The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1891-03-25
Free Coinage Of Silver.


This much discussed question is
one about which il is not possible for
the average citizen to form an intel
ligsnt opinion. He may indeed join
in the hue and cry on one side or the
other. and may even fancy that he
understands the merits Of the case
but when asked q reason for the faith
that !, in him, his confused replies
i. once show that his position is not
based upon knowledge. Nor is this
strange Questions of national f.
lance are necessarily complicated,
often giving rise TO problems that
bIflo tho kecnest in.eilocts. TO un-
dorstand the subject thoroughly re-
qnires a degree Of scptehess and q
range of information possessed by an,
exceedingly small minority Of on.
l3.0eo,0g voters.
50 far IS we have observed, The ad-
vocates Of FREQ coin' ge fail 60 prove
that any good can be done by this
tampcriag with or currency. They
have much to say about the crafty
gold bugs" and about Tie alarming
inaacnce Of Wall street, and about a
combination OF capitalists to "crusb
the people;' and they assure MS that
free coinage win not only overthrow
the plotters, but will bring about
the utmost general prosperity. Iith-
erto, however, they have successfully
resisted all attempts to extract from
them q clear statement Of the
manner in which the triumph Of
their theories viii prolace all these
blessings; and the investigator is put
of with the Vaguest sort Of gener-
aliticz.
The subject is admirably treated
in an article in the New York Post
Of March 18th. Though somewhat
long for our columns, we reproduce
this editorial, and ask our free-coin-
age subscribers to give it a careful
reading. The Post says:
We have Tor some weeks been us
ing our best endeayors TO obtain
from some authoritative source an
explanation Of the way in which,
under the proposed free coinage of
silver, the coins so produced would
find their way into ''thc pockets of
the people, and especially Of the
western farmers. The theory of
the western advocates of free coin
age is, as we understand il, that III
the mints were allowed TO coin all
the silver brought to them on the
same terms as gold, the farmers
would somehow como into posses
sion of considerable poi ton ol the I
money thus produced, from the |
scarcity Of which they are now suf-
fering. As far as we can ascertain,
however, their present suffering
from the scarcity Of silver coin diff
fers in no respect from the ordinary
suffering known throughout the .
world as poverty which means
simply the absence both OF money I
and of vendible possessions. We |
do not understand that any one IN
Kansas or any other western state
who has any marketable commodity I
finds any difficulty in obtaining the I
price of il m cash whenever he sells
IL. No farmer who finds purchas-
er for his farm. his grain or his
cattle, ever sees the bargain broken.
through the inability Of the pur-
chaser to procure the silver or gold
or bank bills or greenbacks neces-
sary to pay the price agreed on.
Ia other words, nobody in Kansas
who has Anything for which thefe
Is dem9Rd has any difficulty IN
getting dAh for it it he wishes 10
part WILMA. Nor do Nc learn that
anybody who haa satisfactory secar- /