The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1893-08-04


our demand for the free coinage Of silver at the
ratio Of sixteen to Of gold, andits full equip
ment with all money functions equally with
gold, upon the simple plan Of justice. In sup
port OF the plan we assert and to this asser-
ton we challenge contradiction, that for CEN
turtles, and before legislation undertook to con-
troll and direct Its action and movement silver
its parity with gold with but slight
variation, and despite the wide divergence in
the ratio OF production which frequently exist
ed In 1916 England demonetized silver. She
was even thensthe creditor nation Of the world,
and her fnanciers foresaw that this policy
would enhance the value Of gold and render
1t harder for other nations to pay her what
they owed For nearly sixty years thereafter
France. the Latin union and the United
states maintained the parity OF the two
metals. In 1871 Germany, flushed with
her victory over France and her treasury
filled with Frances ransom OF q. 900, 900, 0O
in gold, determined to demonetixe silver.
Uncle Sam Demonetizes silver.
I'm 1873 the United States, the greatest pro-
Queer Of silver Of all the nations, following the
course marked out by Germany, struck the sill
yer dollar from our coinage laws. In 1870 the
Latin union, deprived OF the support Of the
United States and Germany, stopped the coin
age of silver. In 1892 Austria abandoned silver
and is striving unsuccessfully to get upon a gold
advantage Of the depression existing all over
the world, has struck silver last savage blow
by closing the minis Of India to the coinage Of
silver on private account
Demands of the West.
''This, briefly told, is the history Of silver
legislation during the past seventy years.
1t proves conclusively that legislation is d.
rectly responsible for the destruction of silver
as money. We therefore ask in the name of
simple justice that legislation now restore It to
its rfghtful place in the currency Of our country.
We state, without fear Of contradiction, that
the act Of 1873 which struck down silver, was
passed without due elaboration The record
shows that the great majority Of the members
Of both branches Of congress did not know that
the bill then under consideration contained
such a clause Such statements Of Garfield,
voorhees,. Blaine, and many others, are upon
the records Of their respective houses emphat-
fcally denying any knowledge OF that provision
Of the act So that we charge that it was done
without discussion or debate either in congress,
through the press or upon the platform There
fore 1t was a great wrong because 1t was done
without notice and without any demand from
and by the people, and its operation was Injured
only to the profit and benefit of the holders of
our bonds and the lenders of gold.
Appeal to the Agricultural Glasses.
1--WE most earnestly appeal TO the agricul
tural classes of our country and beg them to
look into the history Of silver legislation and
the frightful consequences which have fol-
lowed the act of 1873 We call upon them to
nearly all farm provisions, notably wheat and
cotton, which has followed the emonetization OF
silver. We invite them to close inspection of
the processes through which (by reason of
the making of silver mere commodity Eng
land has been able to bring the farmers Of the
United States into direct competition with the
wheat and cotton growers of India We call
their attention to the significant fact that the
three. products, viz: silver. wheat and cotton
have about kept pace with each other in their
headlong fall, each touching its highest and
lowest point together. We assert that the
falling on in prices Of farm products is direct
result Of the decentralization OF silver, and the
consequent contraction of volume OF good me-
tallic money. A careful study of these facts
should. we affirm, make every farmer in this
broad land an ardent advocate OF the cause of
free silver
1--WE charge that the act demonetizng silver
was almost equivalent to an act levying q direct
tax upon the wheat and cotton growers and sill
yer miners Of the country equal to from 30 to so
Der cent Of their product annually for the ben
Ell Of the bondholders and money dealers; for
such an effect has been its unseen and insidious
operation We further affirm that tho con-
stantly lowering prices Of the staple farm prod
ucts of the land has IN turn served to curtail
production. to restrict growth and to discour-
age new enterprises, thus diminishing the field
and decreasing the demand for labor to the det-
riment OF the working classes Of the land And
to these evils, already SO general and far reach
ing, the enemies of silver money are now seek
ing to add the further wrong of totally destroying
q great industry and throwing out of employ
ment hundreds Of thousands of men to whom the
loss of work means the destruction Of their
homes and poverty and suffering for them
selves, their wives and children
sherman Law Not Blamed.
1--WE denounce as wholly absurd and absolute
ly false the charge that the Sherman act is re-
Spunsibie for the present financial difficulties
which overwhelm the land We admit that the
false cry raised against silver by the gold men
1t q time when panic threatened has created
. prejudice against the silver among the inter
ested and uniformed, but we emphatically as
aert that the outflow Of gold during the past
few days is due solely and only to the fact that
the balance OF trade has during that period been
against US nearly 800, 0O0, 600 We say that had
there been no silver law in existence the gold
would have left US just the same. Any child
can understand that gold is the money with
which international balances are settled, II we
rs q nation buy more goods than we sell We
must ship out our god to pay the difference.
Australia Is passing through . panic that ex-
ceeds our own in the depression of values and
the amount Of insolvency. but Australia has no
Sherman law. To what then arc the financial
difficulties in that continent to be ascribed!
Cost In Producing Silver.
I'VE deny as wholly unfoundcd the statement
20 often made that silver can be produced 1t -
cents or less an ounce Such assertions prove
nothing except the ignorance Of the persons
making them We make the statement, based
upon practical knowledge acquired in gold and
silver mining running over q period Of many
years, that every ounce Of silver produced in the
United States has cost more than u = per
ounce. To appreciate this statement oDs must
have lived in mining communities He must
have seen the numberless shafts sunk upon un-
counted hills, in which never an ounce Of pay
ing mineral has been discovered He must
have been familiar with the thousands OF hardy,
brave prospectors who have devoted q lifetime
70 the search for the precious metal and who
have finally passed away, their labor unre-
Quilted, their search unrewarded- He must
have witnessed the organization OF scores Of
great companies whose aggregated capital runs
Into the hundreds of millions, and " hich started
out with bright prospects only TO wind up in
bankruptcy. But IL the cost Of production Is
TO be the gauge OF vnlue, then silver has notn-
ing to fear from gold, for silver costs far more
70 produce than is indicated BY the estsb-
dshed rates between gold and silver
Gold mining in the main and generally
Speaking does not build up . o0un-
Try develop its resources to any
great extent The production Of gold requires
comparatively cheap md simple processes.
while the yield Is usually out OF All proportion
to the amount OF labor and capital expeBded
On the other hand, silver mining has become IN
established industry, its production has devel-
oped and peopled . vast area OF country con-
prising whole states II Il permanent in char
acton. IL requires skilled labor and vast out
lays Of capital 10 successfully engage in IL
The processes Of extraction and reduction Of
ores are costly and dinicult 1t calls into ex.
isssnce al other forms Of industry TO support
Il It builds up communities, makes towns.
cities and even states, sustAsns millions Of POO
pie. gives trafnc 70 railroads and pourS stream
Of pure wealth into the channels Of svmmerce.
untainsed By suffering and q nstained BY greed
We therefore maintain that the oAly way q
ascertain the tEus cost Of the product1oo q
both metals Il 20 balance the total vafue Of ~
- time and lsbor employed in producinG
She0 against tie total value Of the combined
WU0nek And We see thas o. sch pasta
svHy suaes 81 silvsE. = va = evssy $1,000