Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-03-01
SOME POINTS OVERLOOKED. .

N''N'N- NV fi'tA'A l't.fhN't 'tFRf' ifiFNii'i
Osband, in the last weeks issue of the
fpsllantian, again argues Tor the gold
standard He admits our contention
that perfection is not reached in the
standard thermometer, but adds, lit is
nevertheless true that the united effort
of the scientific world mas been to make
an instrument a nearly ioYariable a.
possible, and the value set upon such
an instrument is in proportion to lis
approach To the ideal standard. I'm
the same spirit and for the same reason
the financial world has chosen gold as
Il standard of value. The very fact of
this effort shows the importance at
tachcd to constant value in any stand
ard, and no method of argument can
disprove it. Fluctuations cannot, in
logic or in fact, he properly predicated
of any standard, for admitting their
possibility ends their usefulness as a
measure of value or volume, as we
clearly showed in preceding article
If gold lluctuates in value, then it
Is not the standard of measurement.
and the claim that we are on "A gold
basis is without warrant in fact 1t
seems incredible that our good friend
Chase does not see that when he says
gold has appreciated he is using some
thing else as the standard while treat
my gold as a commodity. 1t ought to
be evident TO Is close a student a he
is known to be. If this is the case,
then the question arises as to the rela-
tive merits of gold and the standard
he has chosen
1t is true-and "our good friend
Chase" has never lost sight of it--that
we do assume other standards, in turn
selecting every commodity which has
value. a means of determining laws of
variability in value of commodities,
and the decree of variation or approx
nation to invariability of things as
sumed as standards. While contend
inc that value in standards is proper
toned to their approach to inyariabil.
ity, we contend as strongly, and with
volumes of evidence to support the con-
tention, that no commodity-and GER
tainly gold in less degree than silver
makes close approximation to invaria-
bllity in value. 1T seems incredible
that our good friend" Osband should
assume that the mere selection of gold
by the conspiracy and covert influence
with legislative bodies on the part of a
few money kings whom he dignifies
with the appellation, "the financial
worldr-that the mere selection of
gold as standard, we say, should
make that commodity fixed in value
and remove it from the realm of inilu-
ences which cause fluctuations in value.
at ought to be evident to so close a
student As he is known to be- that all
values are relative; that no value lis
fixed and that the mere assumption Of
one commodity as standard does not
change its variable character except in
this respect: that financial consprators
are tempted. when once it is made n
sole standard, to enhance its value by
the process known as "cornering," that
they may gain thereby what the rest OF
the world must lose.
Brother Osband is familiar with the
fact that all motion in the universe, as
we know it, is relative; that there is nc
known fixed point in space by which
to estimate absolute motion. The
Ptolemaic astronomers assumed the
earth as the fixed point from which &c
reckon motions-as a standard il
you please; but this assumption does not
make the earth fixed point in space
With the earth as standard, they traced
motion of the sun, moon and stars in
circles, and that of the planets as 9
Topped epicycloidal notion Later
Copernicus selected the sun as the fixed
point, and greatly simplifed the
motions of all bodies of the solar
system. Closer inspection showed
that the stars themselves had apparent
motions, such motion, indeed, a.
could be accounted for only by supposine
that the sun itself has a motion toward
a certain point in the heavens at the
rate of 100 100000 miles per year
But here our Investigations as to motor
are INSTRUCTED by inaccuracies of in
struments, and we can proceed no far
Their. We do not know but the sun
with its attendant planets and all the
visible stars are sweeping through
space in some other direction; but we
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