The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-06-09
TIE VALUE OF GOLD.
FALSE STATEMENTS MADE BY
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
Samuel Ieavett Shows That tho Gold
hug Organ Is Lying, as Csual-So,nc
Pointed ] acts That Will Make tho
"OId Trib" Squirni.
a Bogus Argument.

u Bogus Argument.
"Gold has not risen in value;' SO
says the Chicago Tribune. That
paper is quite grieved to hear the Ma
tional Silver Committee call the gold
dollar (Which like the English pound
is not a coin but an idea> $50 cent
dollar. That paper says that we
claim that this rise in the value Of
gold is result Of the increasing scar
city" of that metal and the competi-
tition for it for the purpose OF discharg-
ting obligations since 1913.
That is cunningly put, but won't do.
We do not claim that gold is any scar
Ger. but that the coin money of COIN
basis nations is scrcer and therefore
higher-priced, and of higher purchas-
ing power, by reason of the demoneti-
zation Of silver and consequent scarcity
of silver coins,
The TrtI'tne makes the point that
If gold had risen SO much in value,
lower grade ores would have been
worked SO as greatly to increase the
output. For once that paper presents
an argument on the money question
that is worthy of answering, apart
from the fact that it has large circu-
lation among educated people.
But the Tribune presents no proof
that gold diggers are not straining
every nerve the world over to increase
the output and using those very low
grade ores, and still only keeping up
the old output. The mines may be
generally declining in production.
Again the Shylock arrangements are
SO perfect that gold producers would
he many years kept in ignorance of its
increased purchasing power; just as,
on the other hand, the HindoOs are
only now beginning to see into Shy
locks universal conspiracy to depreci
ate silver.
Again the gold bug pimp says il
there was q growing demand for gold
coins on account of their scarcity the
consumption of the metal in manufac
lures would not have increased faster
than that in the mints.
Won't do it again. Our lord anl
master Shylock don't care for an in
crease of gold coin. He would make
the money basis of diamonds, or plati
NUN, or some metal worth q hundred
times as much as gold if he dared
What his soul hungers for is usury
usance, interest; and so long as he cal
scoop in the worlds worth through
nsury figured out on bits of whit,
paper he will as heartily damn boil
gold and silver as any fit Greenbacker
so far as his personal use of them i
concerned.
The only use he has for coin at all i
as an "honest money club to beat dow
all opposition to his clutching of hi
dishonest gains.
Can't you fancy the old scoundre
rubbing his hands with devilish leer
as he says, BLAST the gold coins
They are nuisance. The fewer W
have the bigger the usury! But oh
the blessed fake idea of the honest gol'
dollar or gold guinea basis! That
what delightcth my heart Of hearts
That's what tilleth my safe-deposit bo
with bonds and mortgages and stOcl
certificates galore
An entirely bogus argument made b
the Tribune against the idea that gol
has risen in value is that the numbe
Of grains of gold which the lahore
gets for his days work has increased il
all gold-using nations of the world.
Without stopping to cipher on thi
dubious question. we may safely admi
that the average laborer gets littl
better pay than he did in 1874. Blu
while the hideous slavery, squalol
degradation, starvation and misery {
the average wage-worker even {
Europe may have somewhat abatef
his employers have grasped billion
upon billions of the wealth produce
by labor; SO that now in this countr
thirty-one thousand million dollars
their showing as the result of th
honest industry" of nine thousan
millionaires.
But apart from the above considers
tion one paragraph from Il. P. Bland
speech in the st. Louis Conventio
should have forever silenced the lyin
rogues who say that gold has not rise
in purchasing power since 1873. Th
item cannot be too often repeated. H
takes it from The Final Report of tn
Royal Commission" in 1888, wherei
tables were arranged to show the pric.
of commodities measured in gold .
different periods. One hundred
taken for the average price and bas
for index number. The London Eco,
Omist gives prices in 1873 at 134;
1883 at 1O1, decline of 33 per cen
DIR. Soetbeer gives in 1873, 1877;
1887, 1O3, a fall of 35. MIR. Pilgra,
gives in 1873, 1O4: in 1887, 73; ia
of 81. Mr.. Sauerbeck gives in 1877
Ill: in 1887, IS, fall Of 33 per cen
Mr.. Griffin gives prices of British e.
ports in 1873 at 1872: in 1886, 81, n ia
of 80 per cent. The same gives Bri
ish imports III 1873 at 107, in 1856, z
fall in price \of 33 per cent.
Most if not all these great statist
clans are advocates of the gold stan
ard, such is their stupid blindness
the logic of their own facts. Value
silver and all other products exec
Shylock-coddled gold have fallen sti
further since 1883. 1 have not Sc,
these figures contradicted.
The 15O-cent dollar takes the la
cry" and everything else.
And will until YOU fool voters
America put a stop to this hideo
wrong.-Samuel Leavitt in Allan
Farmer.