Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1895-09-11
TO STIR UP ENVY.
A Philadelphia Paper Tries to Create a
Glass Prejudice.

Class Prejudice.
The Philadelphia Manufacturer is op-
posed to our present standard of value,
and is trying to secure the adoption of
what it calls "bimetallism, but what
would in reality be a single silver stand
ard. Writing of the fall in prices, which
is claimed by silverites to be due to the
use of gold as a measure Of values, The
Manufacturer says, "a dollar Of high
purchasing power is a good thing only
for nonproducers, " and argues that the
dollar has been given artificially high
purchasing power solely that the few
might enrich themselves at the expense
Of the many"
This attempt to create class preju-
dice against the gold standard on the
ground that it was designed to benefit
few nonproducers at the expense OF
the many would be more appropriate
for Populist or socialist paper than
journal published for business men.
Not only arc the statements untrue, but
they are designed to appeal to the envy
and hatred of those who think that
their failure is due to the success Of
others This is not the temper in which
the important question of money is TO
he discussed and settled.
The claim that only nonproducers are
benefited bya dollar Of high purchasing
power is so manifestly absurd that it is
hardly worthy of contradiction. There
are about 25,000,0 600 adults in this
country, Of whom ninety mine one-hun-
dredths are producers. The millions Of
working men and women in mills, fac
tories and stores and ON railroads and
steamboats, are all producers Are they
not benefited by receiving their wages
in dollars which will buy large amount
Of goods, instead Of the reverse? Will
The Manufacturer have the audacity to
say that n cheap dollar which would
buy less goods would be greater bene-
fit to this host Of producers?
Then we have the great agricultural
interest, with its millions Of workers
producing grain, cotton, etc. No one
will deny that they are producers. Yet
are they not benefited by receiving mon
ey which has high purchasing power?
Is there a farmer in America who does
not want, so far as he is personally con-
cerned, the dollars which will buy most
of all the things which he consumes? If
there are any who prefer the other kind
they could easily be accommodated with
Mexican dollars, which will only buy
90 cents worth of goods in this country.
There is absolutely no basis for the
charge that the value Of our present dol
lar has been artifcially increased. Gold
as money is worth just as much as in
bullion, and no more. Its value is not
affected by law, and is therefore who'll
ly untrue that it is designed to enrich
the few at the expense Of the many. The
money Of this country is the same for
rich and poor 1t gives no favor to any
class, nor does it discriminate against
the few or the many. 1t serves the in
terests Of all alike, and only demagogues
will pretend that it is maintained for
the benefit of nonproducers or a limited
class of rich men. A standard Of values
which measures alike the workingman' S
wages, the farmers products and the
manufacturer goods cannot, with fair
ness, be said to artifcially reduce prices
in the interest of any class.