Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1892-12-07
MONEY.

The precious metals have been used as money by all enlightened and commercial nations even before the time when ''the memory of man runneth not to the contrary"
 Silver was counted and regarded as money; and since its demoneti- zation by the United States and the leading commercial nations of Flu rope, it still is used as money in the usual domestic trades of daily life. But really silver is not money in the United States, neither is 1t in England nor Germany, but still for the ordinary business of life it pass es current as money.
 It seems to the co mmon mind that the use of silver, as money, could not injure any one. If the monetary conference, now m session at Brussels, shall agree upon pari- ty between the two metals, no one can be injured, unless. possibly, the creditor class. A very sound politi- cal maxim is, to legislate for the largest number, and If by the re- monetization of silver few million aires are slightly cinched they can stand it, while the great masses oi the people will be benefited. The general public, especially in the West and Southwest, are crying out for more money, which means silver money. 1t is the poor mans money, the farmers, the merchanic's, the country and village merchant and the wage earner; and these are the ones that legislation should endeay- or to protect and assist. The rich can generallay .ake care of them selves. I do not mean, however, that legislation should handicap wealth; but that it should look more carefully to the wants of the great majority of our psople-the middle and poorer class of our pop ulation.
 The demonetization of silver in 1873, by the United States, is at tributed to Senator John sherman ofOhio; but 1t is not true He was only one who voted for it. The bill, which finally passed on the 18th of February, 1873, was first in troduced into the U. $. Senate in April, 1870; it passed the ordeal Of legislation for nearly three years, and was finally passed in February, 1873. So that the charge of snap judgment is without force, and Sen ator Sherman Is no more responsi- ble for its final passage than ma jority of his fellow members. If he is guilty of destroying the moneta- ry character of silver, a majority of the Senate is in the same boat. 1t is true that Senator Sherman, in a speech delivered by him, in New York, in the recent campaign, char acterized the attemp. of the adyo- cates of free coinage of silver, as the blind leading the blind; that such a law would unsettle the laws of trade, and bring untold disaster to all business; in short, it would ;n- iure the people more fearfully than absolute free trade, or the re habili- tating of the in-plaster State banks of horrid memory.
 The writer has great admiration for the Senator, as statesman, m the general sense, but being like the rest of mankind. fallible, he made the great mistake of his life, for it will be remembered by those over forty years of age, that when silver was money, no one was ever heard to complain of it; it passed freely in all transactions between man and man, except in very large transac- tions it was refused; because of its bulk in comparison to gold, and be- ing a legal tender for only small amount. w. ii. McGREw.