The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-03-11

coming silver awhile, as measure of
precaution. Mr.. Cleveland is no more
of an anti-silver man than Mr.. McCul-
Tough, who gave the same advice in his
recent report. They both merely say
that we have got enough silver coined
for the present, as under all the circum-
stances may be true. 1t is beginning
to look as though the ratio between
gold and silver which has declared itself
during the last decade is likely TO be-
come approximately the permanent one,
and that it is not well to go on coming
silver dollars any longer under the old
ratio. When we consider the recently
announced statement that the entire
annual net increase of gold money in
the world does not now exceed Sl5,-
600, 900, it looks like a scarcity of that
metal which is sure to continue its
present excess in the ratio between the
two metals. If this be the case, the
only thing to do is to increase the
weight of our silver coinage.
While this discrepancy in the ratio is
being worked by the anti-silver press for
all it is worth, it is not the real issue with
them. Increase the weight of our
silver dollar so that its bullion value
shall equal the bullion value of its
equivalent gold coin, and still they
would not be happy. In fact, though
they call for it so loudly, they would be
much more unhappy than they are now,
because their best cry would be gone.
Their true objection is not to the
weight of our silver dollar, but to its
existence. 1t has, at this late era in
the commercial history of the world,
been discovered that double standard
is "unscientific," and, as it is also very
improbable to the moneyed classes,
the press of all the richer parts of the
world is against it. They have another
cry,-that the silver dollars do not cir
culate but it is because this is false
that they fight them. They do circu-
late, even as specie, far more than the
gold coins, while in the form of silver
certificates they are taking the place of
the slowly but surely narrowing cur
rency of the national banks. The
whole programme of the rich people
represented by our Western Massa-
chusetts contemporary on the money
question is " no silver dollars, no matter
how heavy, and permanent national
debt big enough to serve as basis for
the currency of the national banks.
This is what they desire, though it is
not their game to say it right out.
One outcome of this theory, when APP
piled, would be the gradual narrowing
of the specie basis of our currency, and
a concurrent increase of its purchasing
power, thus making the rich richer, and
the poor poorer. But this is not the worst
danger, for currency with narrow
specie basis constantly threatens panic
contraction, and their widespread con
sequence of ruin to all business men but
the impregnably rich. 1t is, in fact, 6
"Standard Oil" policy, to kill out al
rivals and establish every leading sor
of business upon monopolistic basis
or, to 60 back in history, Cesariar
policy, by which few will grow Sc
great t" that "we petty men - will have
nothing to do but "peep about to fine
ourselves dishonorable graves"
This is what the anti-silver men ART
preparing, consciously orunconsciously
for our country. They are " shooting
the people through the bar-way tina
leads into mighty poor pasturage TO
the poor man. And as the West ant
South, compared with the North ant
East, are poor, they don't like the out
look, and so the Republican talks abou
their not having learned wisdom %
that is, they are " fools" They ar
not so great fools, by long shot, a
the middling interest men-the men O
small capital-in the East are, who SUP
port the monopolistic millionaires il
, this scheme of monometallic specl
basis, of the metal that can be mos
easily cornered and monopolized. Tha
class is now being badly crowded to tn
wall. Let them give up broad speci
basis for the peoples money and fe'
men of small capital can do any kind c
, paying business in this country. The
+ will mostly be reduced to the ranks, a
clerks and laborers of the great monoI
olies. The minor business interests
+ rather than the working men, are mos
q directly endangered by money me
, nopoly
Queries and Answers.