant
i southwest where national banks ar
e few. In fact, that part OF the countr,
e has been sending gold coin to New
York for silver certificates as a NOR
y convenient currency. The amount 0
a gold received at the New York sub
e treasury from New Orleans, Galveston
= Mobile, Memphis and st. Louis, 70
=. which silver certificates have beer
: demanded and sent back to the sam,
points, from March 3, to date, is $11.
n 900, 600. In the nine days from Octo
ber 9th to 18th, it was s., sos, 900. TIL!
SHOWS PERFECT CONFIDENCE IN TIL
SILVER DOLLAR, even if its paper rep
: resentative be preferred to it, and fully
e disposes of the assertion that it is worti
j, but eighty-five cents, the public no
being so devoid OF sense as 10 eXchang,
one dollar in gold for eighi y-tive cent
: in silver etc."