Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-10-12
A FEW PLAIN QUESTIONS
Propounded to Advocates of the Free
Coinage of Silver.

Propounded to Advocates of the Free
Coinage of Silver.
In thinking a little over the "Silper
Question" as presented by its ablest
advocates, and by others Of them who
think they know thing ortwo, some
points have arisen upon which | de-
sire some frst-class information to
clear away the doubts and fears which
have crossed my troubled brain on
the financial question.
AS there are many more besides
myself who are in "I6 to - dark
ness. and who still believe that gold
is good enough for as. and that our
financial system, as now in operation,
backed by the credit of the Govern
ment, with gold as the standard of
values and silver and, paper currency
regulated thereby is the best none
tarv arrangement the world ever saw,
no doubt our free-silveritesw will be glad
Of this opportunity to air their money
views backed by such convincing ar
guments as will increase their rank
and file as they go marching to re-
lieve the suffering" people of the
monetary oppression, by giving
skier lining to the darkest financial
cloud through which would percolate
the refreshing dews that are expected
to precede the ushering in the Popu-
listic 70 to y Millennium.
QUERIES.
I. If there is fifty or sixty cents
worth of silver in silver dollar and
the Fiat" of the Government fur
nishes the balance to make the dol
lar, why should the owner of the
silver bullion have the zOhole dollar
and the Government get nothing2
2. When the Government doubles
the market value of silver bullion and
retains none of its increased value
when coined, does not the Govern
ment directly aid in defrauding the
great majority of its people for the
benefit of the few owners of the silver
bullion? If not, why not?
3. Is there any good reason why
the full amount of silver that a gold
dollar or treasury note will purchase
in the markets of the world, should
not be put into a silver dollar?
a. What well-founded objection
could be made to the above PROPOSE
tion2
S. Does any Populist or free-sil-
verite propose to do this' If not,
why not3
6. Should the Government by its
fiat double the value of silver in a
dollar and not double the price of
bushel of wheat?
7. Should the Government favor
the owner of silver bullion, by
doubling its value, and not similarly
favor the owner of every other conf
modify or manufacture?
8. Is not the farmer, mechanic, or
manufacturer entitled to the benefit of
the "fiat" of the Government as we'll
as the owners of silver bullion? If
not, why not?
9. Does not the law and custom of
of the mint entitle the holder of silver
bullion, as soon as that bullion is
weighed and deposited in the Govern
ment mint, to a certificate to amount
OF coined dollars which his bullion, SO
deposited, will make when coined,
and which certificate he can take to
the United States Treasury and draw
therefor gold or greenbacks, at his
option, without waiting for the COIN
age of the bullion that he has deposit
ed in the mint?
10. Is it right, or justice to the
and people, to give the
owner of silver one dollar in gold for
every so or 90 cents worth of silver
bullion deposited at the mint? Thus
robbing the Treasury of its gold and
leaving in its stead millions of depre-
ciated silver so-called dollars.
H. If the American people are suf-
fering for more silver coinage, and if
the free coinage of silver would prove
such vast blessing to the laboring
poor, why is it that some 800, 200, 900
of coined silver dollars are suffered to
lie idle in the United States Treasury
instead of being circulated amongst
the people?
H.. If 800, 900, 900 of these half-sil-
yer habitat dollars cannot be or are
not circulated n010, how can these
dollars be put in circulation if the
number is doubled or trebled by free
coinage?
Il. Will the increased number of
free coinage silver dollars" find their
way to the laboring mans pocket
more readily than now' If so, by
what means can it be accomplished ?
IA Can they get these dollars With
out working for them or having some
thing to sell' If so, how?
Is. Can aot any man get the mon
ey noY for all that he has to sell?
I6. Are there not large sums of
money lying idle in the banks of the
country at the present timer
II. If a poor man has nothing to
sell, and gets paid noao for his labor,
how will an increase in silver curren-
cy benefit him, when no part of that
increase is his property
IS. Does not the history of the CIV
ilized nations of the earth prove that
free and unlimited coinage of silver