The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-06
An abandoned Arrument.

An Abandoned Argument
We do not see any more statements in
the silver organs about IS cent cotton and
! 20 cent wheat The fact that within the
last two months wheat has advanced more
than 90 per cent. and cotton fully 30 Per
cent. while silver has advanced only ,
per cent. has absolutely destroyed the ar
gument urged so persistently for a while
by the silverites that prices Of farm pro-
ducts depend upon silver. There is moth
ing clearer now than that silver has moth
ing whatever 20 do with t. price OF wheat
or cotton or any other product. II the de-
monetization Of silver in 1873 caused prices
10 fall the prices OF all commodities would
have fallen. 1t is 2 fact. that no silver
ite that knows anything about the matter
viii deny. that there has been no fall in
the price OF corn since 1873. The price Of
corn is higher now, much higher. than it
was in 1873. and IL is greater farm prod
uct than either wheat or cotton. And the
prices Of many other farm products have
not fallen.
Why there should be anybody in the
south IN favor Of free ana unlimited coin
age by this country alone is a question to
which no silverite has yet been able TO
give a satisfactory answer. The south's
great product is cotton, and cotton must
continue to be sold for gold whatever may
be the outcome Of the silver agi-
tation in this country. We can under
stand why the little silver producing
states should want free silver coinage.
They would like 10 exchange their silver
for the gold that would be sent to this
country to purchase cotton. They would
get the gold and the south would get the
cheap silver dollars. That would be fine
arrangements for the silver mine owners
but a bad one for the south Why should
the south desire to become the dumping
ground for the product Of the silver mine
owners?
What tho south wants to insure her pros
perity is plenty Of sound money-not mon
ey like the silver money Of Mexico. which
huctuates with the price Of silver-but a
stable currency. All the money she could
handle for the development Of her magnif-
cent resources would flow in upon her.
and be invested in business and Industrial
enterprises If she would stand boldly and
squarelx for sound money, because then
her credit would be so high that capital
would come TO her unsolicited. As long
as she allows the impression to go abroad.
however, that she IS willing to be used
by the silver mine owners to folst upon
the country dollars that are only worth
90 eents-dollars whose value would still
be measured by gold and would have one
value one day and another value another
dayTshe cannot expect that capital will
be anxious to get within her grasp.
1t is time for southern men-business
men, professional men and laboring men
to be thinking seriously Of this silver
question, because upon wise settlement
Of it depend the south's prosperity. If the
south should take a stand in behalf Of
sound money the silver craze would disap-
pear at once, because the silver mine
owners. being without hope Of help from
the south, would cease their effort to have
the government put greater value upon
the product of their mines than it has
in the markets Of the world.