Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1885-03-20
The SILVER Question.

men into two classes, saints and SIM
ners, or as some wag has put it,
saints, sinners and the Beecher FAM
lily. The financier divides it into two
classes, the debtor and creditor, or
or as we might say, the debtor, cred
itor and the nobody who has neither
credit or energy. The attitude of
an individual or community on the
silver question should be determined
by the simple fact OF. whether he IS q.
debtor or creditor. If he is deb.
tor or he is interested in having
money cheap, or in paying in an ar
ticIe of a little or less intrinsic val
ne than that in which the debt was
contracted. If he is a creditor, he
is interested in having money dear,
or in receiving payment in an article
of more intrinsic value than that in
which the debt due him was contract
ed. Creditor nations are monome-
tallic nations, for the simple reason
that currency of one metal is Of
less volume than that Of two, and the
smaller the volume, the less the price
of other commodities, and the more
of them can be obtained for a given
sum.
The worlds standard prices are
measuring by the sum total of coin
used in money, as a measure of val
ne. From this standard they vary
on account of short crops. Or want Of
transportation, or artificial corners,
or financial depressions, only to re-
turn and hover around the
standard. If new mines of gold are
discovered, the result is an increlse
of prices the world over; il the sup
ply ceases, there is a gradual fall in
prices the world over. Hence, il
the creditor nations could blot out
silver as measure of value, the
price Of commoditier would fall in
proportion, and, could the total out
put of silver bullion be nsed as mon
ey by certificates, there would be an
advance in prices all over the world.
The creditor would have his note and
intereot paid in cheaper money, that
is it would take less wheat, corn,
hogs or cattle to pay his note than
he received when he borrowed.
The creditor nations, states, cities
and individuals, are wise in that they
are for gold only, and they have the
power to force their views on the
debtor.
The debtor nations. states, cities
and individuals, are foolish mainly
in this, that instead OF demanding
that both metals be used at their par
value, they insist on forcing s5 cents
worth of silver on the world as the
equal of 100 cents worth of gold, or
an inflated, irredeemabIe paper cur
rency as the equivalent of either. IL
the silver men could but see that the
world could take all the product OF
their mines at its bullion value and
insist on taking it at 20 per cent
above, we should soon reach solu-
ton of the silver question. And if
congress should pass law authors
izing every owner Of bullion to de-
posIt it in the treasury, and receive
a certificate as its present bullion
value as legal tender for all dues
and debts, public and private, WO
could soon allow the national banks
to pass quietly out Of existence. It
will be said, of course, that q fixed
value cannot be maintained. Posi-
bly,, not exactly. If gold rises in its
value it would be exported. Let it
go. The expert would cheaper gold
abroad and restore the equality. For
the debtor would pay in the cheaper
sr meatal, and large dow of gold
outward would glut the market and
put down the price, while the m
creased demand for silver would IN
crease its price. There can be no
great variation so long as the debt
or has the option Of paying in the
cheaper metal. aud the increase in
;he valuation of coin would swell
prices in every land.
So long as the silver men insist on
forcing IS cents worth Of silver on
,he market for dollar, there can be
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