The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-04-20

as to legal standing and quantity of pure
silver that existed in the silver dollar al
the date OF the execution of the bond.
Let as pay the national debt as fast as
possible in the very kind OF money called
for by the bond. Let us use every dollar
that it is safe TO take out OF the treasury
and pay at once as far as it will go. Sil>
yer should be placed upon an equality
with gold; each should pay to the govern
ment the cost of coming. and if coined
for the 5ullion~owncr it would be in cir'
culalion as soon as coined, for The owner
would at least have to remove 1t from the
mint. and then the secretary of the treas
ury would mol be bothered in trying &c
circulate il, and if unfriendly he would
have less opportunity to discriminate
We are told by the opponents OF silver
that it is fiat money; that SO cents worth
of silver plus 20 cents of fiat will not
make dollar. | have been astonished al
hearing this argument. for undertake I'd
say thai 1t is the fiat that makes the dol
lar. and by The use of fat you can as wei
make money out of paper not worth one
cent for that which will make dollar as
You can by the use of 50 cents worth OF
silver
What is it that makes money? Is il
not the law of congress that authorizes its
shall be2 That is derisively called fiat
You have not got gold dollar but whaI
is made so By the same fiat; otherwise
it is nothing but bullion The people
that | have the honor to represent
are taxpayers. aud largely we are peo-
pie that borrow of eastern capitalists a
great deal of the money We use in busi
ness We are a producing people; to pay
our taxes and interest we naturally look
to the products of the farms and oui
shops for our income. We look TO the
east over a stretch of fifteen hundred
miles of railroad for market, and if The
silver mines of the Rocky mountains ar,
not stricken down We may gain some adj
vantage of market for our products in
that direction.
When silver shall have fair trial. and
when We have discharged orr obligations
in the very same kind Of money that We
contracted to paw; if, after that. it vii
not circulate, or if there should be re
CURED an increase in the amount of tn,
pure silver that should make q dollar
then it is time to consider that question
Until the people and the bondholders M,
placed on an equal footing shall vote Il
retain the silver dollar Ms it is an Il
place it on An equality with gold
We are told that to provide for thu
unlimited coinage of silver, we are doine
in Justice to the bondholder, although b,
The terms OF the bond il is payable il
silver 1t certainly can not he seriousl,
contended that the Government by tn,
terms of the bond was deprived of III,
means 10 procure the commodit.
that it agreed TO pay in the future
IL the Government had possessed the coil
at the time of making the bond Their
would have been no necessity for borrow
ing or forextending her bonds. The Yer,
in the future implied that il would max
the money to pay with from any of tn
| honorable sources known to the power
| of government
The FRIENDS of the single money stand
ard seem 10 think that the power of tn
Government to coin money ought not t.
be exercised only to declare the bullion
value of the metal that money is made OF
and as The bullion value shall tluctuate il
the market particularly when the valu
| declints, we should increase the amour
in each dollar of gold or silver. am il
favor of gold MS one of the kinds of none
| that this Government should maintain an
| to be recognized AS part of the con
| that We should have in circulation. but
| do insist that nothing should be done b
legislation to make it more or less valu
able than any other money made by thl
| Government
While recognize gold as valuable t
our country and people. yet We can nc
| deny the fact that 1t is and always ha
been t:mid. In times of war or depress
ion of business it always hides until tn
| danger is over; it is the money of tn
coward. During the late war the Gov
eminent had to give to its owner tw
1 VI TUG ufbutN ~
| one dollar in gold it got of its holder,
and then to keep from being called dis
honest and to strengthen public credit
| so called, the Government had to take u
the bonds. which were payable in Lawful
money. purchased with greenbacks
which were purchased with gold two ia
one and a new bond gwen payable i
coin. The champions of gold forge
that it never did patriotic act. either i
war or peace; during this country's dark
est days it did not come forth 10 pay tn
soldier, and il did not make its appeal
ance on Black Friday for the relief g
the people or the Government, a day :
well remembered by every man in tn
country. Gold is simply good in its place
no more. no less ii answers "A good pun
| pose as part of our circulating medium
/