The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-08-10
OUR SILVER DOLLAR.

A McGreeor Gives His Views on the Big
Round silver Dollar OF Our venerable
Dsddies.
ED. DEMOCRAT: According to
most bankers, gold worshippers, specu-
lators generally, in stocks, etc, the old
silver dollar has shrunk in value, and Is
greatly below par-with gold-and with
them.
These gentlemen are free to tell us
the cost Of the silver in a silver dollar,
but not the cost Of the gold in gold
dollar, If the government were to
purchase the gold as 1t does the silver,
we would perhaps know more about
1t.
The gold mine owner takes his gold
production to the mints, and has II
coined into dollars, eagles, etc., and
stamped accordingly. He is not pub
fishing to the world what the stuff cost,
not he. He is not so green.
The gold owner receives his gold
coined, and passes 1t at 100 cents to the
dollar without regard to what the gold
bullion cost him. Is 1t not evident that
this goldbuggery as to silver is mainly
humbuggery Is it not apparent that
| it is only one of the stock jobbing tricks,
with gain for its objectp
But silver is not the only thing that
has been shrinking in value of late
Even the Republican party is not what
it was, nor are stocks, securities, farm
values, &C., SC. The shrinkage OF
capital during the past year is estimst-
ed at not less than two thousand mil
lions of dollars in this country alone
What the shrinkage has been in Aus
tralia and other countries is not under
our consideration. Depressions and
depreciation have been the rule the
world over. Even bankers and states.
men have not escaped.
Even the Governor of Ohio and the
late Secretary of the Treasury (Foster)
have 'shrunk considerably. All this
shows the Importance of consulting the
general good as that after all affects the
individual. In shipwreck all on board
are in danger. Let mammon men con-
slider.
II is only of late that people have
discovered what degraded thing the
silver dollar is. Strange we did not
know its wickedness before. Singular
that our early statesmen were so ut
terly ignorant in this regard. They
legalized Mexican silver coin, and that
of other countries, so that our silver
coin was almost wholly foreign coinage
for long years. They had not taken
lessons in the new nomenclature.
Our early statesmen did not believe
in manipulating money matters so as
to disturb values and interfere with
trade, in order to favor some and there
by rob the rest of the people. Hence
they inserted in the constitution: mo
state shall emit bills of credit or make
anything but gold and silver tender
In payment of debts
They knew, as all history proves,
that when gold and silver constitute
the body and basis of currency no in
crease of production seriously
affects values. Like a heavy fall of
rain on lake or pond it spreads over a
great surface and is hardly noticeable.
No matter what the currency is, over
80 per cent of the business is done with
out passing a dollar. And the active
or nimble dollar will do more business
than the sluggish or boarded coin.
Our scheming politicians are ever
holding out glittering delusions. They
promise great results and will show US
the way of salvation, If they can have
power. In all this they never lose sight
of themselves, and when our delusion
comes to grief they are ready with an
other, and ready to throw the blame of
failure on others, IN this resembling
the wolf and the lamb on the bank of
the stream.
Our bad legislation as to silver has
been and Is oppressive, when we con-
slider that, although the public debt is
only about one third as large as
twenty-six or seven years ago, to pay
this third would require as much of
the products of labor now as then. The
two-thirds of the debt then, and all the
interest during this quarter of a
century and over. have not lessened the
burdens of the people.
If all this is not robber rule, what is