The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1891-07-10
MINES PRODUCE THE MONEY.

The following from the Cleveland
Plaindealer is one of the best arru-
ments in favor of free coinage that
we have seen. For the benefit of our
readers we reproduce it entire:
The money of the constitution was
silver and gold. Not one to the ex-
clusion of the other, but both alike,
equal under the law. Our fathers,
the trainers Of the constitution and
the founders of our government, es-
tablished our monetary system for the
good Of all the people, rich and poor,
laborcr any capitalist, debtor and
creditor. and made gold and silver
the foundation of all money, and each
full lcagle tender. They were not
scheners, they were patriots, and
had no idea of legislating for prcvil-
edged classes. They considered it
a grcrt advantage to have owners of
gold and silver take it to the mint
and have it coined into money, and
they established free coinage because
they believed it for the advanta &c
of the country to have sound money.
The history Of the world has estab-
lished the fact that silver and gold
were royal metals and best adapted
for money. No one had a doubt on
that point. Are we wiser than JEFF
ferson and Hamilton? Are we more
patriotic than Washington and Mad
lson: Are we to condemn their pru-
dcncc, wisdom and patriotism and
declare that gold only is suitable for
money; that common business and
work people are not to be considered,
and that only the rich, those who
lend money, are to be considered in
monetary legislation: Away with
this folly. Eighty years of exper-
iencc under silver and gold as money
in this country should be sufficient
proof that "\Vhat God hath put to-
gethcr, let not man put asunder."
Then let us see how simple it
would be if gold and silver were
treated alike, with free coinage for
both. It is use which makes value.
Destroy the monetary use Of gold
and you decrease it's value relative to
silver, and the reverse is equally
true. Let silver be outlawcd as
money, and up goes gold, because
of its increased use. IF both
metals are treated alike under the
law the ratio between the two will be
the ratio established by law. II we
have free coinage in the ratio Of one
ounce Of gold to sixteen of silver,
then the ratio will be correct as the
fathers made it.
If one man had 1900 ounces Of
silver and another had 100 ounces of
gold and free coinage is the law OF
the land, each could 60 to the mint
and receive 1900 coined dollars and
thus add to the money Of the coun-
try $1,000. The government has
not bought anything; it has merely
stamped the gold and silver as money
and sent it forth to be used as money.
Every nation in history, until Eng
land set the example in 1916, deem
ed it a privilege to coin free all gold
and silver brought to its mints. Un-
der free coinage the government is
not a broker. 1t fills out the consti-
tutional regulation of coming money
and regulating the value threof, and
the miner who digs the ore from the
earth and reduces the metal to bull
ion furnishes the money to the coun-
try. Thus labor is made immortal
and her image pcrtpetuated in gold
and silver. Stop the cry against the
silver miner. Is he any less honora-
bic than the gold miner? Go to the
facts and YOU will find that fully 40
per cent. of the gold produced comes
that authority says that sit shall be
lawful for any person to bring to
the mint of the United States gold
and silver bullion in ordet to their
being coined," "and that ''the bullion
so brought shall be there assaycd and
coined as speedily as may be after re-
ciept thereof, and that free of cx-
penses to tho person or persons by
whom the same shall have been
brought That was free coinage
pure and simple, and was the law
of the land till 1873, when it was re-
pealed to say the least by indirection.
C 81.