Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1894-01-20
WHAT SHALL CONSTITUTE OUR
COINAGE

tive Committee. There is food for
reflection in it, and it should be
read by everybody. 1t is time to
know wheather this government is
to coin money for the rich alone
and allow the country to be run by
the plutocrats, or whether it will
coin silver-the money of the peo-
ple-and give the producers a.
chance: ,
eff the accumulated wealth OF, the
United States should beequally dis
tributed among its inhabitants in a
form to furnish them with the nee
essariesof life, it would, we are told,
if production should be totally an
rested, be consumed in the space of
about three years A partial arrest
of production at once throws upon
charity a large body of men who
have already consumed the rewards
of their daily toll. This condition
is now seen in Chicago, where it is
said one hundred thousand men are
out of employment; and their grow
ing numbers seem to battle all efforts
for their relief. Nor is Chicago an
exceptional city. The narrowing
scenes that are witnessed here are
being witnessed in all the leading
cities of our land. This condition
is, we believe, in great measure, if
not wholly, due to our present mon
etary system, which places this
country upon the gold standard,
and that it is only prelude to the
still more frightful condition which
the future has in store for us if this
system is suffered to continue. We
cannot talk ourselves into good
times. Vain is the cry for "conf-
dence.p AS well cry for health at
the bedside of the sinking patient.
This Government is founded upon
the theory that the great body of
the people will become sufficiently
acquainted with public questions
which concern them to determine
for themselves what policies will
best promote their welfare; that the
prevailing judgment of the great
masses. of the people can be more
safely followed than that of few
of the wisest among them. Our
people are now confronted with q
question as important as any which
can possibly engage their attention;
it is whether their currency, which
is the life-blood of all their indus
tries, shall be placed upon gold
alone, or upon the wider basis of
gold and silver in conformity with
the clearly expressed convictions of
Hamilton and Jefferson, concurred
in by Washington and all the
founders of the great republic, and
which has descended as an unbroken
tradition until it was stealthily,
and in the night time, displaced by
the baleful legislation of 1878.
This question of questions is now
RENTED to the people and they
must decide it for themselves in the
elections of 1894 and 1896 and de-
termine whether the ancient path
way made for them by their revoiu-
tionary fathers shall be restored to
them, or whether they will per-
manently remain in the new and
narrow path constructed for them
by the advocates of single gold
standard. The decision Of this
question involves an acquaintance
with the functions OF money and ITS
true relation to commodities and
other forms of property. as.
In view of the great and leading
Importance of this subject we urge
all our fellow citizens to avail them
selves of every means to enlighten-
ment in order that they may think
for themselves and exercise an intel
ligent judgment rather than unre-
tlectingly adopt the counsels of in
terested parties; and above all
things that they do not suffer their
voice to be stified by the prearanged
action of party conventions, and
thus become the victims of the con-
summate art of modern politicians.
Fealty to party should be supplant-
ed by fidelity to the public welfare.