The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1895-06-27

WHEN the price of iron ore kept
dropping until stage Of prices was
reached which made it Improbable
10 work the mines. that was the time
the iron mine owners should have de,
handed assistance from the strong
hand Of the government and insisted
that iron should be taken by the peO-
pie at the value it bore when iron was
booming This clap-trap to.the effect
that gold is made the standard for the
benefit of owners of gold mines, or
Wall street capitalists, IS sickenlng.
rbe producer of rye might with the
same reason insist that the large
Touring mills are in league with the
producers Of wheat and that they dis
c1iminate against rye a standard is
fixed for convenience only. A rood Of
land does not lose in value because
the acre is the popularity accepted
standard Of land measurement. Gold
and silver would be measures Of value
If they were not coined. For con
venience of exchange both are stamp
ed so that computation may be readi
II made If neither were coined their
relative value would be as 1t Is now.
This ultra -demagogy of arguing that
debts may be paid more cheaply Is
well calculated to breed anarchy, A
few years ago potatoes could be pur-
chased on farms at sc. per bnshel. A
few years previous they brought as
high as 70 cents per bushel. The
grower of potatoes who contracted a
debt when potatoes were IS cents per
bushel, had to pay ID times that debt
in potatoes when they brought him
only DC per bushel. The iron mine
owners found themselves in the same
predicament in 1898, but they would
not be justified in looking to the gov
eminent TO reimburse them for their
losses, except Of course, by the means
Of the action of the twin brother of
free coinage, Protection.
TO coin money and regulate the
value thereof" means just what it
says and does not mean the placing
of fictitious value on any metal. The
government wrongs the people when
it compels them to accept IN payment
for their labor anything which has not
intrinsic value equal to that of labor
performed It is not the legitimate
function Of government to act dishOn-
estly for the benefit Of any one. The
argument that gold is favored is all
nonsense. Whatever advantageit en-
joys by being made the standard is
natural one, as it best suited for
l., lro
cured because it can serve the PEG
pie best. If the government needs
10000 horses and purchases that
number the price of horses will add
vance; but it was not to bring about
this result that the government pur
chased the horses. The government
builds steel boats but not to help the
steel producer, 1t is because steel
boats are best. This is a crime against
other metals not equally favored if
the arguments of selverites be true.
1t is difficult to perceive how farm
ers can be duped by the frOthy argu-
ments of the silver men who have a
purpose artfully concealed by pre-
tended concern for debtors, labOrers
and farmers. If it was a demand for
demonetizing both gold and silver
citing each stand on its merits, no
harm could come Of it except incon
venIence in making exchanges. Sill
yer would then be taken at It's value
and 50 would gold and that would be
just what it Is now. the cost of produc
ton which is really the measure of all
values.