Gloucester County Democrat., 1891-09-24
conaressman Mills il ohio.


space for three points that are Of universal
interest
THE FREE COINAGE or SILVER.
Another measure Of reform, which Isl
pressed by many demands the opening OF
our mints, for free coinage OF silver. 1t is
by them that this will bring rs
inio sunlight of prosperity again. During
my public service have spoken, written
and voted for free coinage. | have beliey-
ed and still believe, that the United atts
can open her mints to the free coinage OF
silver at fifteen and one halt ounces equal
TO one of gold, and keep the metals at par,
not only in the United States but in the
world, but | do not believe
that the free coinage OF silver will relieve
the country from the distress which 1t is
now suffering. We we're suffering deep
er distress from 1873 TO 1879. 1t was
greatly relieved during the years 1880, 1881
and 1882 by heavily increased foreign trade
but since then our iorgein trade has not
been so prosperous, and we have been grav-
iiating hack towards the same old ruts.
We began the limited coinage of silver in
1878. and since then we have coined S4lb,-
600, 600 of silver and S529 100000 of gold
aud yet with this addition of S945, 100000,
of gold and silver to our money stock we
are still in the land Of shadows. Under
the act of July IA, 1890, the Secretary OF
the Treasury is required to issue Treasury
notes and pay them out in the purchase OF
"a 100000 ounces of silver annually. Up
to Aug. 9th, 1891, he has issued and put in
circulation $4,000 900 of these notes in the
pul chase of silver bullion, but no one has
4 ~ ralfaf
troubles With the mints thrown open to
the world we could not get N ore than $780,
600 600 or S7O,OOG,C00 of silver per annum.
Our present law gives Us from $54 ,00O.-
600 To $50, 100000 of Treasury notes in lieu
of the silver Ten or twelve millions more
is all that free coinage could possibly add
to the circulation, and if all the gold and
silver which we have coined and the paper
we have issued since S7s have not relieved
us, can ten or twelve millions more do 1t !?
In one Congress Democratic House
passed free coinage bill, and in another
Congress a Renublican Senate passed it,
To-day in many States the Republican
party are strongly demanding it. and In
many others the Democrats are doing the
very same thing. But whatever may be
the views of friends or foes as to its pro-
priety, it must be apparent to every one
who has carefully examined the subject that
opening the mints TO the free coinage OF
silver will not dispel the cloud that is now
dark eDing the land Let us not be de-
ceived by superficial appearances. 1t is
not the scarcity of money in the country, 1t
is the scarcity of money in the pockets OF
the people who earn it that produces the
distress. If our circulation were to-day
double what it is, and il was all in the
pockets of a hundred thousand people, cur
condition would not only not be bettered
but it would be worse than it is.
A JUST DISTRIBUTION OF MONEY NEEDED,
1t is not the small distribution that
plaques us. The Director of the mint tells
us that on the first day Of October, 1870,
there were S770,312,000 in circulation in
the United States, and we know that 1870
was one of the most prosperous years the
country has ever had. From 1861 TO 1866
the Government had been paying 10 sol
diers and for army supplies enormous sums
of money 1t was distributed all over the
land in every home and in every pocket.
In that year the per capita amount was
SO 81. On the first day Of October, 1880,
the circulation was 81 OPS, ,0S3,6S5. 1t was
then $50 81 per head. On the first day Of
October, 1890, it was 81 ,49S 072, 700, and
the per capita amount was $23 80. If the
per capita circulation is an index OF pros
perity, we ought to have been more pros
porous in 1890 than we were in 1870, but
we are in the depths of distress now, and
we were standing on tip toe on the noun
tain top of prosperity then. 1t is not, beg
you to understand, more money in the
country that determines whether the coun-
try shall be prosperous or not, but it is the
amount of money in the pockets Of the
people who earn it by their labor. To
look at the per capita circulation of this
or other countries is to chase June bugs.
Do not let US make this mistake. The sit
uation is too serious and the consequences
too iull of disaster for rs if we allow our
selves to be led away from the real cause
of our distress and the proper and only
remedy we may apply.
The amount of circulation per head is
shown by taking the whole amount Of
money in the country and dividing it by
the whole number of people. This shows
that each person has in his pocket $23 SO,
but millions have got none, other millions
have not half of if. A few hundred thous-
ands, in fact have the lions share. The
absurdity of determining the prosperity of
the country by such figuring is too patent
to deceive any one What then is the
scourge that is tormentiDg the land and
driving contentment out of so many homes?
THE TAXATION THAT RoBs.
1t is excessive taxation, remorseless, con-
fiscatiDg taxation, indirect, concealed hypo-
IL ,<ht
Not your State taxation that is levied on
wealth and requires from you less than 81
on every 500 Of your property, not your
county or other local axation that is levied
in the sight of your eyes, and is imposed,
too, on wealth. But is that other taxation
that comes over the wall like thief in the
night, that muffles its feet and gloves its
hands with softest kid, that conceaIs its
features with the mask of patriotism; that
taxation which tells you it is making rich,
when it is robbing the mouth of labor of
the bread it has earned, that taxation that
like a vampire fans your cheeks with cool
ing airs and soothes you to sleep, and while
you are slumbering buries its beak in your
veins and draws your life away; that taxa
tion that by jugglery decreases the prices
of ~hat you have to sell and increases the
prices of what you have to buy; that taxa
tion that passes by accumulated wealth
and lays all its remorseless exactions upon
articles which men, women and children
are compelled to buy in order to live; that
taxation that concentrates and increases
the power of wealth, reduce the wages of
labor, shuts the laborer out from employ
ment, parslyzes production, restricts con
and pluDges the country into Il e
depths of distress-this is the cause of all
our troubles, and to this we should direct
all our thoughts and use all the power with
which we are invested to remove it. Be-
cause the people do not count down the
dollars they pay the tax collector and see
aud know just how much they pay, the
OF this Ubiquitous system, relying
uron the ignorace of the people, make bold
to say that duties levied on imported goods
are not taxes. Last year we imported
S4s0,000, 600 of taxable goods, which paid
AT the Custom Houses 1920, 100000, which
is now iu the United States Trcasufys does
not that look like taxation ? The Govern
ment did not borrow this money, it did
not obtain it by sale OF public lands, it
was tax paid on the imported goods by
either the purchaser, the mid
ileman or the customer. The fore ign pre-
ducer did not pay it for it cost him more
than 100000 600 for labor and material TO
make them. His profit on them was less
Lhan $s0.0O0,0O0. and he certainly could
not pay $220,OO0,000 TO make $4,000 600.
One year Of such business would close