Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-09-28
EQUAL RIGHTS FOR GOLD AND
SILVER.

when IUlS IONtIuuiCuL W do
by the consolidation of the different
provinces into a union of the States, one
of the first things necessary was to estab-
lish monetary system. Thomas Jeffer-
son, the philosophic Statesman-the
prophet of the peoples rights-wrote out
our system OF weights and measurements,
and devised our monetary system. True
to the wisdom that characterized his life,
he saw that the soundest money that the
world ever had was gold and silver. He
made the silver dollar 41215 grains, the
standard OF value; Congress adopted
his suggestion, and gold and silver
became the constitutional money Of
the country. 1t was not one to the
exclusion-of the other, but both, had
equal rights under the law; they were
made legal tender for all debts; what
one could do as money the other could
do as money. From 1893 down to 1873
these two coins went side by side in the
national history and in the commerce Of
the nation. Each did its work, and each
did the same work. No man questioned
the wisdom of our fathers, until by a
trick thief entered at night and stole
away the right of silver as money. 1t is
well known that this trick of legislation
by which silver was demonetized was
done directly in the interest of, and you
might say, by the hand of fixed capital !;
by those whose money is in bonds mort
cages and consols. By this act the fixed
capital of the country was raised Is per
cent. in value, because it decreased
the ability of the producing in
terests of this country to pay their
debts. Congressman, and even the Presi-
dent who signed the bill, claimed that
they did not know of such clause in the
bill. Had there been free discussion,
it would have been impossible to have
demonetized silver. Now what do silver
men ask? what do business men of the
country ask? what does common justice
ask? this, and this only, that silver shall
be reinstated under the law where it
stood for eighty years. This law must
be re-enacted. Undoubtedly there will
be clause in the new law which will
grant the issue of gold and silver bills, so
that the standard bars of gold and
silver, may be kept in the vaults
of the Treasury, while the bills
or certificates are issued against them
and go into general circulation. In the
advancement of civilization, common
conviction decides, that it is not neces-
sary to carry about gold or silver in dol
lars or in eagles; bill that stands as the
representative of the coin, is what the
people want; they know that it is the
safest money, they know that it is the
best money that the world ever had, and
they know this, because it represents coin.
Now how is it with National Bank
bill? No one doubts that National
Bank bill, is good money; does any one
believe that it is better money than a
silver or gold bill? In what is a Ma
tional Bank bill to be redeemed by what
is it secured? 1t is secured by bond of
the United States, and how is the bond
to be paid? In gold or silver
coin at the option of the Government.
Does it make National Bank bill better
to have it removed thus from direct pay
ment in gold or silver coin in case of an
emergency? Not at all ;Oommon sense
teaches us all that gold and silver are the
best foundations for currency. Now then,
let us have re-enactment of the law bv
which gold and silver shall have equal
rights under the law, wherein they shall
both be legal tender for the payment of
all debts. Let us have a law wherein
gold and silver bills representing gold
and silver standard bars or coin shall be
'reated alike under the law, and thus be
If equal value in all commercial trausac-
ions.