The representative., 1895-04-03
FREE SILVER.
HOW ITCAN BE ACCOMPLISHED
What 1t Means-What Would Be
the Results.

In referring to Coin, page III, 'Ine
law of 1873 made gold the unit; OF
value and that is the law today. When
silver was the unit of value gold en-
joyed free coinage and was legal tender
in the payment of all debts. NOW
things have changed. Gold is the unit
and silver does not enjoy free coinage:
1t is refused at the mints. we might
get along with gold as the unit IL silver
enjoyed the same privileges gold dld
prior to 1873" page 81 both were
legal tender in payment for all deDts
and the mints were open to the colh-
age of all that came. So that up 10
1873 we were on what was know as
bimetallic basis, but what was in fact
a silver basis with gold as compan-
ion metal, enjoying all the privileges
of silver, except that silver fixed the
unit. and the value of gold was regu-
lated by it,
I thought after I had read Coin
that understood the fiancial ques-
tion, but in looking it up find that l
am as far in the dark as ever.
II understand what l have quoted
we could leave gold the standard and
make silver legal tender, with free
coinage, the same as gold enjoyed
when silver was the standard, then
would not silver find it's value Qeaving
out ratiO) on it's merits according to
the standard of gold?
Or to put it in another light, allow
ing coinage as not being government
function, would it not be open to any
one to refuse to accept silver II 1t was
not of the value as claimed by the Sill
YER men and would it not be impoSsl-
BILE to make more of it than it would
really be worth and find Its own level
whether it be 16 to or 81 to 1.
Am l to understand that h0t IS
what the bimetallist would be willing
to accept (Coin says that the ratio is
of no importance) and what would be
the result? Yours, ?.
Duluth, March 90.
We would say, in reply to our cor
respondent, that it seems to us that it
is matter of very little moment
whether "the unit of value" is gold or
silver, if we have free coinage for both
metals and both are legal tender for
all debts, public and private. When
ever silver bullion can be exchanged
at the mints for a silver coin called a
dollar the amount of silver bullion in
that dollar is at once equal to dollar
in value. AS we have said thousand
times, no man would sell his silver
bullion for less than 100 cents on the
dollar, when he could get 100 cents on
the dollar for it in full legal tender
coin at the mint. This is as plain as
a pike-staff. And whenever silver is
worth intrinsically one-sixteenth of a
corresponding weight of gold the
whole monetary problem is solved.
The one becomes Interchangeable for
the other on terms of equality; what
one can do the other can do. 1t is the
free coinage and the legal tender-prin-
ciple that equalizes them. II the gov
ernment'was to issue pieces Of leather,
and stamp each one: '"This is receiv-
able for dollar in payment of all
debts, public and private" they would,
of course, be worth dollar, because
they would perform as good service as
any other dollar; and
'The value of thing
Is Just as much a. it will bring"
Therefore it seems to us that the
unit of value amounts to nothing if
the silver unit is worth as much as the
gold unit.
1t was the Piutocracy, who corrupt
ing Congress, demonetized silver. and
denied it access to the mints, on the
same terms as gold, and thereby dis
eliminated against it, and silver fell
in value. Remove the discrimination
and it will at once rise to it's old stand
ard. Remonetize silver and demone
tie gold and gold void fall.
Let us make a comparison. Red
headed men exist in the community
on perfect terms of equality with al
other kinds of men. But let the law!
deny the red-headed men the right tt
vote, or use the courts to enforce thei
rights, and how long would it be be
fore they would fall into degraded
and servile condition, with no right
that any other man would be bount
to respect?
So with silver. 1t has fallen becaus,
it was disseminated against.
The cure for our hard times is t.
make silver equal to gold at the olt
ratio of 16 to l. The way to do thi
is to give silver all the rights of acces
to the mints, ETC., that gold possesses
That done the tricks Of Plutocrac,
will be swept to the winds as if by tn
bosom Of the Almighty, and, with al
abundant supply of currency, the sur
of prosperity will once move shine re
splendent in the land. All that i
needed is to put silver back where i
stood in 1873, before the Bank of Eng
land. with 100000 of corruption
money, bribed our Congress to strik
it down; and let the people have a
full a supply of currency per capita a
the most favored nation in the world
But it will be said that if we re
monetized silver it would be worth 10
cents on the dollar on this side of tn
Atlantic and worth only As cents o.
the dollar on the other side. Indeed
Where would all the sharp fellows b
that they would not buy up the As
silver and ship it over here and ge
100 cents for it? Why? Because tn
moment our mints were opened t
silver and the holder of silver acrOs