The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-07-16
PRICES Would GO UP
Eject of Free Silver on the Cost
of Living.
Doubling the Volume of Money Would
Really Add But $50 to $1,000,
Circulating Medium Actually
Lowered 4i-2 Per Gent.
Facts to Ponder.

isilyor is made, it seems to me, honestly
Ianq sincerely by a large body Of our fell
low citizensin other parts of tho country
iaRd some of them in this part Of the
country. desire to give them the great
Jest credit for sincerity in their belief.
wish to testify that from my acquaint-
lance with large number of these peo-
lplc I have failed to find that any con-
siderable number wish to do wrong or
Ito'aeal unjustly by any other portion Of
lourspeople They do feel that there are
ioertain evils from which they wish to
escape, and it has been suggested to
Ithen that by some legerdemain Of gov
isrn1nent dealing with our currency that
they could escape from the evils of which
they complain
! Now, the chief evil of this complaint
us low prices. Now, nobody over really
complains Of low prices when he wants
10 buy anything, and nobody who has
anything to sell ever complains of high
PRICES.
\ asut we, find that communities as @
whole combine all their energies to
sraake prices Us n whole low. Individual
members Of every community arc labor
lingto make prices of particular things
they want to sell high, but when com
fmunities act together they are trying TO
make prices low.
But IL this be true if the general effort
of communities is to make prices low {;
If that is tho reason that we have grant
ed railroad charters in order to bring
the products Of the distant parts Of tho
country to our doors at low prices: il
that is the reason we built tho Eric
canal; If that is the reason that We have
made transportation on the Erie canal
absolutely free, taxing the people of tho
state in order that it may be free; if that
81 the reason that we have built our
highways and made them free; if that is
the reason TINT we are doing thousand
aid one other things-then why in the
name OF reason should government DO
appealed to to do something about one
thing in order to make prices high?
= Why, in regard to this ono thing.
should there be grand exception to all
the other things that government does
in and about our affairs and our products
and the things that we buy and sell?
do not concede that it would be to
our advantage as whole that govern
1nent could double the price of our bread
tomorrow. And yet this is the PROPOSE
tion that is made. l doubt if in this
city you could find dozen votes outside
of the bakers shops in favor of doubling
tho price of bread tomorrow. And vet,
that is the great thing that underlics
this argument Why, see that Senator
Stewart said the other day that young
men were not marrying SO much now as
they used to because we did not have
free silver.
Free silver-what will it do, accord
ing to Senator Stewart? Why. it will
make thntyoung man If hecontemplated
matrimony expect to have all the ex-
penses of his household, from his brides
outfit and the new coat he bought for
the ceremony and so ON through all his
domestic arrangements even to the
baby's cradle, made moro dear. Do Won
think that would be an inducenent to
matrimony? Then they say that the
amount OF money regulates prices. Docs
1T have any great effect upon prices if it
is good money!
All the time we hear, and believe
thae 1t is uncontradicted. that about o
per cent of all the transactions of tho
people of this country are, made in mon
ey. All the rest of the transactions are
made with the other media-cheoks,
notes and all kinds of things. If this is
true, suppose we could double the amount
OF money IN IN instant, what would we
have done? We would have doubled
per cent of the whole. What would we
have added? Wewould have added 6 Der
cent to the whole. In 81 900 what would
we have added? We would have added
800. But suppose in adding that $50
Jon have disturbed the minds of men SO
that the other so per cent was diminish
ed, as has been done from time to time
during the last few years. Suppose you
apply your percentage to $3.50, 900 and
ant that in two, owing to the uncertain
ty you have oreatedin the minds of men
as to the quality Of their money; SUP.
pose you have only affected 1t by 10 per
cent-what is thespesult? Why, you have
diminished that by SEQ. and when you
come toadd the $50 that you have cred
tied by doubling your money and deduct
your 500 you will find that you are $40
worse off than when you started. You
are 10 per cent worse of so far as the
medium that really transacts
your affairs is concerned. That is one Of
tho great reasons why we find these
great disturbances in business when men
tamper with the currency.
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