The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1886-01-16
Year ending
June 30
ARTICLES.
In the face of these official facts and fig

In the face OF these official facts and fig
ures as to our trade, and exports and i'm
ports of gold and silver, and the compare,
tive purchasing power of the silver dollar
now and in 1870, l repeat: Why should
it be stricken down, orits Purchasing power
further increased 20 per cent. by adding
forty, fifty, or any other number OF grains
to it's weight? In other words, why should
every producer and debtor have to give 90
per cent. more OF the products of his
! labor to obtain either a new silver dollar
or gold coin with which to pay his debts
than he d )es now, when he is already pay
ing his obligations according to the terms
OF his contract in a coin which will procure
for it's owner much more of all he needs
than it would in 1870? 1t is only an
other phase of the constant struggle Of the
rich to grind the face of the DOOR,, and the
favored lew to enrich themselves by class
legislation.
While no one car deny that every obi
CATION OF the United States and every con-
tract within our own borders can be dis
charged honorably with the present silver
dollar, we are told that our foreign obfiga-
tions and relations are such that gold will
be at a premium very oon and we will be
on a basis of degraded silver at once if we
do not increase the weight or stop the coin
age OF silver; that all Europe is Mortified
at our stupidity or dishonesty, or both.
Even England, whose gold is said to be
used SO freely to buy Senators and Repre-
sentatives to vote for revenue tariffs
against protection to ~monopolies, called
American industries, is held up now bv the
gold monometallists as an example worthy
OF all imitation; her financial policy is
lauded as the perfection of human wisdom.
Fortunately the official reports overthrow
all the reckless assertions OF the gold
worshippers. The Register OF the Treasury
(see report for this year, page d. shows
that out OF $l,O71,46O.26 registered
bonds OF the United States outstanding.
only $11,927, 900, or a little over one
tenth OF l per cent. is held abroad, and OF
those which can be paid before 1892, for
eigners hold only $34.15O, which is less
than the interest on the money now lying
idle in the Treasury for one day at 3 per
cent. per annum.
These facts coupled with the fact that
our exports of goods exceeded our i'm
ports $13O, OOO, 900 this year, and our i'm
ports OF gold exceeded our gold exports
S~lS,2l3,HO4. an amount greatly exceeding
AL our bonds held abroad, settle the ques-
ton. The falsity OF the clamor about for
eign complications or gold premium is
made too apparent for any sensible man
to be deceived by it.
Thu press is filled with articles day by
day which seek to make people believe
that all other nations nave ceased tt coin
silver, and that We aIope are stubbornly
persisting in forcing it upon this country
after it has been abandoned everywhere
else.
l propose to d%isprove these allegations
by officially stated facts. The Director of
the Mint in his last report shows (pages
131, 1922 that for the year 1884 the
worlds production of gold was S95, 1872
500; of silver, $115, 147, s7S; and. that
$99.459,24O OF gold was coined, while the
coinage OF silver last year amounted to
$500 OBS. 443, OF which the United States
coined $23, 991, 756 of gold, and $2S, 534,-
S66 OF silver. Other nations, therefore
coined in 1884, $61.5O4,577 of silver
showing that we are far from being alone in
the coinage of that metal. England coined
$3.204,s24 of silver last year and So, 2O1..
OF the year before, to add to her stock
which has been accommodating for genera.
lions; while she has coined silver for India
IN the last three years to the value of S6S
$4,000. S'o'
Inc workers for wages in England to-day
get their pay in silver coin, and the ones.
ton Is never mooted by them as to the
comparative bullion value of the silver md
gold coin OF their country. Even Germany
notwithstanding she pretended to have d.
monetlzed silver twelve years ago coined
IN 1882 S6,4O7, 157 of it to add to her
.asC STOCK on hand; her laborers are maid 1
ln IL now. No complaint is made anv-
where, mere or in Europe, about silver coin
except by the holders of our bonds. who |
seek TO Increase largely the PURCHASING
power OF gold, or, which is the same th;ne
re- reoucc the value of all our property from
y TO oo per cent. below it's present vaIne
when tested by the single standard Of cold
M M oney claim shall be paid by us to
1nem and TO them alone. They do not
seek TO establish the single gold standard
sney say; they are bi-metalists. They
aslee tha5 silver is a legal-tender for ali
n obligations OF the Government.
except those held by them. 1t is good
enough to pay the laborer, the soldier. the
sailor, in short, all ywho work for the
unl1ed Sattes, but they insist that it is dis
honest in us to pay it to them, although
their ponds and obligations all show on
OnelI Iace that 1t is a legal-tender in pay
ment OF them all so long as it ia coined of
me value fixed by law, JULY ID
1870, as it is o and always has been.
Our dollar is more valuable than tho+
;olned by most Of the other leading no.
ions, France included, theirs bearing ths
,e'a1ion OF l5k to 1 with our gold. while
l 'uls Is 10 TO 1. l need not repeat in de-
oil on "uaI the official reports show in re-
10 tne gold, silver and paper currency
u the several countries. It ia snficient ~
prove 0y them that while the d~ifferenc. in
'"e market value OF silver and Rold In Lon.