Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-01-21

the dOVeFuiucut . CO1uluS '1Tcc dill
silver brought to its minis by any citi-
zen.
But lately, owing to the enormous
production of silver by the great mines,
silver, like wheat or any other article
that is over-produced, has fallen in
value so that the silver in dollar var
les in value in the markets of the world,
from 70 to 81 cents. It is worth now
say 80 cents. So that if we adopt free
coinage" that is, compel our minis to
coin all the silver our mines produce
into silver dollars, free of charge, we
simply, by operation of law, and by the
work of coinage, turn their 80 cents
worth of silver into silver dollar, and
thereby make it a legal tender for a
dollar, for silver dollars are a legal
tender everywhere the national flag
floats. Who is thereby benefited? Not
you or l. Not the people. No, only
the man, or the mining corporation, or
the banks who have the silver, and
compel us-the tax-payers-to pay the
expense of having their 80 cents worth
OF silver made into a legal dollar by
'free coinage" Now, mark you, 1 am
not Directing to these coins, to these
silver dollars. / believe that the SOW
ereign stamp of Uncle Sam on every
coin makes it good enough dollar for
me, for every one. wish every mans
pockets and his old socks and his wife's
stockings Il mean her unused ones)
were full of them, but how are we to
get them when so coined? We will all
have to give 100 cents in value for
every dollar we get, and no mistake
about it, and object to being compell-
ed, as a taxpayer, to pay for coming
the mine owners silver free, and by
that act, turning his 80 cents worth of
silver into a dollar, which every other
man is obliged to take at 100 cents.
Why shall the Government thus offer
a premium of twenty per cent. to the
few hundred men who own all the pro-
ductive silver mines in the country and
thus by favoritism help to enrich these
already millionaires? Copper is legal
coin; why not as we'll the copper min
ers demand ..free coinage" for their
copper? Nickel is legal coin; why not
the nickel producers or importers de-
mand .free coinage" for their nickel?
The demand would be just as fair.
The farmer raises wheat worth 80
cents bushel. He sells it on the open
market. But if it were ground into
flour it would be worth dollar. Is he
getting any help? Why not have ''free
grinding?" Why not the Government
be invoked to do his grinding and thus
increase the value of his wheat 20 cents
a bushel, as you increase the miners
silver just that much by ''free coinage"
No, Mr.. Editor, it is not fair, and if
you free, unlimited coinage" fellows
pull s.free silver coinage" through, /
will insist upon ..free coinage" of nick
ell and copper, and ''free grinding" of
the farmers wheat, and other '.free"
things that would be nice to have in
family.
You say that free coinage" offers a
gratuity to no one, and you assert this
in face of the fact that coinage" does
turn 80 cents worth of silver into dol
lar, and it does it by operation of law,
exactly as high protective tariff turns
80 cents worth of wooden shirt into a
dollars worth, with this difference that
in the latter case the 20 cents goes in
to the Z. S. Treasury, and in the case
of free coinage, the profit goes alto
gether into the pocket of the mine
owner, corporation or banker for whom
the silver is coined.
l say again, I am in favor of silver
coin, but am in favor of the Govern
ment buying silver at it's fair market
price, and coming it, and thereby save
or make for us taxpayers whatever
profit there may be in coming it. No
citizen has the right to have work done
for him by the Government, for his
profit, at the expense of the taxpayers.
Senator Carlisle said that the Gov
eminent had saved over seventy-two |
millions of dollars since February %, |
1888, by retaining for itself the profits |
On it's coinage. Isn't this better than |
giving it away as a gratuity to few?
The Government coins by virtue of
its sovereign right, and I shall believe
that every cent made by such coinage |
belongs by right to the sovereign peo-
pie, the taxpayers who pay for the
operation.
Respectfully, Yours,
j. w. EMERSON.
P. S.-Senator Palmer of II. Is re-
ported in Sundays paper to have made
The following remarks in Washington
asst week.
II am opposed to it. l think the
passage of a free and unlimited COIN
age bill, such as Mr.. Bland proposes,
L