Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1893-08-23
Something About silver.
EAaLE p. TExAs, Aug. ~. :

EAGLE Pass, TEXAS, Aug. y, 1913.
To he Editor Of tie Tiyginia Free Pre's
Dear Sir. was very much surprised 70
see in the Baltimore Sun a number OF quo
t.,ions from interviews with prominent cit
liens Of Charles Town expressing sentiments
in favor of the free coinage Ofsilyer. have
now been for year on the borders of Mex
leo a country that has free coinage as Is
,ronossd for the United States. During
that yea. have seen the value of the Mex
lean dollar change from so cents in our
money to SO cents, then rise to 60 cents, and,
with the change in the monetary law OF In
dia. fall to So cents. 1t is now again up to
eO cents This dollar contains more silver
than our silver dollar which we value at 100
cents. At Juarey, Mexico, opposite Fl
Paso. Texas. the banks carry accounts IN
four different Naturalization gold and
silver and American gold and silver. In
Pedras Negras. the Mexican town opposite
this point. all values are reckoned in Mex
lean silver. The employees on the Mexican
International Railroad, whose shops are In
Piedras Negras, are paid in Mexican silver
IN scale adopted when a Mexican dollar
was worth so cents Now their pay is one
fourth less in actual value A large part Of
the business is done by American citizens
with goods imported into Mexico either
from the United States or Europe. AT the
time of the drop in silver l asked one OF the
merchants if he would lose much and ne
said. "No." As he fixed the value OF hi'
goods on the basis Of the American dollar
and changed the rate in Mexican money tC
spit the change in value Of silver. The Ia
borer or clerk who is paid $50, Mexican
/ could only get So worth of goods. A montl
400 he could get only S44, and to-day only
| SIS The Mexican dollar is worth II
weight in silver bullion, and no more. Un
der a free coinage law our silver dollar Yll
he v,lued on the same basis, and at 10 to
| the present ratio, would be worth about o
cents In this money you would be pal'
/ for your paper, would be paid, the elerl
IN a store would be paid, the laborer woul'
be paid. Bl. we must pay in gold at price
fixed in Europe for what ne bly, sRd TIN
not because Of any servile bowling down t
England. but because Europe must tax
our surplus of all kinds of products, an
no seller will take less than he can get Il
Europe. So long as uncle Sam can give
gold dollar for eyesy silver dollar presente
We are all right. But the 100000 onnee
of silver produced monthly in the Unite
States will make over 100000 dollars
month TO be absorbed. Can the Unite
States raise gold enough to keep up!
the government would coin an ounce OF si
YER stamp it one ounce of silver, and let
circulate st ils bullion value as money, ther
would be an abundance Of it as good for a
the purposes Of money as a free eo'nas
dollar. but without the disastrous effects
the laboring man Of being paid in depr'
cisted currency. A free coinage dollar ca
only temporarily be worth more than 1t
bullion valus. MEXICAN money is used a
E along the border at its bullion value, an
readily accepted. So would the governmer
"ouncs of silver" be accepted anywhere
Respectfully, y.