Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-09-19
TO STIR UP ENVY.
A Philadelphia Paper Tries to Create u
Class Prcjudioe.


Class Prejudice.
Tho Philadelphia Manufacturer is OPP
posed to our present standard of value,
and is trying to secure tho adoption of
what it calls "bimetalliSm, " but what
would in reality be n single silver stand
ard. Writing of the fall in prices, which
is claimed by silverites to be due to tho
use of gold as measure of values, Tho
Manufacturer says, "A dollar of high
purchasing power is good thing only
for nonproducers, and argues that "tho
dollar has been given artiiicially high
purchasing power solely that tho few
might enrich themselves at the expense
of the many"
This attempt To create class preju
dico against tho gold standard ON tho
ground that 1t was designed to benefit
few nonproducers at tho expense OF
the many would be more appropriate
for Populist or socialist paper than
journal published for business men.
Not only are the statements untrue, but
they are designed to appeal to the envy
and hatred Of those who think that
their failure is duo to the success Of
others This is not tho temper in which
the important question of money is to
be discussed and settled.
The claim that only nonproducers arc
benefited by dollar Of high purchasing
power is so manifestly absurd that IL is
hardly worthy of contradiction. There
are about 25,000,00 adults in this
country, Of whom ninety nine one-hun-
dredths are producers Tho millions of
working men and women i'll mills, fac
tories and stores and on railroads and
steamboats, are all producers. Are they
not benefited by receiving their wages
in dollars which will buy n large amount
of goods, instead of the reverse? Will
Tho Manufacturer have tho audacity to
say that n cheap dollar which would
buy less goods would be greater bene-
fit to this host Of producers!
Then we have the great agricultural
interest. with its millions Of workers
producing grain, cotton, etc. No one
will deny that they are producers. Yet
are they not benefited by receiving mon
ey which has high purchasing power?
Is there u farmer in America who does
not want, so far M he is personally CON
cerned, the dollars which will buy most
Of all the things which he consumes? IL
there are any who prefer the other kind
they could easily be accommodated with
Mexican dollars, which will only buy
81 cents worth Of goods in this country.
There is absolutely no basis for tho
charge that the value Of our present dol
lar has been artifcially increased Gold
as money is worth just M much as in
bullion, and no more Its value is not
affected by law, and it is therefore who'll
ly untrue that il is designed to enrich
tho few at the expense Of the many The
money Of this country is tho same for
rich and poor. 1t gives no favor to any
class, nor does il discriminate against
the few or the many. 1t serves the in
terests Of all alike, and only demaRogues
will pretend that it is maintained for
the benefit Of nonproducers or limited
class of rich men. A standard Of values
which measures alike the workingman =
wages, the farmers products and the
manufacturer goods cannot, with fair
ness, be said to artifcially reduce prices
in the interest Of any class.