Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-11
Free Coinage Unlimited Coinage.

We have repeatedly said thatfree coinage
was unlimited coinage and unlimited
coinage was free coinage. We do not
think that anybody will object to the frat
half Of our definition. Nobody doubts
that free coinage is unlimited coinage
Therefore, VIC shall take that proposition as
conceded and inquire whether unlimited
coinage il free coinage. OF course any
man who chooses TO do 80 can arbitrarily
declare what he means by the phrase I'm
limited coinage" but if he decides to at
tsch TO it meaning which the general
public do not attach to it he will simply
succeed in making himself appear ridicu-
Ions in the eyes OF the community, and
leave the question in dispute exactly as 1t
stood before.
The logical predicate and the grammati-
cal predicate are not the same thing. Yet
the logical predicate always includes the
grammatical predicate.
Let us inquire whether gold is coined
freely or not2 Undoubtedly. As we have
just said, nobody disputes the truth OF
that statement What does this word
free" mean when used in this connec-
ton? II means that gold is coined at the
expense Of the Government and that the
quantity coined is not limited SO the
word free" and the word UNLIMITED "
ore synonymous terms in the predicate
that the coinage of gold is free and I'M
limited The next question is, What does
the word free" mean when we say that
the coinage Of silver ought to be free!
Why of course it means just what 1t does
in the sentence concerning gold. 1t means
that the Government ought to coin silver
at ITS own expense just as 1t coins gold.
IL means. too, necessarily. that the coin
age ought, as in tho case of gold, to be un-
limited as to quantity.
1t appears. therefore, that so long as tho
Government charges the owners of silver
bullion for coming it into silver dollars the
coinage of silver cannot be unlimited"
What the bimetallists are fighting for every
day is the unlimited coinage OF silver. AS
the Government receives all the gold bull
lion which is sent TO the mints and COINS
all of it at the Governments cost into dol
lars. each of which contains 20 $40 grains
of gold nine tenths fine. thus rendering
the coinage of that metal both free and
unlimited, so we who clamor for the dol
lar of the daddes" would have the Gov
eminent receive all the silver bullion sent
to its minis and coin it into dollars each OF
which should contain 4l2]s grains OF silver
nine tenths fine, thus rendering the coin
age of silver both free and unlimited. In
word, the siverites are engaged in the
work of convincing the people that 1t
would be greatly to their own interest to
compel the Government to treat silver ex-
actly as gold is treated. To make it the
equal Of gold is the duty Of the present
eeneration-nay, of the next Congress.
THIS country and the entire commercial
world need afinancial system which stands
and moves upon two legs. Such system
will never be adopted so long as gold is
made the sole standard of values-gold,
which is so scarce and so unhandy that,
like thief, it keeps all the time hidden
from the eyes Of man. Silver, on the other
hand, stays with us oil the time. 1t goes
10 market with US. 1t goes to the shop,
the store, the Office. and the bank.