The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1885-10-03
1t has been said that nothing is more
.imOrOuS fha,, a million ndn1larS-oycapf

two million dollars. It is also true that
nothing is more arrogant, more selfish,
more greedy, more unscrupulous and
regardless of the rights of others than
the man with million dollars subject
to an exception similar to the other.
The history of financial legislation from
the close of the war to the present time
has been the history of series of sue
cessful attempts on the part of capital
lists to increase their fortunes at the ex-
pense of producers and taxpayers.
Such of that legislation as related to sill
yer has been in strict accordance with
that rule except, perhaps, the silver
coinage act of 1878. The present agita-
tion against silver is actuated by the
same motive
Without entering into full discussion
Of the subject in this article fairgrounds
for the opposition Of capitalists to silver
may be briefly stated: Silver, at pres
ent, is money Of the United States.
Every silver dollar coined is just so
much of an addition to the volume of
money in the country. Plentiful money
means cheap money Just as abundant
wheat means cheap wheat; plentiful
money means low rates Of interest and
high prices for all other commodities.
Scarce money means high rates of in
terest aud low prices for everything that
is to be bought or sold. What is called
hard times is only the withdrawal Of
money from active circulation the
scarcity of money. Then is when money
becomes most valuable; it actually in
creases in value just as staple article
Of food does when it is scarce; it's pllr-
chasing power becomes greater. Capt.
alists are money-owners; money is their
stock in trade and to increase the value
of that stock is an aim with them as it
is for wheat dealer to make corner in
that commodity and sell at the top Of
the market. If silver were demonetized,
it's coinage stopped, the volume of our
currency would cease to be increased
from that source-the supply would be
to an extent cut off. If the whole wheat
crop of Dakota were utterly destroyed
tomorrow it's inevitable effect would be
to increase the value of atl other wheat
in the country. If a law were passed
to stop the coinage Of silver into money
it's effect would be to destroy visible
supply of money in the silver mines OF
the west-that is to say no more money
would be coined from that source. The
inevitable effect of such law must be
to increase the value of all other money
in the hands of banks and capitalists.
The present hostility and agitation
against silver coinage is only an instance
Of what is daily going on in the COM
mercial exchanges of Chicago and New
York, the effort to get up "a corner"
Only in this instance the commodity
whose value is sought to be enhanced is
hard cash, coin; instead of the Board of
Trade of Chicago the arena is the Capt.
tol at Washington and the operators are
the rulers of the nation. In times of
corner being made that greatly increases
the price of wheat, corn, pork or sugar
an outcry is raised against the iniquity
of allowing men to lock up and control
for purposes of gain the countrys sup
ply of whatever staple happens to be
cornered. 1t is now time to raise uni
versal outcry against this effort to cor
ner the money of the country, the whole
medium that decides the
value of everything that is bought or
sold.