Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-10-01


along the line in 1886, the Democratic
tidal wave of 1890 would have come in
1888. He will recollect that while
there was much opposition from East
ern Democrats to the forcing of the
tariff fight then, now all Democrats
concede the wisdom of that policy,
aud there is no voice raised in the ranks
of the party against it. He is right in
attributing the present depIorabIec con-
dition of the laboring masses of this
country to the system of taxation that
continually drains their money into
the pockets Of the plutocrat. The day
is not far distant when our tariff leg
islation will stand side by side with
the navigation laws of colonial times.
He says, "The highest prosperity this
country has ever known was from 1850
to 1861, and that at this period the
per capita circulation was at no time
over SIS 49," This era of prosperity
was undOu btedly due to sane tariffleg-
islation, but if he will exercise his
memory he will recollect that the cir
culatiOn of the country was SO restrict
ed that wild cat banks of issue sprang
up all over the land, and man had to
examine his money every morning, to
find out how much of it was good
Had there been no stringency in our
money market men would not have
consented to use this wildcat paper
currency. This currency is not taken
into account: if it were, it would be
found that the circulation of the coun-
try was vastly in excess of SIS 33 per-
capita in the time of prosperity refer
red to.
Again, is not Mr.. Mills mistaken
when he says, in effect, that the bull
lion storage bill adds about the same
amount to the silver circulation of the
country that free coinage does? Does
it add single dollar to the general
circulation of the country? We think
it doubtful. The owner ola thousand
ounces of silver bullion takes it to the
treasury and gets certificate for a
thousand dollars, which he can take
to another window and get cashed in
gold; or, if he has large business trans
actions, he may use it precisely as he
would use a check; but the general
circulation of the country is in no way
affected. In the first place, the bull
lion is ON the market, and is bought
and sold for gold, or its representative.
In the second place, the bullion is
stored by the gOvernmen and GER
tificate, which is payable in gold, is
issued to the depositor. This certifi
cate circulates in the marts of trade
the same as a certified check, the bas-
is of which is gold, and is no more
money than any other check, except
that its payment is guaranteed by the
Government; but the payment must
be in money already existing-no new
money is created.
What the silver men are demanding
is that a certain amount of silver,
when presented at the mint, shall re-
ceive the stamp of the Government
and thenceforward, forevermore, cir
culate for and be dollar, as was the
case prior to 1873, when every man in
debt in this country was robbed by
having 80 per cent. added to the
amount of his indebtedness-a fact
which even Senator Sherman does not
have the hardihood to deny.
This the gold-bug is determined to
defeat, if he can, and will resort to any
subterfuge to accomplish his end.
Mr.. Mills has bravely opposed any
monopoly in the necossaries of life,
throughout his political career. He
would have our shoes and clothes and
cutlery and other necessaries come to
us freely, and would strike down any
man who seeks to limit the output of
fiannels or shirts in order to control
the market and prey upon the people.
On the silver question his vote has
hitherto been on the right side, and
when the time comes all Democrats
believe that he will be found as ready
to strike down the hands of the man
who endeavors to monOpolize the
market by limiting the output,
in order that he may control the sup
ply, thereby preventing the unob-
structed flow of money to the people
through it's proper channels.
The gold bug is getting himself in
the position of the coat-maker when
there is a full stock of coats on the
mardet. If he could burn up one
half of the coats for sale, or prevent
any more from being made, business,
for him, would shortly improve; but
the fellow whose back needed a coat
would suffer. The volume of money
is becoming so great that it is begin
ming to affect his control of the money
market; hence the united stand that
element is making against silver all
over this country. The great MAORI
ty of Democrats in the West want to
see Roger Q. Mills Speaker of the next
House of Representatives; but they
would rather have him right than
Speaker.