The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-02-11
SILVER COINAGE.
Memorial Iaifsdsesd BY Senator Campbell
Of Caster couliJ.
An Eloquent Argument with the Ring
Of q Silver Dollar in Every Line.


An Eloquent Argument with the Rim
ola Silver Dollar in Every Line.
To the Honorable, the Senate and House Q
| Representatives, in Congress assembled
and to has ErcAlency the President Q
| tie United States, at Washington, D. u
! greeting:
Your memorialists, the Senat'
and House of Representatives of tn
State of Idaho, in legislative session
assembled, would most respectfully
but urgently pray the enactment o
a law authorizing and commanding
the free and unlimited coinage Of
silver, at the ratio of 16 of silver tt
of gold, as was done prior to the
demonstration act of 1873.
| We make this request, this urgen,
appeal to you, not as silver miners
for we are not. Very few of us have
silver or other mines.
| We appeal to you as citizens ol
the republic, who have ever done
their part, cheerfully,to advance the
interest and the welfare, to sustain
the honor and to achieve the glory
Of our common country.
We appeal to you in the name oi
the laws, institutions and time hon.
ored customs of the land of our
birth and adoption, and of the mill.
ions of our brothers and sisters in
toll, who, like ourselves, are impov-
erished and oppressed by erroneous
legislation, and are being driven
into bankruptcy by the operation
of laws that should not be on our
statute books.
Finally, we appeal to you in be-
half of law, honesty and justice.
In support and justification OF
our earnest appeal we offer these
facts for your consideration:
Our national debt is, in round
numbers, 81 SOC, ,OOO,O 900, and is in
creasing.
The products of our toll pay the
interest on this vast sum, and must
pay the principal.
The current yearly cost Of con-
Quoting our national government is
about $550,OOO,O00, this too is in
creasing, The products of our
labor must pay this also.
Our railroad debt is IS, 100000 :
900. We must pay this, principal
and interest, and must pay the
most extortionate and conscience
less dividends to the managers
of the roads besides. Our state and
municipal Indebtedness is not less
than $S 100000; this demand
like the rest, must be met by our
earnings. All of the heavy burdens
must be borne. The skill and sweat
of the laborer must procure the
wherewithal, and the hand of labor
must pay them all. 1t is but right,
therefore, that we should demand
and have the money which munifi-
cent labor, supplemented until 1873
by wise and just laws, provided for
its payment.
The founders of our government,
pursuing custom as old as civili-
zation, made both silver and gold
money metals of the nations. We
continued to coin and use both as
money, preferring neither one to
the other for nearly one hundred
years. During all of that time sill
yer was maintained at par with gold
except when it commanded a pre-
MUM over the yellow metal.
At the very time of its demoneti-
zation silver was worth three per
cent more than gold. It's demone-
tization, therefore, was not for busi-
ness or prudential reasons. No
producer of this country's wealth
called for it. It was done clandes-
timely. But very few members Of
the United States Senate who voted
for the act knew, or will admit that
they knew, it contained a demone-
tizing clause.
It was not demanded by any but
the public creditors, whose demand
was rooted in selfshness; was vio-
lative of the very contracts upon
which their claims against the pub
lie were based, and was conceived
and brought forth in injustice to
the debtor class.
It was dictated by the creditor
class and engineered to final COM
pletion by their lobbyists, among
whom were British bankers, sup
piled from London with exhaustless
sums Of money for the accomplish
ment of their purpose; which we
submit taints the whole transaction
With fraud. Such in brief is the
history of demonstration.
Following are some of its many
evil effects:
It diminished the volume of our
metal money by a fraction of over
33 per cent.
It closed down all of our low
grade silver mines.
It paralyzed public and private
enterprise.
It banised prosperity from the
homes of the nation.
It multiplied the business fail