The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-02-16
HON. WIN. N. STEWART.
Continued from last week. !
BENEFITS OF SILVER MINING NOT

| CONFINED TO MINE OWNERS ALONE.
The agents of the gold monopoly
tell US that the industry of silver
mining benfits 10 one but the silver
mine owner.
They even contend that 1t is an
unworthy and dishonest pursuit.
BY the characterization of the value
of gold has been enhanced more than
30 per cent, and the miners of gold
have been largely benefited by the
increased value of their product.
Why not revile the gold miners for
the gains they have made? The
statesman who would contend that
agriculture was beneficial only to the
farmers would be listened to with
impatience; or if he should contend
that manufactures were injurious
to all except those engaged in the
industry, the protectionist would
revile HIM. A cause which can only
be maintained by abusing honest
men engaged in great industry
must fail.
THR ACT OF 1873 AN ACT OF coNFIs-
CATION.
The motive of this wholesale
abuse of silver miners is plain. The
wrongdoer hates the man he has in
jured, because his victim reminds
him of his wickedness. The men
who abused the miners have robbed
them. The act of 1873 was an act
of confiscation. The miners ex-
plored the mountains and deserts of
the continent and developed silver
mines, which, if worked and the pro-
duct used as money, would have
continued the prosperity inaugurated
by the great discoveries of Califor-
MIA and Australia. 1t is not the
fault of the silver Miners that the
world is milling upon the brink of
bankruptcy and the masses Of the
people are suffering from dear money,
stagnatien and hard times, because
the mines which they developed
were amply sufficient to supply the
world with metallic money, but it
was the act of 1878, passed and
defended by the men who are now
defaming the miners of the West,
which has caused universal distress
in time of profound peace and
abundant harvests.
SILVER HAS THE CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHT OF COINAGE.
The miners who explored the noun
tain ranges from Patagonia to Alas
ka had right to believe that silver
would always be used as money.
Such had been the custom from pre-
historic times. such was the mandate
of the Constitution. The discovery
and development of silver mines en-
titled their owners to protection
from the manipulation of foreign
syndicates or foreign money chang
ers. The financial revolution in
augurated by the characterization of
silver violated every principle of
Justice .and honor. 1t doubled the
obligation of every contract. 1t rob-
bep the people of money and destroy
ed the property of the pioneers of
| the West who had furnished metal
lie basis for the credit of the United
States which made it possible to pre-
serve the Union,
| DISHONESTY OF THE DEhONETIZATION
OF SILVER.
The manipulators who destroyed
| the basis of credit founded upon gold
and silver, and changed the obliga-
tion of every contract from an agree
ment to Fay in either gold or silver
to an undertaking to pay in gold
alone, forfeited every right of pro-
lection of law or government. Their
| hypocritical cant about honest mon
ey disgusts the people. Was it hon
est to double the value of money by
legislation Was it honest to change
all existing contracts Was it hon.
est to deprive the world of the rich
heritage of precious metals which
the pioneers of the West had discov-
cred? Was it honest to substitute
falling prices and hard times for
progress and prosperityf Is it hon.
est to continue such wrongsf Is a
dollar honest which is worth twice
as much as the debtor agreed to
payf
THE ALLEGED SIXTY CENT DOLLAR.
What right have the men who re-
duced the price of silver by exclud-
ing it from the mint and destroying
its time-honored market. to sneer at
the sixty-cent dollar and take ad-
vantage of their own wrong to pre-
vent the restoration of silver to its
proud place as money of equal value
with gold7 What is more unreason-
able than the bold assertion that
free coinage will not restore silver
to par with gold, when previous to
its demonetization silver never fell
below par in gold during all the
ages' Silver was par so long as its
sovereign privilege of coinage was
acknowledged. Why will not the
par be restored when the privilege
shall have been again accorded to
silver. the better of the precious
metals?
FREE COINAGE WILL MAINTAIN PAR
ITY BETWEEN GOLD AND SILVER.
Like causes produce like effects.
In the past free coinage maintained
the parity between gold and silver.
Why will it not in the futuref Right
the wrong of 1873 Nothing short
of that will satisfy the people. As
sertions and predictions of interested
parties are unsatisfactory evidence
against the experience OF ages. The
advocates of free coinage have LONG
predicted the baneful results of the
demonetization of silver. They have
warned the gold kings that there
was not gold enough for use a.
money. The gold produced in the
last nineteen years, as before stated
has been absorbed in the arts and
for other non-monetary purposes.