Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-02-28

4 commerce and pay his employees In tho
cheap money which 10 to be forced upon
| us, and retain the difference. This " wnat
| II being done In India and In Mexico anu
| in some of the South American countries,
und owing to the ignorance OF the peop'e
there and the slow way In which intor-
nation and education Increase shey hase
been able 80 far to make something Ia
this way: but the American people arr
! more intelligent, and viii not long suu ~.
to being cheated In this manner. ins
man or woman who earns a fixed salary,
whether by the year. month. or DAY, 10
the last who will get any benefit from "a
rise in prices like this. There are to'v''"o
people in this country. Ninety-h'e ~.
cent. of these, probably, depend Tor their
suuport and existence upon q nxed IN
come They are not going TO SUBMIT 70
the payment Of that fixed Income III y
deprecated currency In order ,nar sne
other per cent. may make money. i.eie
orc < os,1 ofso EMPLOYEES In the manufactur-
ing concerns in this country: 'nere arc
900. 900 employees of railroads; these o.,
600 90 Woodworking people enjoy nAeu
salary; IL may be 5000 a month"; IL may
be 500, or II may be 81 day; whate'er
n N. Il Is paid to-day In the money oi
the world.
WHAT A SILVER BASIS WOULD d.
The dollar which the laborer gets In the
manufacturing towns OF Illinois or OH lhc
farms Of Indiana is good In all tne com,
mercial markets of the world. and with
Il he can buy his supplies and the ne
cessaries OF life for their value IN goiu'
but II we were launched upon free sii-
yer he would have TO buy MS supplies
and the necessaries OF life upon the si'e'
basis. and trust TO getting his pay ad-
yapced to correspond. II is this very fact
to-day, that labor Is paid on silver
basis. that Is depressing and degrading
the labor in India. In Mexico, and IN
South America. and grinding 1t down TO
the lowest possible point. Are the Gork-
ingmen and men with fixed salaries In
this country going 10 submit TO a like
scheme OF robbery?
The capitalist can take care or himselr,
for with his wealth he Is able to so change
his Investments and make his contracts
as not TO suffer. But, for the sake OF the
political sdventurer. for the financial
boomer who has struck bad luck. shall we
debase our currency, degrade ourselves to
the level of a South American republic.
and rob IS per cent. OF our people who
depend for their support upon fixed
compensation?
There can be no question. II ever Il Is
understood by the people. but that they
will with practical unanimity be in favor
of an honest dollar. The greenbacks must
be retired: silver used for our internal
commerce. but a silver that the govern
ment redeems In and makes as good as
gold. The great mass of the people OF
this country must have an honest dollar.
and that dollar must be. as | stated in
the beginning. one that Is good In any
OF the commercial markets OF the world.
and one which melted in the refining
pot will bring 100 cents wherever it is
sold.
There are some great epochs In the his
tory OF our country in which great adj
vantaees were secured for the masses.
Prominent among them was the restora-
ton OF our credit and currency CEN
fury since by George Washington, aided
by Alexander Hamilton. his great Secre-
tary OF the Treasury. Another was the
defeat OF the greenback imitation in 1874
by General Grant. and the resumption Of
specie payments later. when. perhaps. he
served his country better than upon the
of Virginia. Side by side with
these achievements will be written the
heroic efforts Of Grover Cleveland to save
our national honor from the assaults of
the financial cranks of the present Con-
gress. He may have made mistakes. we
may not approve of the means used to
accomplish the end. but underlying all
Is the honest purpose and the courageous
resolve which will be recorded in history
ana read with pride by future Ameri-
cans long after the hand OF oblivion shall
nave kindly obiiterated the weaknesses
ana iolIies q the present Congress.