Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1892-09-15

IT. A rev days ago Heluelbeck 1ckelheim
rendered to this department 81, 900 600 in these
notes and demanded gold to ship to Germany.
The treasury department without hesitation
paid it out in gold, and the press dispatches
Immediately flashed the news all over the
land, showing that our silver system would
soon drain the country Of gold. Does any one
doubt but what this was purposely done to fur
Their intimidate the public and completely
destroy silver in the interest of the gold
monopoly? My friends, did you ever think Of
the Importance Of the success of free coinage?
The national debt was created, much of the
state and municipal Indebtedness was created
when horses, cattle, wheat, corn and silver
were worth at least one-third more than they
are today By demonetizing silver gold be-
came appreciated, or all commodities, includ-
ing silver, deprecated as compared with gold
quite one-third of It's former value. This op-
Grated so as to increase such Indebtedness ut
least one-third or decreased the peoples power
to pay One-third. All debts are payable in the
products of the country, and as the products
are diminished in value SO is the ability to pay
diminished. This is not all. India is our COM
pettor in grain, cotton, etc. In 1873 India ex-
ported about 100, eco bushels of wheat per an
mum. The United States then exported about
l50,CC0000 for the foreign markets. Wheat
was then worth S1.47 per bushel, cotton about
sixteen cents per pound and silver Sl32 per
ounce.
Without warning or whisper of dissatisfac-
ton, or the knowledge Of the people or the
reputable members of congress, silver was
clandestinely and fraudulently demonetized.
1t then went into the hands of the spectators
and began gradually diminishing in value. AS
it diminished, so did wheat, cattle, cotton and
other commodities. or as gold appreciated all
commodities, Including silver, deprecated in
paying qualities We demonetized silver, but
,,aft Ap T,,f1;n Il UI.e l., 81.
result? In the item of wheat last year she ex-
ported $1,000 goo bushels instead of 100000
in 1873. We exported l00,000,G00 bushels in
stead of COO in 1875. We obtained ninety
cents per bushel instead of Sl.47 in 1873. How
is this accounted for? BY demonetzing silver.
it becomes a commodity and.s left to the in
trigues of the speculator.
Every coined silver dollar in Europe or
America has the same purchasing power as
the gold or any other dollar. There is no such
thing as deprecated coined dollar. 1t is the
bullion that is deprecated, because of the very
fact that we are denied the right to coin it,. If
England buys our produce she must use our
gold, silver or paper dollars in payment. Each
is equally valuable If she buys in India
where silver is not demonetized, she can buy
our deprecated silver for eighty-three cents
per ounce, ship it to England for trifle, and
coin it into Indian rupees, which are worth S1.3S
per ounce. according to the Indian ratio. BY
this manipulation on every ounce of silver
used in India she saves about fifty cents. The
prices on our products are fixed by what the
surplus will bring in the foreign market.
Therefore England fixes the prices on our
surplus for what it costs her to lay down like
products from India In fixing this she takes
from the price CT American products what she
can make on her silver purchases. In other
words, if it costs her S1.50 per bushel to lay
-
ours down for one dollar per bushel. as she
makes over fifty cents on the silver specula-
tions. These things have bankrupted the
American producer and debtor and enriched
England, India and the creditor classes.