The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-03-07

wholly with the people of the United
| States acting by their representatives.
The government in this as in many
other respects has improperly dele
gated this power. Is there any war
rant for permitting man who owns a
gold mine or acquired lot Of gold
bricks, to go to the U. S, mint, the
property Of the people, and have his
gold coined into money aud stamped
with the seal of the government? Al
lowing the owner Of the gold bricks to
coin into dollars just as much or as
little as he pleases, thus enabling him
to control the volume Of the currency
without any reference to Congress or
the needs of the people, This position,
If correct, reaches further than might
at first be supposed. If the rightfuI
power OF coming money rests with
Congress, then no sufficient reason or
excuse can be given for permitting the
owner Of any commodity, such as cop
per, nickel, silver, gold or bank paper,
10 have tnat commodity coined INTO
current money of the United States at
his own VIII or pleasure. Tuere is Just
as much reason and authority III the
fundamental law for giving this right
to the owner Of copper, nickel or silver
as there Is In giving it to the owner of
gold, as Is now done, thereby giving
him the power to control markets,
stocks, the interest of money, and the
values Of all labor and the product Of
labor. Cold has now perfect and en-
tire monopoly and the results of this
monopoly are very clearly manifest IL
the scarcity OF money, LABOR strikes
and the universal depression prevail
iug; while the gold bugs and the public
corporations also in possession Of spe-
clal and exclusive privilege, are pillng
up their millions and adding to the
multi miliIOnlires, and largely Increa5
ing the number Of the poor and desti
TUE, who IN this state of things can
get neither money nor paying work
There Is reason in the contention of
the advocates of free silver ana this
reason was very clearly expressed in a
speech made by senator Vest in the u.
). Senate on the 18th Of tins month He
said:
Il have supported The free Coinage
Of silver principally upon the grU Ind
that l oppose all class Legislation.
have never been (perhaps Il has been
my OJtuseuess) able TO see the Justice
OF permitting Il man who owns IL gold
mine to go TO the mint, the common
properly OF the people and coin his
gold without expense, and deny the
same privilege to the owner Of silver
nine, who Is an equal owner in the
mIuCs Of this country, and p assesses a
product winch, under the constitution,
Is a money metal. II Ii IS proposed
now, and we are rapidly nearing that
Is@u4, to strike down SILVER as n money
metal n this country, | diSJmCJly
state that | shall be found III favor Of
blmetallIsn as established by the con
stlLutIOn OF the United States and by
the tradition Of the American people
From his standpoint and with the
silver people this is no doubt correct.
But the constitution and common sense
does not say that United States money
shall be made out Of " metal or derIg
nate the kind of metal In fact Con
gress makes money out Of copper and
nickel as well as silver and gold and
there is no constitutional Objection TO
making it out Of aluminium, platinum
or any other metal or combination Of
metals that might be desirable and use
FIJI as money for a circula ing medium
of exchange and barter bv the people.
III +t,;,5l 80, = ,,-,It f,,I,,4ad md CO
Li'''0 WIS 1N0-' ."