Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1894-07-26
yer in it, it has now and has always had


Moreover, as money is supposed to be
convenience to enable men to make ex-
changes, it is absurd to talk of putting
more silver in silver dollar, for everyone
will admit that silver dollar is large
enough now. Every citizen handles silver
20 times where he handles gold once. II
change is made, it should be in the coin
that will least affect the people. Tho
bullion value of silver dollar, in all COM
modities except gold, is not very different
from what it was 20 years ago, and the
free coinage of silver will undoubtedly In
crease the value of silver bullion.
While the monometalist is very much
afraid the silver dollar will shrink in the
hands of the labOring man, he is not much
concerned about it swelling in the hands
of the capitalist. This is what it has been
doing for 20 years.
Why should capital absorb the whole
benefit from the progress of civilization
If man had buried 100 ounces of gold
20 years ago, and should dig it up to-day,
he would find it doubled in value, and the
man who 20 years ago borrowed $780, and
has been unable to free himself from that
debt, will to day have to give in payment
nearly double as much in effort and prod
ucts as he could have purchased with the
800 when he borrowed it. Shylock only
pressed for his pound of flesh. The mon
ometallist of to-day would scorn to be 80
easily satisfied. He would not only claim
the pound of flesh, but would unblushingly
insist that he was entitled to the blood 90
incident to the flesh.
But would not free coinage Immediately
raise the bullion value of silvers Can you
imagine any man possessed of silver bull
lion parting with it for less than its coin
age value if he could take it to the mint
and have it coinedf Certainly no man
would be so silly.
"But," says the monometallist, shat
would be giving the silver miner an enor-
nous advantage" If it simply restored
him to the position he occupied before
silver was demonetized, it would only be
restoring him to what rightfully belonged
to him. You never hear any of these mon
objecting to the advantage the free coin
age of gold gives the gold miner. One
reason l am in favor of the free coinage
of silver is, because am opposed to such
outrageous discrimination in favor of the
gold miner.
Let us examine this claimed advantage
to the silver miner.
Would he get his silver coined to hoard
it or to spend it? Certainly to spend II.
Who, then, would receive the most advan-
tage? Would it not be the men whose
products will be increased in value by the
increased demand caused by the increased
supply of money! The money that affects
the value of commodities Ia the money in
circulation. The demand for money is
the quantity of commodities of all kinds,
character and description offered for sale.
II man has an article for sale, and he Is
not satisfied with the price offered, he will
not sell if he believes the price will rise.
But if believes the price will permanently
fall he will sell whether he is satisfied with
the price or not. The demand for money
differs from the demand for commodities.
The demand at any particular time for
any particular commodity is a certain
amount and no more. There is a con-
slant, intense, never ceasing demand for
all of the money that can be had. When
the silver miners are permitted to have the
product of their mines coined they will
simply be the better enabled to satisfy
their wants, and thereby contribute to the
relief of those who have for sale the arti-
Giles they wish to purchase. Kansas is the
garden spot for Colorado. You cannot
improve the financial condition of Colo
RADIO to the detriment of Kansas. If there
is farmer in this audience who thinks
the products of his farm have been en-
HANGED in value by the closing of the sill
yer mines would like to get his views
when this meeting is over.
The monometallist tells us that il We
adopt free coinage it will put us on level
with Mexico. This reminds me very much
of the stock argument of the stakeholder
at the outbreak of the rebellion. When
ever a man declared himself in favor Of
the abolition of slavery, he was promptly
asked: do you want your daughter to
marry niggerf"
How the free coinage of silver is going
to put this country on par with Mexico
none of these gentlemen have undertaken
to explain. If their theory is correct, that
the coinage of nation determines its
rank, then it necessarily follows that, since
India has ceased to coin silver, she must
to-day, be on a par with the United States,
As the sum of all articles in the market
determines the commercial demand for
money, so the sum total of the money
in circulation regulates the demand for
goods
The money and the goods are contin-
ually seeking each other, to be exchanged.
If we adopt free coinage, Colorado will
annually add $40,OO0.OOO TO the circulating
medium of this section of country. So
much of this silver as is now shipped
abroad to silver-using countries raises
prices there in proportion to the amount
of circulating medium in those countries.
Whatever we purchase from them, we pay
for at higher price, because of the in
creased supply of money.
We are also told that, if we adopt free
coinage, we shall become the dumping
ground for the silver of the world. Why
will other nations bring their silver here
and what will they do with it In every
foreign country except Mexico the ratio
is Is or 153 to l. In no European nation
is there free coinage of silver. Every
silver coin is discharging just the same
duty that gold coin would. Why should
any nation send its coin hereS II the
bullion value of silver were less here than
the coinage value, foreign coins would not
pass here for their face value. II they
were melted and coined into American
dollars at the ratio of 16 to l, they would
lose cents on every dollar, besides
the loss from light weight caused by
abrasion. II any nation objects TO the
use of silver currency, such nation might
send it's coin here. But how could we be
hurt' Would they send it here to invest