New-York tribune., 1895-02-11
A BOLD FIAT MAN.
COURAGEOUS AS LION IN STATING
HIS CASE.

But. OH HOW UNABLE TO CCNCEi'E irE '
AND HOW UNWILLING TO LOOK THE
FACTS souARELY IN THE FACE!
,From The Weekly Tribune)
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: I am interested in your recent articles U"
financial questions not because agree win 'he"'
hut because most OF them SAVIOR OF candor anu arc
fairly Logical
Mr.. Horr was well known to me while we were
both residents o. Michigan His reply 10 IL. -
Danforth however. contains a few statements "h''h
j believe will not stand the test OF reason HOE o..
they borne out by better test Of experience.
this subject will not be too long continued oy H.
shall be glad to have Mr.. Horr try to make IL ciear
that "the value OF gold and silver does not depend
largely legislation.
Mr. Horr seems wish to believe that god
has. and always has had. fxed. Intrinsic value-A
value which would remain unchanged even though
gold were demonetizcd throughout the world.
What Is obscure TO me may be Gear as sunlight
10 people blessed with greater powers OF compreheh-
sion than | possess" says Mr.. Horr assert the
same thing To his argument seems to lack
good common-sens and no one would think OF
charging Mr. Horr with lack Of that commodity so
/ conclude We not under standing him.
How is Il also with his test the two dollars by
fire" logic? God is money. because fire Will NOT
burn IT, Paper Is not money because nre VIII purh
H. says Mr. Horr. Let me state the proposition IN
different form. Mr.. Horr's dwelling Is made or soid
Fire will not burn IT, Therefore 1t Is a house My
dwelling Is made OF wood. Fire will burn IT, mere
fore II Is not a house. Will you tel wherein my
reasoning Is any more fault than Mr.. Horrs'
There are verv many people In our country now
who have read much and who have learned 10
reason a little for themselves that they have fallen
into very grave Il Mr.. Iiorrs teachings are
correct. You will not mistake me. am oe'e'ef
in fla, money only. whether made from gold silver
nd hav vet heard A sensible reason
why either kind should be redeemed in any OF the
other kinds Respectfully yours. w. +. BENSoN
Willow Springs. No. Jan. %. 1895.
publish this letter because among the large
number which | receive upon this subject there
~ very seldom whose author has the courage
squarely 70 state that he is Believer IN the
"fat-money" theory. MI Benson evidently has
the genuine disease. ami more than that. ne is
proud Of his aiiment. When n man is once bit
ten with the ma'ady no is instantly afncted
with a peculiar mental condition which shal'
more fully describe in the course OF this article
Mr. Benson first requests mo to make 1t more
clear that 'the value o. gold and silver does
not depend largely upon legislation
had supposed that during the last few years
the truth OF thai proposition had been made as
clear as the demonstration OF a mathematical
rrob,em How can tine proposition be more
clearly proved than by a statement Of the fact
that goii and silver possessed the element OF
value hundreds and thousands ~ years before
there was any legislation upon the subject
They were both used ds money by the pe"pe
Of the civilized world because Of this value dui-
ing all those past ages. When there was no
legislation upon the subject the value OF 'he
two metals nuctuatci precisely the same az 90
all the products of human labor The law ~
supply and demand controlled tho price o' eich
r,e,aI as {, d,d the p,ice' ~ wheat ami barley.
Since the world has been legislaiing upon me
question OF money no laws have ever yet been
enacted which have prevented such nuctuaion
OF value no ratio between the value of the Two
metals has eNe- yet been ma a.ntalh"' c"hS''""S
in the business word.
II rold and silver became valuable without the
AID of legislation and 4 the Intervention ~
legislation has never -. been ahle TO hS the
vslue Of either what N re IL needed TO establish
the truth Of my propostion'
assert that such has been the experience or
the past: and | further assert that no one who
has examined the question with any care VIII
deny the facts
is GOLD UNCHANGEABf.E7
Mr. Benson saws: MIR. iiorr seems 10 want us
IN heIIeye that gold has and always has mad IA
fixed intrinsic value" Herr Is an evidence ~ ihe
necullar ma,ady with which all "hatmoney
mem appear - hs afflicted They get into such
a state u mind that IT seems impossible for them
IN state accurately the position az an opponent.
When and where did ! ever state that god
had a fixed Interchangeable value? II there -
any one thing which have repeated over ana
over again N my writings upon this subject II
is the statement that no product known 10 the
world has a "dxed." unchangeable value. All
the products Of human labor are subject to
fluctuations IN value have frequently stated
that weights distances. measures can be nNed Dy
N. uncbangeable laws ~ nature. bat that there
,s No such law which can be applied 20 value
have never glycr as a reason why gold has
come 10 be used as the measure o! value III iEe
whole civilized worl1 that It's value Is unchange-
able What have stated * that II has come to
be so used because such VALUE Is LESS
CHANGEABLE than that Of any other article
known 10 the human race. which has the other
qualities needed 10 make II useful as money ~
that statement true or not"
VIII some one name an article when pos
sesses all these qualities equally with god! Inc
moment any one shall discover an article p'''''
adapted TO the uses Of the world az money man
is gold, the people OF the world Will use '"s'
article for that PURPOSE ard they Will do IL IN
spite OF all the legislation on the face OF '''e
earth.
Neither did / say anywhere that II '"e
whole world by legislation. should demohe'iNe
gold that II would not IN the least change '"e
value OF that metal. What I have stated ~
this that | did net believe II The United states
Government alone should demonetze gold ina,
such a law would affect its price perceptibly any
where on the face OF the earth; and have aso
stated repeat tedly tha; did not believe the com
bined nations OF the world could restore the Ola
ratio OF value which Is that OF IS to !. between
the two metals gold and silver.
I repeat all those propositions now, and am
just as sure that they are true az have been al
any time when have heretofore made them
Cannot Mr.. Benson see that my statement -
different from the one he attributes to me? III
a discussion OF this kind II Is always best 10 as
..asitiau ,rhich ane,s annapeni has actm.