The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-02-04
Hiinr nf Tho NniinnnI Yielr

| Editor 0f The National VieW.
We hear much nonsense about hon
est and dishonest money. 1t is not
possible for material things to possess
the moral attributes of honesty or dis
honesty. In full elucidation of this
subject we could not do better than to
quote the language of the lamented
Warwick Martin from his book enti-
tied " Money of Nations;;" these are
his words:
- This talk by Mr.. Sherman and the
New York papers about the "honest
dollar" is one of the greatest humbugs
of the age. A few words will show
this. Honesty and dishonesty are at
tributes of character belonging to in
telligent, responsible beings. They
cannot be possessed by material things
such as metals, coin or money. There
is no such thing as an honest or dis
honest dollar. A dollar may be old
or new, counterfeit or genuine, light
or heavy, but il can neither be honest
nor dishonest.
IF, however, the application of the
term honest be insisted upon, then we
contend that an "hoDest dollar" is one
issued by al honest, responsible gov
ernment, receivable under fiat OF law
for all debts due that government, and
of all the individuals CON posing it
Anything.shor of this purporing To
be dollar, though composed of gold
silver, or diamonds, is dishonest; and
whatever possesses all these attributes
is an honest dollar, whether composed
of copper, tin, zinc, nickel, silver, golu
Or paper,
"What Is il that Mr.. Sherman and
the Republican leaders call dishone3t
dollar? II Is the same dollar that On
the I'd of April. 1892, was made by the
Congress of the United Statea, the
| men who trained the Constitution and
set TIE government in motion IN con-
tain 3Tl3 grains of pure silver, anG
which Was declared to be the unit OF
value Of money OF account, in which
all proceedings of the courts of the
Uniisd States were to he stated. It is
the dollar which remained full legal.
tender and rh9 unit Of tha money Of
account ia the United States from 1872
until 1878, when OH the l2th day of
February OF that year 1t Was dishonest.
Iy aud clandsstinelY demonetized
without the kno ledge OF one fourth
of those who voted for it. Cufortu-
nateIy Mir. Sherman WAS the leader
in this transaction. IL does not be.
come those who participated, know
ingly, in that dark act to say much
about honesty unless it be to deplore
their own want Of if. This dollar is
the one in which all the bonds Except
those payable in Isgal.tepder notss)
are payable. Especially is this true of
the 5, A, and per cent, bonds, issued
under the funding laws of 1870 and
1871. But why does Mr.. sherman have
the audacity to call this a dishonest
dollar? Because, owing to combina-
tion betw cen England, Germany, Den.
mark. Sweden, Norway and certain
parties in the United States, silver has
been demonetiZed as the money of the
rich, though still retained as the mon.
ey Of the poor. This reduced the mer-
camille value Of silver, as it wonld have
done that Of gold, had gold been de.
mOnetized. Fully so per cent. of all
the commercial value possessed by
gold and silver is given them by The
law which makes them money De.
monetize them and that value will e
gone. They then would have no walt &
hut intrinsic value as metals, 90 supply
the wants of man. Of this they pos
sess but little; nothing compared with
the intrinsic value of iron, copper, tin
zinc and other so-ealled base metals -
The foregoing is plain statement.
1T cannot be improved upon. We will
add, however, that the chief object of
| the conspiratOrs who desire to destroy
our standard silver dollar (Which OBJ
ject is studiously covered up) Is this /:
the coin bonds. as they now stand, are
equally payable in gold or silver at the
option of the government, destroy the
| legal-tender quality of silver money
and fully ons-half of our ability to pay
said coin bonds is taken away, much
TO the injury of the producing classes
who, in the end, pay all the taxes.
Make coin bonds payable in gold only,
and it will add immensely to the value
of gold and open still wider door to
the ruinOus mania TO speculate in gold,
infinitely to the injury of all classes Of
the community, and for the benefit
only of small band of heartless Shy
lock speculators, who would sell their
souls and help to damn the whole
human family for the sake ot gain.
For above-quoted reasons we urge
all patriots 10 maintain the legal-ten-
der quality of our standard silver dollar
When our coin bonds are all paid, as
they should be as soon IA possible, it
will then be time to talk about dis
pensing with said dollar, and not be.
fore. 1t will then be wisdom to adopt
currency exclusively Of paper, az tbs
Supreme Court says we may without
violation Of the Constitution, and thus