Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-12-05


lish an era of Observation-Disclosures in
politics. he will have accomplished
something for which men of all par
ties will commend him.
The address adds no new feature to
the controversy. There Is no new
fact stated, no new argument advanc-
ed. 1t is an able presentation OF the
position the gold men occupy, but
when we refuse to ao init their prem
ises it follows that we cannot be fore
ed to their conclusions. He assumes,
without discussion. that the change OF
the monetary unit in this country in
1873 from silver to gold was right; it
follows as corollary that there was
nothing wrong in taking fifty cents
from every dollars worth of property
in the land by adding that amount to
the dollar by which commercial trans
actions are measured. He can see
| where those who handle the markers
sumes that others will be advantaged
to like extent; but the farmer and
wage-earner, who have had their
debt paying capacity reduced one
half, and the value of their property
as expressed by these units divided
by two, fail to understand how they
are benefited. The fact has never
been successfully controverted that
the gold unit enhanced the value of the
money of the country by fifty per cent,
that the creditor class was greatly ben
Gifted thereby, and that the debtor
classes had their burdens correspond
ingly increased. We find it difficult to
think this was right or just, or that
the standard that accomplished it Is a
blessing to the country.
The bullion value of the silver dol
lar, under the present gold standard,
is about fifty cents; but. as our friend
and Secretary Carlisle we'll know, this
is due to the enormous appreciation of
gold because of the devolving upon it
of the function of being the only prim-
airy money. The fact remains that the
bullion of the silver dollar buys as
much of every article not trust pro-
tected as 1t did in 1878, which dispos-
es of the assumption that the silver
mine owner has anything to gain ex-
cept in common With other people by
free coinage, unless he be in debt; for
If fifty cents worth of silver will buy
as much under the gold standard as
the dollar did under the bimetallic
standard, he has no especial reason to
demand a restoration of silver, and
these men are spending no money on
its behalf.
1t seems to US that the Secretary was
particularly unfortunate in his allu-
sion to England. That country from
her limited territory early engaged in
the business of making wares for the
rest of the world. She has become the
worlds factory, and is now creditor
of the nations of the earth to the ex-
tent of ten billions of dollars, as meas
ured by the gold standard. OF course
she wants this Indebtedness paid to
her in the dearest money possible to
obtain. But what has been the effect
upon her producing classes? Her
farms are now mortgaged to their full
value. and the burden has become so
| intolerable to the land owner that it is
gravely proposed to have the govern
rnent assume the mortgage indebted
ness of the country, which amounts to
about two thousand million dollars,
and to cut the interest upon it to a
| mere nominal sum! This is done to
prevent. the masses from rising up
against the single gold standard. With
this class it seems to be an unappre-
ciated blessing.
Mr.. Carlisle assumes that our coin
Indebtedness can be paid in gold alone,
and refuses to treat silver money as
an asset, and by that means has thrown
the doors of the treasury wide open to
the raider. Should he redeem the
greenback in coin, either gold or sill
yer. at the option of the Treasury De-
partment, We would hear no more
about the necessity for the retirement
of the greenback. 1t looks like the
conspiracy of T3 to get rid of silver is
being supplemented by the conspiracy
of '93 to get rid of the greenback.
| The training which has made our
friend one of our foremost finan-
ciers has rendered him less competent
than he otherwise would be to look at
the money question from the stand
point of national welfare. The man
who follows a special calling is very
apt to regard the prosperity of his
line of business as necessary to the
welfare of the nation, and without
giving due consideration to how the
legislation he deems essential would
affect other lines of business. The
average common sense of the nation
will settle the silver-Question, and set
tie it Alright. The people of Missouri.
without exception, will agree that the
gentleman concerned is good man to
deposit their money with, but are not
disposed to accept the legislation he
recommends as being safe or just.