The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-17
A FEW QUESTIONS
That the Tribune Economist is
Invited to Answer
RELATING TO SILVER COINAGE
a. Republican Wants 10 Know whether the
Government Cannot Make Silver Worth
1929 as Well as $1.29.
To the Editor of TIE HERALD

10 the Editor OF THE HERALD
Will you kindly allow simple country
lad of Republican proclivities and with
keen interest in the momentous question of
the day, viz. sound, elastic money basis of
sufficient volume to transact the business
OF the nation, to, ask the astute editor in the
political department of the Tribune
a few questions through your
columns, the answers to which
Of he will answer consistently and
without allowing his genius for finances to
seduce his pen into discussion of "lnter-
national balance of trade, the relative
value of the total production of precious
metals as affecting the consumption of saur
kraut in Bolivia or lead him by any other
road to one of those seas of vacuity into
which he is fond of plunging when he finds
himself closely pursued, and likelyto bring
up in blind alley, will solve riddle
which puzzles me and which doubtless
other country lads find equally difficult of
solution!
AS preface, the writer will say that he
firmly believes that the currency of the
nation should be in some manner expanded,
either on basis of gold, silver, wheat,
copper kettles, tenpenny nails. or some
other commodity OF value, provided it can
DO WIN dSSuIduCS VI SdlcbN IlOW anu ScCuE-
lty in the future, and silver seems to be
the most available commodity and the best
on all accounts if rightly used.
Now will the political economist rise and
answer:
lis gold money metal otherwise than
by virtue OF its value as used in the arts
and sciences and its universal recognition
as money; and could it be money except
under both the above conditions2
2-If it could, which is the unnecessary
condition?
3-Is silver a money metal or can it be
made such otherwise than under exactly
the same conditions as goldl
Al 1t is, or can be made money without
reference to its intrinsic value Gin the arts
and sciences) then of course lead, bismuth,
antimony or any other substance can be
made money without reference to its COM
mercial value?
5-If it cannot, then does it not logically
follow from that admission that silver can
have no Udlue outside of its commercial
worth and consequently its value if used
as money must be exactly the same as its
values in commerce.
Can Congress or any other power,
short of general agreement on the part of
all nations to accept and exchange the one
for the other at fixed ratio on call, deter
mine the relative commercial values of gold
and silver for more than DAY at a time.
7-On the contrary does not the
fuctuating inequality in the relative
production of the two metals cause
the commercial value of each, in terms
of the other, to fuctuate, and since
each separately depends upon its CONNER
cial worth for Its money value, would not
their relations thus vary whether cast into
stove lids or coined into dollars!
S-If they were coined into huctuating
dollars, how could it be otherwise than dis
astrous for this government to recognize
the two coins as equally valuable at all
times, which any other government and
people would recognize and exchange
among themselves and with US at different
values at different times!
9-Is there or has there ever been any
reason other than the mutual agreement Of
silver-consuming nations, now done away
with, for fixing the ratio of silver at 129 ra
Their than at l39, 136 or any other figure.
10-If not. and the United States govern
ment can byits fat raise silver from its
present value to 129 and thus increase the
wealth" and prosperity Of its people,
why stop there! Why not touch a
match to the 129 fetish, it is
old enough to burn well, and ''raise
the limit to 229, or 1929 for that
matter, and thus produce a deluge of pros
perity which would enable everyone to
live on his income, or at worst only work
two days out of the week!
Think how the "poor farmers ~ those OBJ
jects of the dear Trib.'S solicitude, would
Join hands and dance in merry glee
upon the village green. They would
have to raise a crop only once in two
or three years and the government might
easily make their wheat $40 bushel-pst
-legislate and it is done. Picture the uni
versal happiness the feast of leisure with
but passing shadow. The breaking off Of
an old -eating-which the govern
ment could also render comfortable anC
easy by decree that everybody should
gain 1-29 pounds per day on simple nutri
tous diet of atmosphere.
JOSFPH CHADBOTRNF