The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-10-10
THE SILVER ISSUE.

12th-That this gold standard
was imposed and continues to be
imposed upon the people Of the
United States by England. In
speaking Of this, Senator Cameron,
of Pennsylvania, said: "Yet the
bankers of London have said that
we must submit, and we have SUBJ
mitted.
So strange spectacle have new
er been seen in our history. Argu-
ment, and even the compulsive
proof bought by world wide ruin,
seems to be helpless against this
astonishing power. England holds
us to the single gold standard by
the force of her capital alone, more
despotically than she could hold us
to her empire in 1776. The mere
threat of her displeasure paralyzes
mankind" nw
AS true Americans, we should
be amazed to hear that no money
is good money unless it be the
money of Great Britain. That
whenever this country-England-
says that we may use silver as a
full legal tender money, that we
may do SO, and that when she says
so, silver shall be good American
money. Isn't it absurd that seven-
ty millions of intelligent people
should submit their entire business
to the dictim of any foreign gov
ernment?
13th-That there never has in the
world been such a thing as inter-
national money, and in all proba-
bility never will be.
14th-That there is not single
obligation of the United States
Government, other than gold cer-
tificates that is not by the explicit
terms of the contract, payable in
either gold or silver; and we de-
mand of the servants of the people
that they administer the laws ac-
cording to the terms of that con-
tract. Who can say that this is not
right?
l5th-That gold alone does not
afford sufficient basis upon which
our paper currency can safely rest.
This has become so apparent that
Senator Cameron was forced to say:
"We want real money-coin; yet, If
England succeeds in her obstinate
effort to destroy the value of silver
for coinage, nothing can save us
from paper, and in that case, ire
deemable paper - fiat money -
stares us square in the face"
16th-The advocates of the single
gold standard are continually harp
ing upon the catch-penny phrase,
Gan honest dollar" and claim that
only gold can make, an honest dol
lar. According to them, then, as
we have shown that gold has con-
tinually appreciated in value for
twenty years, dollar is only hon
est when it is increasing in pur-
chasing power; when it is enlarg-
ing it's grasp over the products of
labor; when exacting more from
the debtor than he contracted to
pay, and giving more to the cred
itor than he agreed to receive.
We claim that an honest dollar is
one that at the date of repayment
shall have no greater control over
human efforts than it had when ii
was borrowed. In other words, an
honest dollar is a dollar which robs
no man. The gold dollar to-day
has a purchasing power of fifty per
cent. greater than the same dollar
had in 1878. Was the gold dollar
of twenty years ago a dishonest
dollar? And is it to-day fifty per
cent. more honest than it was then
it being at both periods of precise.
ly the same weight and fineness
And, if it continues to increase in
purchasing power, will continue to
increase in honesty?
l7th-Again, the gold advocates
say, that one dollar must be as good
as another, but they do not define
what goodness" means. What ii
goodness in the case of dollar
Is not JUST dollar O good dollar
Is not a..dollar of unchanging value
a good dollar? Has the gold dol
lar been unchanging in value? II
1878, before the silver was demone
tized, this same gold dollar wal
worth three per cent. less than the
silver dollar; that same silver dol
lar will purchase just as much o
every other commodity now rs i
would prior to 1878. Now, the tru'
test of the increasing or decreasing
value of any one thing is not I,