Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-08
Fair Queries.

Tho Charlottesville Chronicle, whose
neighbors, we take II. are sound on oil the
issues that have been Joined. or are
likely 20 be joined. between tho Demo-
cratic and the Republican parties, ad-
dresses 20 US the following queries:
1.-THE DIsrA7ca II violently opposed 10 what "
calls Gat' money. and at the same time iavors
free and unlimited silver coinage. We DO not
take issue with our contemporary In other case;
but We would Ike an answer TO this question
viz, silver bullion Is worth In tho market from
10 TO so cents on the dollar; but when the Gov
ernmen. coins II into dollars and makes thcm
legai-ienier Eor all debts the same amount Oh
silver which sold az bullion for a. cents IN tho
dollar has now the purchasing value OF looceh's
70 the dollar. Now, IL not this twenty-five cent
difference between the bullion and the lesal-'ehs
der.dolar Fat money?
ar silver bullion was worth only MY or
twenty..1ye cents, or even q much lower hgure'
there 10 little doubt that the credit Of the Govern
ment would maintain IL at par. Now. II the I'M
prfmntur ofthe United States will make seventy
five cents or fifty cents worth dollar. why may
It mot maintain paper mat dollar al par
The difference between raising tho seyen'y-hve
seem % be only n difference In degree"
Afat greenback il one that is not re-
deemable by the Government. but Is IN IT.
self full legal tender" This may seem
TO be ridiculous nonsense, but neverthe-
less il ia lust what the fat greenbackers
propose. On the other hand. the green
backs which our Charlottesville content
porary has in mind are Treasury notes
containing distinct pledge on the part OF
the Government that il will redeem these
notes. In word, fat greenback Is a
milk-ticket which reads. This ia PINT
of milk; whereas the real and valuable
greenback reads. This is good for pint
of milk" To say that an irredeemable
ereenback is in itself full legal tender
and will be by that fact kept at par with
silver and gold is to say that the Govern
ment can by its fat transInute paper into
the precious metals. 1t is one OF the most
extraordinary and unaccountable delu-
sions that ever took possession OF the
minds of sane men.
Again: The advocates Of the free coinage
of silver expect this measure to result In
lifting silver to the same plane with goiu.
They knor-or think they do-that spch
would be the result if silver was coined
free of charge in England, Germany. and
France. They are not lunatics, but hold
that silver is real money. and will with
out Government assistance assert itself as
such whenever it shall be allowed fair
opportunity TO do so. To be told that to
provide for the free coinage Of silver is to
try an experiment is only to say that the
hostile legislation Of Congress has made
silver less valuable than gold DC TO u,
whereas previous to such hostile legsla-
ton silver was always relatively more valu-
able than gold. The dollar of the dad
dies" was silver dollar. The dollar of the
market-house, and the grocer, and the dry
goods merchant, and the thousands OF
workingnen that keep the wheels of busi-
ness, commerce, and the Government in
motion is a silver dollar. Wesee no gold
dollars IN the channels of currency. They
are q mere name.