The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-06-20
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS,
Silver, India, Greenbacks, Etc.

| advocate the POpuliSt doctrine
among my neighbors; and also in our
debates or public discussions here.
put there are some things upon which
l want information, and so send you
lst or ques tions, which l would like
answered If possible-andI don tknow
OF a better place to 90 than to the
Representatives."
| what book will answer all such
questions as the eigth question l have
asked.
want to get some Populist books
Out not having had an opportunity to
examine any, thereby to know what I
need first.
would like very much to get this
inIormation, and l doubt not it will
40 others good as we'll as myself.
| FL. L. HUTCHINSON.
L. In one OF his speeches Hon. J. p.
Jones said, that the material that is
IN the dollar has nothing to do with
ltS value. But Hon. w. M. Stewart.
admitted. in one of his speeches, that
copper, would not do for the dollar
coinage because it was too plentiful.
| NOW all Populists admit that paper
| money, l. e., greenbacks,-is the best
| OF all, and yet paper is the most plen-
tlIul or either, they even make car
wheels of it. 1t would seem as if
there was a large fallacy here some
"here. Please explain where it is"
Ans,Uer. There are two elements
IN money. 1. The prehistoric, tradi-
tlonal superstition among the people
OF the world, in behalf of gold and sill
yer. 2. The conclusions of modern
statesmen and thinkers.
like wheat and wool. If the world
mad been accustomed, for 5000 years,
TO interchange sacks of wheat or wool,
marked, 81, 81, etc, as money of final
settlement, it would be very hard to
rOot out the custom and it's accom-
panying beliefs. But it is now agreed,
by the highest authorities on the sub
Ject, that gold and silver are not In
themselves money: that the essence of
money is the stamp of government,
making it legal tender. This is
shown by the recent history of silver.
The moment the nations agreed not
to coin it, the silver bullion fell near
ly one-haf in price. Gold would have
fallen in the same way, under similar
| treatment. Senator Stewart was
| probably affected in his views by the
fact that he is from Nevada, and the
especial champion Of the use of silver
as money metal. 1t would not do
for him to admit that paper could
fully take its place. Senator Jones
| probably looked at the matter in
broader light. But the difference of
the two men, with all respect be it
said, neither proves nor disproves any,
thing.
2: "After England buys her silver
bullion here at So cents per ounce, and
then takes it to India to buy wheat
With,-what does bushel of wheat
cost her there, measured in terms of
silver?"
Ansacsr. The Hindoos are vast
population, hundreds of millions in
number; mostly poor and ignorant,-
ruled by colony of Englishmen: they
have never used gold as money; they
reverence silver with all barbarians S
fidelity. They know nothing of the f.
nancial tricks and changes of the
western world. They are ready to
part with what the world esteems
dollars worth of wheat for sixty cents
worth Of silver. The English buyer
makes the 40 cents difference. That
is the inducement for his nation to
break down the price of silver in
America and stimulate wheat-grow-
ing in India. They burn our candle
at both ends.
3. LAS the Argentine Republic has
OF late years been throwing so many
millions Of bushels upon the worlds
market, would not that affect the
price of wheat with us even under
free coinage? Or would the price
there, as in India, also be determined
by the price Of our silver?"
Answer. The demonetization of sill
yer broke down it's price, or, more
strictly speaking, increased the pur-
chasing power Of gold. This is repre-
sented by a fall in the price of all COM
modities, measured by gold. The de-
probation, according to the "Ham-
burg Tables" and the estimates of
Professors Soetbier and Sauerbeck,
amounts to nearly one-third of the
values of all commodities. This de-
probation applies to the wheat of the
Argentine Republic as we'll as the
wheat of the United States. If there
had been no demonetization of silver
wheat, here, there and everywhere.
would be worth about 80 per cent
more than it is now. While it is true
that the Indian and Argentine wheat
supplies have become formidable COM
petitors for our own product, never
theless, if the plutocratic conspirators
had not demonetized silver, we would
have been so prosperous and labor SO
fully employed and we'll paid, that we
would scarcely have felt the competi-
tion of those countries. The rapid in
crease in the worlds population re-
ouires corresponding increase in it's
wheat area, provided the people aro
occupied and prosperous; and wbi1o
wheat culture is advancing in ono
mart of the world it is dying ont 4 ~
others.
A. "Mrs. Emery in her "Sevnn III.
nancial Conspiracies, and Ise1 NV r.
inc Populist orators, claim +hnt oie rot Ieau-
Seyd, OF nonUuon, U, came here i'm 1929.
to infiuedho1 Nongress in passing the
bill to I;aIe GemIneCize silver. But in a
letter puoa'' ao., tost;s hu !n The Toledo Blade.
CMr. seyd has not been in 'I America 1aSdcs
since 1885," Now has anvhodv that