The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-06-06
FALSE PLEADING,
How tho uuwnry arc Caught by tho Catch
Ing Arguments Of tho Free and I'm.
limited Silver Advocates.

hnW thS uuWnry arc Caught ny tho CATCH
Ing Arguments OF tho Free and I'm.
limited silver Advocates.
Philadelphia Pres.
Tho great strength OF tho ailvOr move
mont in tho west and south grows out
Of tho belief that tho FREQ and unlimited
coinage OF silver would, In somo way,
mako it easier for people in debt to sot-
tie with thoir creditors. Excepting for
this belief. so Professionally cultivated by
the leaders in this movement, 1t would
have practically no strength whatever.
Coins Financial School," which la tho
gospel now Of the free silver advocates,
says on Page Ill:
I'VE express values in dollars, tho
unit oil our monetary system. That
unit 10 now the gold dollar OF twenty
two and t%wo'tcnths grains Of pure gold,
or twenty-five and eight.tonths OF stan
dard gold. II We were to cut this
amount in two aud make eleven aud
one-tenth grains pure gold q unit, or
dollar, We would thereby double tho
value OF all the property in the United
States, K ,pt debts"
That is tho question plainly stated.
Persons who arc in dobt are made to
believe that theY can swlndlo their
creditors out OF one-ha lf tho sum owing
to them, while at the Same time tho
debtors will get twice as much for what
they have to seIl. This il so obviously
absurd that it ought not to be necessary
to point out the ialsity oil the statement.
More than once kings have sought by
clipping coins to increase the amount OF
money aud thus in n dishonest way to
pay the debts OF the crown. Every
reader OF history kaowshow dIsastrously
all such experiments proved. Tue free
and unlimited coinage OF silver would
have tho ain effect as clipping our
present coins in two. That such u dis
graceful and dishonest performance
would prove q national calamity is de-
monstratod BY the history OF the past.
II this halyinG process is good for the
coinage OF the country, why not apply
it TO other things? Cut the acre in two
and every farm will be doubled in size.
But would tho owner be any richer?
The coal merchan. might call 1000
pounds OF coal 4 ton, and so on in every
line OF business. Technically each per-
son under that process would have in
name twice as much as he has now.
but is there any sane man who believes
that present conditions would then be
changed for tho better?
The United States alone cannot raise
the price OF silver to any appreciablc
extent. That has been demonstrated
in our purchase under the so-called
Bland and Sherman acts. When We
began the purchase OF S2,000,00 D worth
OF silver 4 month and kept it up for
years the price OF the metal continued
to decline. Then the purchases were
doubled and tho decline continued moro
rapidly. That was proof positive OF tho
hopelcssncss OF any effort on tho part
Of the United States alone to restore
tho price OF silver. Hence free silver
coinage would merely result in the dis
homes: halving process with q view OF
cheating creditors.
But it would not accomplish ever that
to the extent promised. Tho vast mil.
lions owed abroad would have TO be
paid in gold. And prntty much all out
standing contracts in this country
| NOulu w OLl bIc SlIlt ui-l5 UtIGEG SuCE
Il silver Law could be passed. 1t was
shown recently tha. Altgeld, the rich
auarchistic. free coinage governor Of
Illinois, Is making his rents and other
contracts on which money is to be paid
10 him payable "in the equivalent" of
the present dollar-gold. On n free sill.
Yer basis .AltgeId would get two dollars
back ior zach one he now loans. Soma.
tor Stewart. OF Nevada. and other FREQ
silver nabobs have been doing the same
thing. Tho supreme court decided that
all slch,contracis were good and would
have to be paid according to stipulation.
and that Congress has no power to in
validate them.
The rich can easily, under that con
stitutional provision, care for them
selves. But tho workingman would be
paid in the deprecated dollar and his
wages reduced accordingly. Tho debt.
ors would have to pay on a silver ba.
sis two dollars instead OF one. The com.
parativcls poor mon who are advocat.
ing national free coinage would DO tho
meg to lose most by thoir folly. |,
would be only another instance OF dis.
honesty reaping its own reward.