The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1895-05-11
DEBTOR AND CREBIfOR.
To the Editor Of the scimItar.

To the Editor Of the Scimitar.
II seems 10 me that in bringing Il
bear arguments in favor of an homes
dellar, too much stress is laid on thl
science Of finance. II Is impossible 4
get the ordinary voter, one of whom
am, to understand the causes and ef
fects Of the ebb and flow of currency
Our free silver friends have the I'D
vantage Of US in this respect. Al
they have to do Is to remind thei
hearers that before 1878 times wer'
good, and that now times are hard
and all that 10 necessary to producs
plenty er money with which TO pa,
debts is 10 remonetize silver. The,
forget 10 state that during Cleveland''
irss administration that country ex
perienced perhaps the most prosper
Gus period Of its existence. 1t Is al
most equally as useless to try to con.
vince the debtor that II is not honesl
10 force creditor to take cheap dol
lar for his debt. The matter must bs
brought closer home to them In Z
plain, business way. The man whc
owes anything and isvors free coinage
of silver must be shown that be Is sim.
ply serving notice on his creditor that
he Intends, If be can do so, to force
him. the creditor, to take for bis debt
an amount Of silver money which will
only purchase one-half as much corn
whela, dry goods, or any other CON-
modify as The present value of the
debt would purchase. For instance:
A farmer owes $1,000, balance due
on farm purchased several years ago,
The note becomes due. The farmer
goes to bis creditor aud says to him.
"Mr. b.. the $1,000 note you hold
against me Is due. haven't the
money to pay you, but have 1000
bushels of wheat, which | will give
you In full payment of the note. II
Is true rhe wheat is only worth $500,
but that is not my fault. 1t would be
worth $1,000, perhaps. II Sherman
hadn't sneaked bis decentralization bill
through Congress"
Well, but / didn't have anything TO
do with demonetizstlon of silver,n re-
plies Mr.. B "You owe me 81 900 In
money, with which | eau get 1000
bushels of wheat II you will pay me
now. | won't take your 1000 bushels
Of wheat. You must pay me my
money. | don't care whether 1t is IN
gold, silver or greenback, but | must
have 1t now."
"Well," says Mr.. Farmer, "as wheat
is not legal tender, | can't force you
to take 1t for your debt, but | will
send man to Congress and have him
pass a free silver bill which will enable
me to sell my wheat for 81 900 In sill
yer, and you will have to take that or
nothing"
II seems TO me that should be con-
elusive to man who Is honest, and
who wants 10 pay an honest debt In an
honest way. A great many cannot see
why q debt paid III silver coined free
at 16 to ! Is not as good as one paid in
gold, but 1t seems to me that any one
ought to see that it would not be
right TO force o creditor to take the
value of 1000 bushels of wheat for a
debt that is worth 1000 bushels.
But suppose the dishonesty OF the
transaction doesn't appeal to the debt
or, what will be the result II he per-
sists in having his cheap money law
passed?
Mr.. B. says to Mr.. Farmer: "But |
don't propose TO wait until you can
pass a law that will enable you to
force me to take the value Of 1000
bushels of wheat for the value Of 1000
My claim Is due, and If you don't pay
me at once | will foreclose my mort
gage end sell your farm"
He accordingly proceeds through
the regular channels in cases of this
kind, and as this Same thing would
be going on wherever there are debt
ors and creditors OH account of the
panic that would inevitably result
from the passage of free silver law,
or even from the danger of one that
1t would most likely take not only all
the farmers wheat, but bis farm also,
to satisfy the mortgage, whereas under
present circumstances he could have
paid half the debt with the 1000 bush
els, and the creditor would have wait
ed, for the balance as long as II was
secure.
IT. debtor should tell his creditor
that be was making arrangements to
force him to take half the value of his
debt in full settlement, The creditor, II
he believed him, would say he was a
fool tor telling 1t, aud would at once
proceed to collect before the debtor
could carry out bis intention.
In short, any debtor who advocates
free silver at 16 to Is serving notice
on his creditor that be intends to pay
bis debt in money that will buy ac-
cording to bis own argument only
one. half of what II will buy under
present conditions. Of course that
would be financially very greatly to
the benefit of the debtor If be could
first have o law passed suspending the
collection of debts until the mlnts
could grind out two or three bilious
of silver, which would only be mat
ter of ten or fifteen years.
Iwish to give these remarks TO your
readers as the principal reasons why |
am opposed to free coinage, in hopes