The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1894-10-27
SILVER vs.. HONESTY.


licans who appear inclined to the be-
lief that the cause Of all the stagna-
ton in business and hard times that
have been suffered for the past two
years has been the failure of congress
to pass law providing for the un.
limited coinage of silver. While we
give these free silverites credit for
honesty in their convictions we are
firmly convinced that they are mis-
taken in their conclusions There is
no more reason for believing that the
United States could adopt different
standard in weights and measures
from the remainder of the world and
still be prosperous than there is that
it can create a double standard re-
garding the circulating medium and
still maintain its credit In the mar
kets of the world and retain CONNER
cial relations with other nations. If
we sell our wheat, corn or beef
at "a less weight than the standard in
Europe we should expect to lose there
by, and if we send England, France
or Germany deprecated dollar and
expect them to receive it for one hun
dred cents we are attempting a dis
honest practice that will operate great
ly to our injury. If we could sur
round the country with an impreg-
nable wall, isolate ourselves from the
trade of foreign nations like ancient
Sparta, perhaps we could solve the
problem of riches and poverty by
stamping iron, rocks or wood as coin
and thus make money so burdensome
that no one would desire its accumu-
lation. But this cannot be done.
The Atlantic cable connects Europe
and America with a constant means
of communication, fleets of trading
vessels as well as palatial steamers
keep both hemispheres in touch with
each other, and the markets of the
old world control the prices of pro-
ducts in the new. This Inseparable
union makes complete and sensitive
nervous system among nations, and
the least jar or disturbance in one is
instantly felt iu all the others. The
harblnger of the present hard times
was the failure of the great firm of
Barring Bros. in England, and there
was nervous prostration IN the entire
system when this was followed by the
closing of the hanks in Australia.
When the mints of India closed down
the price of the silver product of the
United States deprecated, the same
as wheat would if the Liverpool mar
kets were glutted by an extraordinary
supply from Egypt, India or Russia.
1t is governed by supply or demand
the same as wool or other products, be-
cause the comm ercial world trades on
, gold basis, and this is the only true
of value anywhere.
England alone cannot change this,
neither could the United States, and |
The experiment would only result IN
injury to the nation making the
There are certain invariable rules |
which govern all commercial trans-d
actions, and which are simply the
result Of experimental efforts in trade.
These cannot be changed any more
.han the basic maxims and axioms
of mathematics. Two times two
make four the world over, and this
means honesty in all trans
actions. Ihis cannot be. changed.
Gold is the measure of value, and the
market vslue of silver is variable.
This is also. Interchangeable. and honesty
IN cur relations with other countries
demand that no attempt be made
20 cheat those with whom we deal by I
paying them dollar for one hundred
cents when it is only worth eighty.
The rules governing the market value
If silver are settled on the same basis
If honesty and fairness as the funda-
mental rules of arithmetic. and any
deviation is evidence of chicanery and
and will injure any nation
hat makes the attempt.