The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-09-03
Two Paramount Questions

cussed more iucidly than in that State.
This has been the case from 1864. when
Val!andingham, as the Democratic can
didate for governor, on a platform dc,
claring the then pending war for the
preservation of the Union a failure,
was overwhelmingly defeated, down to
the present time In 1875 especially
was the burning question of that time,
whether fat paper money or goid siouid
be the standard of currency for the couh-
try. dissected with an ability rarely ever
witnessed before, and resulted in the
election of Rutherford b. Hayes, GOV
ernor. over Thomas Ewing, and elected
HAYES President of the United States ia
1876. The same question OF sound cur
rency is again up for popular Nerdlct
in that State in a different form. 1t is
now whether free coinage OF silver snail
be the policy of the government oy
which so cents in silver shall pass for
100 cents in gold, and become the busl-
ness agent of the country to the exclu-
sion of gold. upon the well established
law of finance that an inferior currency
will always drive out of clrculation SUI
perior currency and eventually unsettie
vaIues and ruin business. 1t is to check
this fallacy and to announce for a sale
financial policy that Mckinley Is con
tending, and the platform on when
Campbell is running is favoring. lndls>
cussing this question, Senator Sherman
in his first speech of the campaign,
made it very clear that the free coinage
of silver was at war with safe curren-
cy and to adopt it as the poilcy OF the
government would bring widespread
disaster. He contended, as stated in the
Commercial Gdzette. that the key fact
is that the coinage OF all metals with
the exception of gold must be limited
or All money cannot be made as good as
gold If silver is coined without limit
gold will not be coined at all. The Sen
ater refers to his own law, known DIS the
sherman Compromise and places the
emphasis on the handling OF silver at
market value and its extreme inpOf-
L
| able combination of merit. 1t puts gold
valuation explicitly on the silver bull
lion, stops the coinage of legal tender
| silver, takes the products of the Ameri-
can silver mines, and adds it's gold value
| to the currency in treasury notes as
good as gold, because backed by the
! gold value This is really the CONVEX
| sion of the silver mines for the pur>
poses of the government and the cOnye-
nienea of the people into gold mines.
/ 1t is a mastery management OF great
matter 1t is right on this line, and 1T
alone, that the whole array of imitation
lists can be defeated. 1t would utilize
the American silver mines at their gold
value, give the people a convenient pa
per currency worth a dollar in gold, be
cause founded upon a gold dollars worth
of silver and redeemable in gold, or its
equivalent in silver. This, it seems to
us, ought to be solution of the question
and satisfy the silverites, who want hon
est money for the business of the people.
The tariff question is being equally as
clearly discussed in Ohio during the can
vass now progressing. At Pomeroy, last
week. Mr.. G. G. Shayne stated the issue
in q very practical and striking way
which will be easily understood by every
/ one whose mind is without bias and is
| seeking the truth. He said
s.If a capitalist were to come to Pomeroy to
i invest million dollars, and would leave it to
| the citizens Of tbs town whether he would locate
I here or in West Virginia, hoF would you vote
on that question? Would you not vote 10 have
! him invest his capital in Pomeroy? You surely
would because you know by the investment or
that money labor would find employment ana
the money would remain here? Now, II you
were called upon to vote whether that same
| manufacturing establishment were to be located
/ in Chic or Virginia how would you vote? You
i would vote to have it located in Ohio Now,
/ when you are called upon to cast your vote,
1 whether you desire the capital invested i'll this
country to build manufacturing establishments
and give employment to labor, or to send your
gold to Europe to buy what they manufacture
there how will you vote? That is the question,
and that is all that there is of the whole ISSUE
1t is struggle for commercial supremacy De
tween Europe and America Which SIDE VIII
you ASSIST The manufacturers mechanics and
laborers of Europe, or the manufacturers, me-
chanics and laborers of your own country? Thag
is the issue i'll this campaign"
To bring the illustration more closely
to the people of Clifton Forge and Allies
ghany county. 1t is rumored that Gen.
NJ. E. Ingalls,, president of the c. u O..
Railway. has negotiated or is negotiat-
ing for large industry, related to the
iron interest, to be transferred from
England to this place, that it is a huge
plant and will employ Il large number
pended here in purchasing all kinds Of
supplies for the comforts and necessities
of man. Would it not be better for this
community. for this county and this
State that the products of such an in
dustry should be manufactured and
turned out here than in England?
The policy involved in this condition
of things has been endorsed by every
town in Virginia that has inaugurated
improvement plans The people of a
locality are willing to contribute OF their
means to procnre the location of fac
tory or industrial plant, on condition
that it will employ IA given number of
men and pay out Il given amount of
money in wages They do this because
they expect to receive returns for it by
the operation Of the mandatory in
their own midst. They recognize the
wisdom of home industries and the ben
efits to be derived from the employment
of skilled labor and the expenditure of
the earnings of such labor. Every in
dustry that is established, every mine
that is worked in Allegheny contributes
that much to the growth and prosperity
of the whole county, and adds to the
wealth of the community. The same
rule applies to the nation. 1t is TO the
advantage of this country that every ar
ticle we use, either from shop or factory,
should be produced by labor employed
at home, for the earnings thus repre-
scented enter into all the channels, of
trade. benefiting the farmer who sells
his produce where. there are consumers,
ha