The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-12-17
THE awANTER" QUEST ONED.

When Ed. Marshall was stumping
the State of California several years
ago he would illustrate some points
in his speach by relating the pecnli-
arities of q certain animal which he
called Q Wsnter." This an imal had
four legs-two very short ones on
one side and two very long ones on
the other, and owing to its peculiar
structure it could travel only OH tn
sides of prtcipitous m ocntains.
When it tired in going in one diree-
ton it turned itself inside out and
took Its track back and thus the
beast pursued its old and never end
ing trail until it died upon it. 1t
always wanted, however to tread up
level ground but as SON as the
animal struck such it tur ned over
and was compelled to roll back to its
old beaten path.
The Inter Mountain reminds us OF
Ed. Marshall's Wanter." In dis
cussiLg the silver question it follows
the same old beaten path. If by
chance it should get out of it 1t
tumbles upon its back and founders
around until 1t falls into the old rut
again. Here it is at home and with
an Inconsistencies which Is really
amusing it runs the gamut
of Its argument against silver from
1.-THE lightweight dollar to the
"overloaded treasury vaults" and
from the overloaded treasu Try vaults
back to the lightweight dollar. And
thus it pursues It's narrow path. The
other evening it topped out of its old
track and struggled awhile with fiat
value" Now what is "fat value2"
Simply decreed value-a value fixed
by a decree Or an act of recognized
authority
Congress has said that q piece of
paper with certain words and the
figures 100 printed theron is money,
and is worth 500 in gold or silver.
Still this same authority holds but
twenty per cent of the $3.50, OoO, 900 Of
such paper in circulation j n reserve
for its redemption. Hence, accord
ing to our evening conte mporary,
eighty per cent of our greenb acks bear
q decreed or fiat value. Yet it makes
no wal upon ereenbacks. The silver
however, which, according
to the same luminous light, has but
per cent of decreed value
comes under his ban.
The fact is gold bugs made war
silver when it was the meas
ure of values and at a premi um. All
this talk about ''fiat value , is nom
sense. The paper money Of every
has only a decreed or fiat
1t is accepted by the people
Upon their faith in the solvency and
stability of the govern ent When
is impaired the pur chasing
power of the paper is also i impaired.
w can all remember the time when
,ur g~reenbacks went beg ing at
wenty-eight cents on the do liar.
Now. since the Inter Mountain is
anxious to air its opposition to the
tandard silver dollar, we respect
lilly ask it to answer the fol-
questions. Wherein does
he continued coinage Of silver
threaten the prosperity of the
business interests of the country?
Has silver driven gold out of the
With only about So 90 of
silver per capita of the pop ulation
# the country have we so much as
endsnger our business and COM
nercial interests France has So 90
,er capita of its population is that
suffering from too much sill
7er? Germany and Great Britain
nave more silver in eli ,ulation &C.
,ordlng to their population than this
country has ; are their business IN
;erests injured by it? VIII at effect
the suspension Of the coinage
Of silver have upon the silver
of Butter After 81 silver was
iemonetized in '73 by a dispicable
rick its market value fell off twenty
i've per cent /; would not his same
'esult follow the suspensio ~ of its
coinage? and if SO how ma ny OF our
mines and mills will be RI inning q
year hence? What do you know
bout silver anyhow? Ca djd an
'wers to these questions may lead to
and when all are considered
he public may come to the conclu-
ion that the monetary system ofDthe
will not be overturned
through the efforts of this Butte
'Wanter."
A recent special to the Salt Lake
says: John Kelly's illness
occasions much apprehension among
mis- friends, particularly his political
The Times says it has
been given out that he is suffering
rom q eovoro co1d Tnt,ma 70 frionde
ire averse to talking about his actual