The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-12-25
A COMPLETE ANSWER.
A SILVER DOLLAR ALWAYS
WORTH ONE HUNDRED
CENTS.

(That very able gentleman, Dr. Chris
tian Johnson, editor Of the Willmar,
Mimi. Tribune q paper which ought to
be heartily sustained all over the state,
makes the following complete answer to
an argument which every day is passing
from mouth to ear in all parts of the
United States. Read and hand to your
eighbor.-Ed. Rep)
There are STILL strange as it may au-
pear, men, who would be offended if one
should question their intelligence. who
cannot distinguish between the value Of
raw material and the finished product.
when applied to the money question.
They talk about there being only so
cents, no more, no less, if genuine. no
and heEce pretended to argue that the
silver dollar is only worth so cents. AS
we'll might they argue that watch
spring is only worth two cents because
there is only two cents worth of steel in
it. For it is true that if you want to use
the steel in the watch spring for any 9TH
e. purpose than watch spring, it's value
is only a trifle. So with money. For
money use, the purpose for which it was
coined, 1t matters not one iOta how little
or how much the metal is worth in it. A
full legal tender dollar, is now, has al
ways been, will always be, as long as the
government stands, worth one hundred
cents, no more no less, if genuine, no
matter what material it is made Of This
is self-evident. For full legal tender
dollar will pay 100 cents worth of taxes
to the government and debt to private
parties. And as the demand for dollars
to pay taxes and debts is practically I'M
unlimited no man needs to melt his coin
down for the purpose of realizing the
value of his money.
This talk that the commercial value of
the metal Of which the coin is minted
regulates the coin is utter nonsense
Gold and silver is not coin money, any
more than a chunk of steel is watch
spring.
Gold and silver money, coin, is manu-
featured article The raw material out
of which coin is made is simply a com
modify of bullion and can pay neither
debt nor taxes any more than wheat or
corn.
But after it has passed through the
government mill, called the mint. and Sc
cured the impress of the sovereign coat
OF arms, and according to law is the
money of the land, capa BILE of redeeming
the home from the public tax gathere-
and private creditor. it is something very
different, nobler higher, than mere
commodity. Its value is not guaged by
the value Of the raw material Of which it
is made, but by the uses it can be put to
as money. as medium of exchange of all
other commodities. as a standard of de-
ferred payment and discharger of all
debts public and private
This is why United States silver dol
lar is worth 100 cents. here, or elsewhere
in the world, minus the express charges
Of returning it. although the silver of
which it was made is worth only so cents.
And the full legal tender dollar will al
ways be worth 100 cents. even If the Uni
ted States should coin all the silver in the
world. No matter what silver bullion
might be worth. For the demand for
money in this country is now so enor-
nous and increasing every year, that it
far exceeds any volume Of money that
could be furnished even by all the silver
in the world at 4121a grains to the dollar.
DR.. Harris, United States commission
er of education, declares that the adop-
ton of spelling reform would save two
years out Of the school life of every child
two years that could be given to his
tory, science or other valuable studies
Moreover it, is said that fifteen per cent
Of the cost Of typesetting, pressWork, and
paper would be saved. Surely this IS
worth thinking about, tho, says The
Golden Rule. 1.-The thing wud lux meiti
stranj for teim."