The Dillon tribune., 1885-10-24
Mont. Hist. :Soeietv
No. 49,.

yer contents, and that industry is ruined.
and thousands of men thrown out Of EN-.
ployment.
What is true with us in regard to silver
and its connected and dependent interests,
is largely true OF all other mineral pro.
ducing Territories and States. DESTROY
silver or which is the same thing, stop its
being mined, by little further deprecia.
ton, and the direct loss will reach at least
$1oo,ooo,ooo per annum, in metals and
other interests depending upon it. To see
this industry, upon which SO much de-
pends, decried, discouraged and threat
ened by our own people and neighbors, is
most unreasonable and unjust 1t seems
to me that the East should at least treat
the metal upon which our very existence
depends, as we'll and with the same
consideration that other peoples Of the
earth do. The most thrifty nations OF
Europe-France, Belgium and Holland
give i, greater legal tender valuation By
over , per cent. than our Government
does, and although they are purchasers and
importers Of silver, they have continued
its use as legal tender money, until each
individual inhabitant has about three and
one.half times as much as each individual
inhabitant Of the United States. They
have from ST., to $14 per capita; we only
$37s. We not only produce what we use
as money, hut good portion of that pur
chased and used by them. We produce
As per cent. Of all that is produced in the
world. The present coinage only adds
about As cents per capita per annun,, hav
ing only about $3.7s per head; it would
require at least twenty-five years to coin
the same amount per head Of our popula-
ton, as they have; and require from twelve
to fourteen years to get an amount equal
to that held and owned by France alone.
Is it then unreasonable to ask for our peo-
silver unit! the amount equals that held
by other commercial nations? Silver has
been used as money from time immemo-
rial. The Government could at least give
reasonably fair trial by continuing its
coinage until our people get as much as
other commercial nations have per CAPITA
and then it would seem to me as time
enough to think Of stopping its use as
currency.
WHY WE ASK IT.
We ask it, not alone because its stoppagc
would be disastrous to this and to other
Territories Inevitably if the country tina,
produces it, destroys its use as money
factor it will depreciatc to fatal point) and
seriously effect the adjoining states but
the great majority Of the people Of the
United States would be injured thereby.
Certainly, TO destroy part Of our cur
rency, would greatly increase the pur.
chasing power Of the remainder, thereby
enhancing gold proportionally reducing
the price Of all commodities and greatly
and directly injuring the debtor class Of
the nation. To me, this result-enhancing
the value Of gold-is the moving object
I, aud cause Of the existing organized war
on silver. Gold, or u great portion Of it,
i, is collected and held by few selfish in =
dividuals, and If they can succeed in de-
t stroying silver as a legal tender money
| (Which would stop the product of the
! metaD they would then add in value abou,
, 20 per cent. to their boarded gold. dc
not mean to say that these are the onl,
e persons who are opposing the further coin
e age OF silver. Nevertheless, they are the
: moving power and have organized a war
1 against it to "bear' and destroy it. The>
are predicting dire disaster from the con
= tinued coinage, claiming that it will bank
e rupt the Government, flood the country
: by making it dumping ground for silver
: drain :he country of gold, etc, ETC., ant
t this, in the face of the facts, that the mos
, prosperous nations of Europe have from,
: three 10 five times the silver that there !,
f in the United States France, with ,bre,
, times AS much having imported the pas,
f ten years over three hundred million, o
= gold more than they exported The bes
banks of the world have from fifty to sixty
: per cent. Uaken together) Of their reserve
= in silver, and are prosperous with thei,
r stock selling at large premium. Ate,
seven years Of continued coinage, we are
t exporting more silver than importing. and
importing more gold now than exporting,
Once the bear howl" is stopped-,nadc
to control legislation to the end named
there will he no trouble in absorbing the
coinage. In behalf of our people, / be.
r seech the Government to continue the
coinage of silver, and to use a portion of
, the profit accruing thereby, in distributing