The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-10-23
WHAT SCIENCE MAY DO roE Us.

! Whoever attentively read the very IN
| terestIng account OF the electrician Tesla
! I'm Sundays Times. found much IN u
| 20 arouse thought. II Mr. Tasii am.
| nations come 10 be realized eiec'i'
| city, which we know 10 be an Iiii"''"'
urable power lying around aDo''
under us. is 20 be reduced 10 sum SUI
servioncy 10 man as will make IL the
| agency for performing all the oince5 OF
force 4, tho Industrial world. II this day
arrives w.. shall probably see everything
that we use IN daily lie ran 10 such
extremely low prices that iaDorlhB men
| can have the warmest carpets On lheI
coors their houses well warmed tLeir
o,,,,t-c, aIyyays clad IN the best cloth
a., o,d all the other material comforts
tit until recently were confined TO
- ,.bo were well of. SO much for
m ,bfnps that are row manufactured
Dut Il French chemist announces mat
ne is at the verge Of discovering pro
cess for combining the elements OF the
air. water and light 50 as 10 plo1uce
food products In any quantity anu dI
the most triniug cost II IS lihpoS'io'o
10 say that either Of these SC eAual7
is a mere visionary; we kno" thaI tne
oioc,rical force exists in immeasurable
quantity all around Us ana 'h"' a"
that IS necessary for securing the results
we have indicated is 10 control IL cheap
" and effectively. We know that the
organic elements Of all food exist ABOUT
Ms in the combined gasses, and no man Is
bold enough 10 say that science wiz
slfI
they may be combined 50 as to produce
food at little or no cost
If the day arrives when these dreams
are realized we shall see manklhd leu,
clothed and housed 50 cheaply ul"t an
men will live in comfort and nave d"
abundance Of everything required Tor
lpleasanf existence And this VIE 't
distinctly because everything VIII be as
cheap as dirt.
Now. we understand the free silver
argument to be that the decentralization
Of silver has enormously cheape"ed
everything in the last twenty years, am
tbev think this a great misfortune to
mankind. We should like 10 hear
free silver man upon the case that we
have described. II these immense stIldeS
I'm science make everything so cheap
that the poorest will be able TO 1--we IN
luxury, do they think mankind VIII be
injured thereby? And, if these discov-
cries produce an enormous advantag.
for mankind by cheapening everything,
how has the decentralization Of silver
injured him If it, too, has cheapened
everything?
II would not he treating the free silver
man fairly to leave his case thus stated.
He argues that as silver was demone-
tized in 1873. one half Of the money OF
the world lost its place as money. lheie-
fore says he, prices came down because
there was but half the money to buy
with. and il does ,man who has no
money no good to tell HIM that five
dollar hat can now be bought for 81
But when the free silver man makes
this argument he totally ignores the
most important fact IN the case. Silver
was not demonetzed in 1873; many Of the
civilized nations simply ceased coming
any more OF it, but they continued the
use of all the silver then coined as
money. In addition the United states
have added since 1873, three hundred
millions of silver dollars 10 money, ami
South America and the East have been
making regular additions of silver money
all the time. The worlds supply Of
gold also, has been increased between
1873 and 1898, 22lO millions OF dol
lars The worlds supply OF me-
tallic money is, therefore nearly thir-
ty-three per cent. greater today than It
was ia 1873. The free silver mans argu-
ment then is based upon supposed stat
of facts that has no existence. Silver
has not been demoneti2cd. all of it that
was used in 1873 as money is stu used
as money, and the worlds gold money
has been enormously increased in that
time. This ought 10 be a case Of Exit
free silver man."