The old Abe eagle. (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 189?-189?, 1895-05-23

w NnOCNCl pays NO NOD'' " 49,
ey equal, in its power to purchase
the commodities Of life, to that
which he borrowed, has made hon
est payment. Whoever demands
payment in money greater IN It's
purchasing power than that which
he loaned demands what is unjust
and does not belong to him. The
government which, by its laws, re-
quires it's subjects to pay in some
thing more difficult to acquire than
that which they borrowed com
mits robbery upon the debtors
Such robbery this government
committed in 1873 when it depriv-
ed the standard silver dollar of its
Office, as the unit of value in our
coinage system, which it had oc
cupied since 1892, and substituted
the gold dollar therefor.
Will it contribute to national,
state or individual dishonor if the
the debtors of the country claim
and restore that which the credit
ors robbed them of by that act?
Our very able exchange, the
Record, should remember that this
question is not one which involves
alone the bond holder or money
lender but interests the great
masses of debtors who should
possess rights, aud who demand
equity as we'll as the creditor
classes. 1t should be remembered
that the Enterprise and progress of
this country is largely in the hands
of the debtor class. The money
lender does not build our towns,
our railroads, improve our farms
and make inhabitable the great
arid wastes of the limitless west.
He may and does furnish much of
the money, but he takes no risks
and incurs mono of the privations
and dangers in these undertakings
but looks to his securities and col
lets his interest. He is entitled to
lust what he loaned with the in-
terest thereon, and nothing more
II his contract was for payment in
coin, and silver and gold were used
as coin. then it would be dishonor-
able to deprive his debtor of the
right to pay in either as it would be
likewise dishonest to require the
creditor to receive his pay in iron
or copper, or other metal not used
in coin, when the loan was made
Silver has not deprecated in its
value except in its relation to gold
alone. 1t will buy just as much
of things marketable as it ever
would. Gold has appreciated as il
has done before while silver ha:
shown more sympathy with th,
common necessities of life. If {
new ratio is necessary why not re
duce the quantity Of gold in oul
coin as was found expedient il
1894 when the pure gold in thC
eagle was reduced from 2l75 grains
TO 232 grains, and in 1887 when 1
was further reduced to 222..
grains, while the amount of pur,
silver in the standard dollar, mad,
the unit Of value in 1892, was nev
er changed till 1873 when it wa
dishonored 10y the robbery of tina
year? After thirty years of peri
odical financial legislation, ever,
act Of which has been to max
money more valuable in its rela
tion to property to oppress tn
debtor for the benefit of the crol
itor-is it strange that the mnsse
of people who have suffered thes
repeated wrongs should turn an,
assert their rights and demand tina
justice which has so lodg been de
ni5d them. National, state an
individual honor does not consis
in legislation to promote the inter
ests of one class at the expense Q
the others.