Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1895-09-07

give free and unlimited coinage OF
silver at ratio of fG to l, when It's
only in the market 30 to 1? do not
think it does-and Mr.. Parker knows
| it nowhere says SO. Then there IS no
consolation for him from either OF
those references. But Mr. P. ought
at least to have been fair in his state
ment about Abraham, and not made
the impression that father Abraham
was free silver man, for he was
not. | have the record before me
as [ write, and find from Genesis
XIII chapter, that although
Abraham did pay for the field of
Ephron in which to bury his wife,
Sarah, four hundred shekels of silver
current money-yet the transaction
shows that both Ephron and Abra-
ham were so particular that no de-
preciated silver should be passed in the
settlement that the silver was weigh
ed-(gold at that time was - to ~
much less valuable then now. AS
the silver was weighed and gold less
valuable-in order that Ephron
should receive the full price-it
was necessary to weigh the metal ,
and it was done, but Abraham was
as much for gold as silver, he was
rich, very rich in cattle, gold and sill
yer, (see Bible Union Dictionary page
~ and he probably paid in silver
because it was the deprecated metal,
as the silverites want to do now, but
Ephron had the money weighed, and
it was right-and better justice would
now be done by the silverites if they
would follow Abraham's example.
If this case of Abraham is clincher
in favor OF free coinage, what has
Mr.. Parker to say about the trans
actions in gold in Dayid's time
about 1 200 years B. G? The truth is
that the parity between gold and sill
yer has always tluctuated. IL has
been estimated that 40 grains OF
silver in the fourth century, before
Christ, would purchase as much as
4,4OO grains would in England III
1880, but settlements have always
been made until modern times ac-
cording to the real value Of the money
This is not the first time cheap money
craze has started. Aristotle tells us
| il was one of the crimes OF Dionyslus,
coined finland called an assembly
and discussed ON the new coinage and
passed decree against their will that
the people should take it above its
value, but they would not. But the
constitution recognizes silver, and
the seventy-six silverites who met IN
Washington last week say So But
pray tell me where did Mr. p. or any
one else get the idea that the consti-
tuition names gold and silver together
rs the money metals of the u. >.
That instrument gives Congress the
power to coin mOney-but names
neither gold or silver or any other
metal in that connection. The con.
stitution makes no allusion to gold
and silver in connection with coin
age-except where it forbids the
States to make anything else a legal
tender in the payment OF debts, but
| am looking out for the free silver
party to claim a constitutional
mandate for the coinage Of silver at
1G to /. With reference to the con.
ventions relied on in the States Of
Missouri, Mississippi and Texas, as
showing the will OF the people, | will
merely say, that political conven
lions very often do not show the will
of the people and the people are often
fooled by them-as the history Of
Mahoneism showed in our State. But
our Goyernor-C. Il. O'Ferrall, anc
Fitz Lee have just declared in favor
Of sound money and against free
coinage What bearing has this IL
showing which way the tide is run
ming? Perhaps Civis or Mr.. Farkel
will answer.
Very truly, SC,
August 2Gth.