The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-05-10
Will the Globe Please Answer.

Will the Globe Please Answer.
In another column we publish a
communication from Ex-COngress-
man Macdonald to the st. Paul Globe,
defending the advocates of free
coinage from the attacks of that
paper. The article will repay care
full perusal. 1t was hoped the COM
munication would elicit instructive
discussion of the financial situation.
We SO believed because the Globes
attack upon those whom it is pleased
to term "silver fanatics" lead us to
think that it was anxious to immo-
late some silver man who might VEN
ture into the arena. Our surprise
was therefore great to discover that
when confronted with "a foeman
worthy of it's steel,' it lodged the
encounter by publishing an article
which closes with the following
puerile paragraphs:
"But the Globe doubts the utility of
serious argument with any one who
maintains that any government can
take "a cents worth of fine silver and
stamp it dollar, and really make it
an honest debt-paying dollar"
Such an excuse cannot but be re-
garded as a cowardly evasion of an
issue raised by itself. In common
with other enemies of silver, the
Globe is daily reiterating the charge
. that the cause of the recent large
expectation Of gold was the present
silver law. When confronted with
the logic of Judge Macdonald's de-
NAL, and his challenge to prove the
error of his position, the above para
graph is apparently the only answer
the Globe could give. The Globe re-
fuses to "come to the scratch"
It is always so with the opponents
OF silver money. Their stock in trade
is misrepresentation and epithets.
Such flummery as "silver fanatics"
free coinage cranks," ETC., etc., do
not constitute argument. They in
sist that the only law which prevents
the total extinction of silver as a
money metal shall be repealed, but
they do not propose anything in it's
stead. Since 1873 such tools of the
gold trust as the Globe and Pioneer
Press have been endeavOring to Sc
cure repeal of lllaws recognizing
silver as one Of the money metals of
our country, and the reason they
have not succeeded is because the
''silver fanatics have labored with
patriotic devotion to prevent the
contamination of this great crime.
The Globe advances, as sound demo-
cratic doctrine, some ideas which are
so startlingly novel as to merit at
tention. 1t says:
!"The Globe holds these propositions
to be both democratic and right:
II. 1t is not a function of govern
ment to make money, it's province
being exhausted when it has ascer-
tanned values and declared them.
"2. 1t is not the province of
government to furnish money.
49, 1t is not the province of
government to regulate or create
values"
The prediction of the Globe for
sensational news at the expense of
fact has evidently invaded it's edi-
tOrial domain. Among the powers
conferred on congress, by the consti-
tuition of the United States, is the
one ITO coin money, regulate the
value thereof and of foreign coin,
and fix the standard of weights and
measures" In harmony with what
he has written, we expect to see the
Globe man now try to make his
readers believe that "coining"
money is not making money. Be-
ginning with Aristotle, we find
money thus defined: money by itself
has value only by law, and
not by nature; so that change of
convention between those who use it
is sufficient to deprive it of all it's
value and power to satisfy our
wants." To the same effect are all
subsequent writer's of repute upon
the subject. In view of all this, we
request the financial oracle of the
Globe to answer these questions:
II sit is not the function of a
government to make money!" whose
function" is it?
If cit is not the province of a
government to furnish money"
whose province is it?
If cit is not the province of govern
ment to regulate or create Values
(of money! whose province is it?
The constitution of the United
States says it is, and that it shall do
all of these things. We hope, if he
attempts to answer these questions
that he will give his readers direct
and categorical answers. Let us
have no more evasion.
The following amazing statement
is also found in an editorial in the
Daily Globe:
"Had the government followed Nc
CullOch's counsel it would make no