People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-01-12

Those who, from interest or ignor-
ance, set up concerted cutlery for
sound money" for honest money
would have us think that gold only
is that money; and their constant allie
CATION z support OF their worship of
gold is that it possessed an almost un-
varying value which entities it to the
exclusive name of standard. But the
most cursory review Of the facts OF
monetary history shows the fallacy of
such 81 assumption. Gold appreciates
and depreciates as well as silver. Sill
yer will to-day bring as much per
ounce Of the commodities as it ever
did. 1t is gold that has appreciated in
consequence Of legislation favorable
to it, and because is annual produc-
ton is steadily diminishing in the face
of an increasing competition among
civilized nations for its possession.
So to say that silver is no longer
''hone,t money" equally with gold,
simply because it has come under the
/ ban OF legislative conspiracy, accom-
plishing its selfi,h ends by surrepti-
tious methods, and at a time when
neither of the TWO metals was in use,
is TO utter monetary falsehood, for
which no sincerely honest excuse can
be framed or conceived. There is real
lyn such fiction as a rs or a ~ cent
dollar, when silver dollar will buy
what it always would, or an ounce OF
silver will. buy as much as it evei
would of needed commodities Why
not SAL that gold dollar which no
DO " ever sees, and so therefore made
the standard dollar, is worth ST..
or S1.sS? But tn is not the fashion
of the argument with the creditor
dynasty; they DO not care to pail tht
wool over that eye.
A careful com parison of the pur
chasing power OF gold and silver vii
show that both have appreciated il
relation to commodities generally
the latter in comparatively small
measure, the former immensely anC
ruinously.
In 1850 the supply Of the yellow
metal was 500, OOJ, 900 yearly; now i
has dropp,d to sl?4, 900, 900; and will
gold alone as legal-tender money TO
all amounts, with the annual suppl,
diminishing, and other nations com
peting eagerly for it, how long will i
be before falling prices (of commodi
ties will drag down all profits wit
them, and all further enterprise Ter
inmate in universal panic that viii
precipitate industrial chaos and socia
confusion?
1t is important above all things l
understand what an enormous loss Q
wealth has been suffered by the cour
try in consequence OF the demonetizs
; ton of silver and the consequent az
, probation of gold. Few people hav
any idea of the extent of the actus
robbery deliberately committed. 1h
: accepted estimate is that the silve
4 miners themselves submitted to los
r of IS, 100000 a year, but how is it wit
the cotton grower and the whes
raiser? Let US see.
When silver wac demonetized
g 1873 cotton brought 1874 cents pt
pound; in 1889 it brought cents D,
:, pound, showing a clear loss of S227
500, OJO on the vie d Of the year, whiC
was $500, 100000 pounds. Averagin
the output for the whole seventee
n years, and the prices of the who
e period, there is an average annual To-
e of $50, OOO, 900 on the cotton produc
n for the whole period. Subject TO Il
n same causes the wheat growers
America lost slOO,OOO,OOO 9 year (,