Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-04-13
A SILVER OBJECT LESSON.

One can easily appreciate the ease with
which men fall under the spell of the silver
illusion. It does seem unreasonable en- the
surface that government that can make a
niece of paper worth Dollar by stamping
it as such. should not be able to do the
same by stamping a piece of silver. 1t is
SO easy to forget that the paper would be
worth nothing if it was not redeemable i'll
gold. 1t is the same case with silver. The
day that the United States Treasury re-
fuses to pay gold On demaud for its paper
even if it be silver certificate, will wit
ness financial panic and breaking of banks
and commercial firms, to which the panic
from which the country is now recovering
would be as nothing. Even this seems
strange to some of us why it we in Anne.
r. ca are willing to use both metals, should
there be any trouble about it? Well it is
simply this way. There are. it is estima-
ted, Just Eight Thousand Millions Of Dol
lars of European money -four times more
than our National debt) invested in rail
roads, canals, manufacturing enterprises,
great farming enterprises, great cattle rails
ing enterprises, and every other sort OF en-
terprise in this country. The Europeans
use, ultimately, the gold standard. and they
expect their American dividends in gold.
The day this is refused and silver offered
them, every investor would begin trying to
get out what he could, by unloading his
bonds in this country, and there would lie
a financial crash that would he heard around
the world. Great corporations would melt
into the debris on every side. But you say
if there were free coinage of silver there
would still be plenty of money to pay
wages and carry Oh business. So there
would after fashion. But what sort of
wages? The best way to answer this is to
take the case of our next door neighbor,
Mexico. That is a silver mine country
where silver is plentiful and where it is
legal tender for all debts and fer wages. III
the st. Louis Globe Democrat we last week
came across an article which was published
to show how American expert labor on tie
railroads in Mexico is being superseded 10y
UllC IfLlltC IL Is lIiC OOi1it'Itllliu VI q
train dispatcher just returned from that
country. made in all interview. and silver is
only mentioned incidentally. He says
s'ln my line, however, we yet reign supreme
but salaries are very low, and as the employ
ees are paid in Mexican silver, train dis.
patcher receives really less for his labor than
the ordinary country operatorin the United
States.
'sIn the transportation department nearly
all the brakesmen are MeXcans and not g
few conductors and engineers are natives
The passenger conductors, trainmasters and
superintendent, however, are Americans
but with another five years | believe theiI
places will be filled by natives. TO show
you how cheap the natives will work | will
cite the case where Mexican is operator and
station agent and runs the water tank puml
for $40 per month in Mexican money! OF $40 q
American money.
price Of like accommodations in the States
so that railroading is no longer profitable
Why is the $500 in American money
worth $40 in Mexican money, think you
1t is bee ause the former is known to lie re
6eemable in gold ard the other is not
silver men are trying to do, and it nigh,
apparently increase the daily pay OF the Ia
borer and the price Of agricultural pro
ducts of the farmer, but what would il
amount to. Where is the advantage of SIX
month when it is really worth only 3d.
and when the moment you attempt t.
spend it you are quickly made to know
that it is only worth that by the advance
you pay for board, clothing, everything 70,
. buy. No greater wrong was ever done th'
wage Garner, the farmer-every man wis
has anything to sell-his labor OF his pro
ducts, than an inflated and unreal cnrren
cy. 1t is the Old story Of the Confederac,
over again. The farmer got $500 barre
for his -four, the mechanic got - for hal
a day S work tinkering Il coffee pot--:ill il
irredeenlai le paper. What advantage wa
the great price they received to either faI
mer or mechanic? The farmer spent hi
whole $500 for All oyercoat, and the Inc
chanic spent his S. for cheap handker
chief. What possible good to the people o
this country could there be in once nor
going through something approximate:
this?
Our esteemed contemporary, the Dali
Neacs, appeared on Sunday morning in q
enlarged form. This is not only a goo
sign of its we'll deserved prosperity. but
is good sign for our city. The improve
ments in its newspapers are as indicativ
Of the prosperity of town, as the erectio
of new buildings on it streets.