Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1885-12-05
THE IMPENDING STRUGGLE.


Metallic Coinage Association, held at
Denver, Colo, on the I4th OF November
1885, the following address was read,
adopted and ordered published, as an
expression Of the sentiment Of that or
ganization:
Gold and silver being the only ac-
knowledged measures OF values, being
the only materials adapted to that use,
possessing alone Of all materials the ex
act attributes to fit them for that use,
and, with the single exception Of densi-
ty, possessing the same common quail
mes, they are entitled to the same
consideration as money.
Neither can be ignored, nor debased,
without producing infinite confusion,
loss and suffering, neither can be slight
ed without wronging the millions OF the
worlds workers, for neither alone is
sufficient for a measure of value for the
commercial world.
These being our beliefs, in justifica-
ton of our faith we submit the follow
ing: Any considerable shrinkage in the
volume of real money in country is a
calamity SO great that 1t is everywhere
guarded against with the utmost care.
a foreign draft for only few millions
upon the great Bank of England will
cause that chief of financial barometers
10 at once raise its rates. Yet there is
a strong and subtle conspiracy in Eng
land, Germany, Holland and the United
States to strike from existence half the
real money of the world. Already the
warfare upon silver has been SO merci.
less that it has caused depreciation Of
twenty five per cent. in the value of all
the products of the earth, when meas
ured by gold, for silver is the pillar Of
finance, and it cannot be thrown down
without causing the whole temple Of
values to topple and fall with it.
When the great discoveries of gold
were made in California and Australia,
the stock of the precious metals in the
world had become SO reduced that COM
merce had returned TO almost a. mere
barter, and the price of labor the world
around was at starvation rates. Some
facts which bear upon what has since
uanspired, and which an idea of the
treme ndouS calls of the world for real
money, we copy from the London Bull,
Zionist, of October sd, of this year, and
for convenience reduce the pounds Of
the Bullionist in round numbers TO dol
lars, as follows: 1.-The product Of gold
from 1852 to 1885 amounted to So, 600,
ooo, 600. Since then the coinage of
three nations--the United States, Ger
many ana ltaly-and the arts, have abb
sorbed more than $4,000, 900, 900,
leaving of the mighty product of the
last thlrty-thtee years less than 81 GOO,
The present supply from the mines is
not sufficient TO meet the demands of
the arts alone. These demands are
steadily and swiftly increasing. The
decrease in the supply is also steady,
IT having fallen from SIo3,o23, o7S, in
1881, to $9S, 699,58S in 1882, and to
S94, OF, ooI, in 1885. See Mint Di-
rector's report for 1884, page 4S4,
During the same years the various ma
lions coined sI47,oIS, as, 500, ooo, 692,
and 500, 265,557, respectively. Same
report, page AS.
The foregoing shows what unusual
burdens have been put upon gold, and
reveals why, as rated by gold stand
ard, everything else in the form of prop.
erty. al well as the labor which pro.
duces property, has declined almost TO
the point it had reached thirty-seven
years ago, when commerce was a little
more than a system of barter, and a
gold watch was a curiosity.
In the face of this, and in the face OF
the steadily accelerating demand for
real money in the business of the world
we look upon the attempt to take away
the chief use to which silver has been
applied, as nothing lest than stupen,
dous commercial conspiracy. We do
not forget the increased facilities for do,
ing business without the direct use OF
money, through clearing houses, bills
of exchange, ETC.. but, after all, the
only mediums for final settlement are
gold and silver, in the form of coin or
bullion. To judge Of the future, we
need but refer to the past, Twelve
years ago, silver, at 10 to /, command
ed a premium over gold, and the land
was prosperous. By indirect means,
silver was dethroned from its sovereign
place as money. In four years there
was crushing depression all over the
Eastern States of our Republic; indus
try was paralyzed everywhere, add five
hundred thousand Iamps were march.
ing up and down the land. The pas.
sage of the Bland law, though unfair
and unjust to silver, partially restored
1t to its old place and prestige, and i'm,
mediately the wheels Of industry began
to roll, return to specie payments was
made possible, the paper evidences OF