The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-10-28
THE SILVER QUESTION,


gold and silver.
States having goldmines and silver
mines, but | speak now more particu-
larly of silver. This slver-mining is
mainly done by great corporations and
by wealthy men: and by the way,
these are the men that control leglsla-
lures in those states, and many of
! them come into Congress, aud partic-
ularly into the Senate, the millionaires.
Now, gentlemen, the mining inter
ests of the West represented by these
men, many years ago concluded that
it would be good thing for them to
have the United States as their sole
and only customer.
Without any laws in their favor
more than for other men, left to the
ordinary competition in trade, they
would have to mine their gold and sill
yer and sell 1t as they best could -
sell to the United States what it need
ed for the purpose of coming; sell a
portion of 1t to the manufacturers Of
gold and silver vessels and utensils Of
various kinds; and send the residue
abroad iii convenient quantity when
there is demand for it there: in
other words, they would have to dis
pose of the gold and silver product Of
their mines, just as a farmer would
dispose of the wheat which he grows
on his farm. He sells what he can in
his own neighbornood and the adjoin-
ing parts of the country where it
can be Cheaply taken, and if there is
anything left over he sends it across
the ocean. Just so it should be with
these slver-minels. | talk upon this
subject because it is not often spoken
about or discussed in popular man.
ner. so that common people can un-
derstand it, and because 1t is introduc-
toIy to what intend to say as to
Cleveland's action with reference to
the pretensions of the silvermen.
They saw that it would be better for
them if they could get the United
States to be their sole customer,
buying from them on demand all their
silver. Coming it into money was
equivalent to doing this. They could
thus keep up the price of the article,
because they could sell to the govern,
ment at fixed valuation the product
of their mines, which product was
otherwise liable to go up and down,
or to t1uctuate in value, just as other
produce whether of farms or of mines.
They began to pass laws at Washing
ton through their representatives in
the senate and in the house all their
representatives banded together in
their interest. The object was to
keep up the price of silver. / speak
of silver particularly because it is
that one of the two metals about
which we are more nearly concerned.
They passed law, finally that the
government should coin two million
dollars a month in silver alone, that
the government should buy two mil
lions month and coin it,so that when
ever more than fifty or sixty millions
Of silver ale coined which Is the
| amount that will circulate in the Uni
ted States, for all purposes Of exchange.
the surplus must be put up in the
banks and held in reserve or deposited
in a government depository or dis
posed Of IN some other way-stored
up some where and watched for safety
when the country did not need it as
currency.
They commenced by enacting law
for having the government coin two
million dollars month. In the last
congress the Republicans passed a
law that the coinage Of silver should
be increased from two millions
month to two millions and half; and
they also provided that the govern
ment should purchase over fifty mil
lions every year in the shape OF bullion,
or in the rough state, and should pay
for 1t according to the market price,
that is, at the price which such govern
ment purchase would keep up. What
has been the result? Hundreds of
millions of silver piled up in govern
ment buildings, unused, drawing no
interest, out of circulaton-the silver
bullion of the millionaires purchased
by the government at a high price and
turned into coin under these laws, and
stored In government buildings and
guarded there, all at public expense.
What do the silver men want besides !?
They wanted the government to take
the whole Of their product and pay
good money for it made legal tender
by law-and that they got from Con-
gress under the administration of Har-
rison. The silver miners and silver
men carry their silver to the govern.
ment, deliver it, and get for it money
or certificates what are called silver
certificates and the next thing is by
act OF congress to make those certif-
Gates legal tender equal with gold, so
that everybody shall be forced to take
them. When this legislation shall