Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-08-08
A SEARCH LIGHT.
looking for ssound Money and Dennin.
Its PrerOgative.

Its PreroSative.
If there is any organ OF Shylockism
in this region or in this country that
knows what the term sound" money
means, we respectfully ask him, her
or it to answer the questions which we
propose to ask. If we have sound
money now, what sort of money did
we have in 1892? What sort did we
have in 1873? Does or does not the
term '.sound" money refer to the pur-
chasing power of the dollar? If yes.
does it refer to the highest or the low
est purchasing power of the dolla r? IT
no. to what. then, does the term refer?
Would the dollar still be '.sound" it
prices of commodities were to rise to
the level of 1878?
The organs will bear in mind that
the gold dollar would buy not quite
half the quantity of commodities in
1873 that it will buy in 1895. This
means, of course, that we had in 1878
what the Shylocks now call a fifty
cent dollar. 1t means, too. that we
had ffty-cent dollar in 1880, and, as
compared with the present purchasing
power of the dollar, that we had a
sixty-cent dollar in 1892.
We call the attention of the organs
to this singular fact-that although
the dollar was tremendously depre-
ciated in 1878 and as late as 1892, none
of the Shylocks called attention to the
fact. What was the matter with them?
We're they sleeping over their precious
interests?
Nobody talked about the fifty-cent
dollar in 1873, for nobody had ever
heard of such an incongruity. The
fifty-cent gold dollar was at a pre-
MUM over the thirty-cent greenback
dollar, and it seemed to the banks and
the Shylock class of that day to be the
most precious thing that had ever been
invented up to that hour. The entire
Wall street gang were ready to sell
their naked souls for it at any hour of
the day; but we are now informed by
the same gang and its agents that
dollar with the purchasing power of
the gold dollar of 1873 would now be
ffty-cent dollar and place this country
on level with Mexico-though it is
we'll known that the Mexican silver
dollar will purchase larger amount
of commodities in the United States in
1895 than the American gold dollar
would purchase in 1873.
In view of these facts, which none of
the organs can dispute. the question,
what is sound dollar becomes of
extreme Importance. In 1873 seventy
Ave gold dollars would buy a bale of
cotton. In 1895, when part of the
crop was still in the hands of the farm
ers, twenty-five gold dollars would buy
bale of cotton. In 1894 only twenty
gold dollars would buy 500 pounds of
cotton. But in 1853, when gold, the
| money of the bankers, would buy less
than one-third as much, nobody called
! it unsound money. Why? Will the
organs venture to tell us?
''If sound money means the high
est purchasing power of the dollar
| and it can mean nothing else-it means
| that the Shylock class and its organs
| are doing all they can to keep down
prices to their present profitless level.
| And that, in fact. is the end and aim
of this whole gold-bug campaign. The
| whole purpose of the money power
the element that boards and handles
all the gold in the worlds to make
their money just as valuable as posi-
| BILE. ''Sound" money is the money that
| is SO scarce that it commands a con-
stantly increasing quantity of the prod
ucts of the labor of the people.
The agents and organs of Shylock
tell us that the free coinage of silver
would give the people deprecated
and dishonest dollar. Deprecated as
to what? Why, as to its purchasing
power. The claim is made that if the
dollar will purchase less of the prod
ucts of the peoples labor than it does
now it would be dishonest" dollar.
In other words only an ''honest" dollar
and a sound currency can have the
effect of depreciating the prices of
commodities and of cutting down the
profits of the peoples labor. The
theory is now boldly set forth that 12H
cents a pound for cotton and 81
bushel for wheat means ''dishonest''
dollar and ''depreciated" currency.
The people must submit to deprecated
and dishonest prices for their products
in order to give the money power an
opportunity to double the value of the
money it has invested in bonds and
other loans
We do not think the people can de-
ceive themselves or be deceived in this
matter. What Shylock and his agents
are trying to do is to hold prices at
their present level. Otherwise there is
no sense or logic in the cry for ''sound"
money. Gold prices mean low prices,
and gold, or the gold parity, is the only
sound money according to the gold
bugs. Consequently, the gold dollar
of 1878 was not a sound dollar. It was
so cheap that given quantity of COM
modities would purchase nearly three
times as much of it as it can purchase
of the present gold dollars. But the
gold dollar of to-day, with its trebled
purchasing power, is held up before
the people as the only sound money.
Now. the people will have to make
up their minds to choose between the
free and independent coinage of silver
and the gold money that makes low
prices and hard times. If they want
low prices and hard times, all they
have to do is to sit still and wait The
agents of Wall street and the money
power viii see that they get a contin-
uation of these blessings. Shyloc k is
as active as gray spider in a fodder
sta OK
On the other hand, if the people
want sound prices and honest profits,
they will have to help along the free
coinage movement and make it sue
cessful, for if that fails they will have
no remedy whatever. They will have
to do as the pauper population does
grin and bear it and wear old clothes.
Alta nta constitution.
To the Point.