Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-08-23

NOiuIlc vi IuOnel Is iuCItdeSu, othe
things being equal, money will b.
cheaper, the price OF property will rise
and if the volume of money is de
creased, money will be dearer anC
property will fall. The purchasing
power Of each dollar depends upon the
number of dollars in circulation just
as much as the price OF eggs, chickens
or any other article OF food is made
cheap by abundance and dear by scar
city.
6. No books are required and no ar
gument is needed to inform the people
when the volume of money is suffi
cient to make it an honest instrument
OF swap or exchange, if general prices
are falling money is scarce and dear
Ii general prices continue to rise
money is abundant, and its quantity
is increasing faster than population
and business. If general prices are
staple, the proper quantity of money
is in circulation. The confusion
which exists arises from comparison
of money with particular kinds of
property, and not with the general
range of the prices Of all property.
1t must be borne in mind that the
demand for money is equal TO the de-
mand for all other things, and conse-
quently the demand for money is al
ways maximum demand. There is
no substitute for money. Everything
must be exchanged for money before
other things can be bought with
money. There is a substitute for
everything else which is limited in
supply, and therefore subject of ex-
change. Corn, barley and oats may
each be substituted for wheat horses
may be substituted for mules, in fact,
substitutes are being invented every
day for things formerly used. The
price of each article dealt in will de-
pend upon the supply and the demand
OF the article. Consequently the rise
or fall in the price of any article does
not determine the purchasing power
of money, but the general price of all
things bought and sold is the criterion
which determines whether there is
to much or too little money in circu-
lation.
7. The tables OF Soetbeer and the
London Economist, exhibited at the
Brussels Conference in 1892, showed
that general prices had fallen since
silver was demonetized fully forty per
cent. and those tables were admitted
by the conference to be correct. Since
that time the fall has been much more
rapid, and it is safe to say that at the
present time the fall in general prices
since 1873 has been over fifty per cent.
In other words, dollar in money will
purchase to-day twice as much prop.
erty as it would twenty-five years ago.
The increase or growth of idle
money one hundred per cent. in twen-
ty-two years is sufficient cause for
the hard times which afilict the
people; but when we reflect that,
without the use Of silver and with the
consumption of gold in the arts and
the increase OF population the volume
of standard money must continue to
decrease, and the purchasing power Of
each dollar continue to increase, the
hope that civilization can be main
tanned on the gold standard is idle.
SIT was essential for the gold
combination to control the commercial
press. This they have done and will
continue to do. By this means they
mislead the people. It was also neces-
sary for them to combine the banks of
the United States and Europe to give
them control of the country, including
transportation and exchange. This
instrumentality commands the busi-
ness men and makes them servants of
the banks. They are not satisfied
with these advantages, which enable
them to control conventions and use
politicians, but they are organizing in
every commercial centre in secret to
make their power felt in every house
hold. The only remedy is a counter
organization of the people themselves,
in societies or clubs, where they can
get together, combine, compare views,
obtain literature, which the press will
not furnish, to the end that the COM
bined power of the masses may be used
to break the corner on money, which
the gold power has secured, and free
this country from the humiliating
spectacle of buying temporary peace
| VI pAOCCSslOh ilOtl tu0 NOIHbCillIuS
combination, as was done in February
last. The country is rich enough and
brave enough to declare its independ-
ence not only of the Rothschilds COM
bination, but of all powers and poten.
tates on earth.
The order of the Silver Knights OF
America is an organization for the
purpose of uniting the people in de-
Tense of their homes and firesides
against the tyranny of the absorbing
power of the gold combination. Every
citizen of the United States knows
that prices are falling and that times
are hard, and he ought to know that
cutting off the supply of new money
by the continuance of the gold stand
ard will make them worse. He also