Griggs courier., 1896-08-21

The following letter 10 one Of many
that are daily received BY the Times.
Herald. It is supposed to contain the
strongest free silver argument that can
be addressed to the farmer, and it is
used by the free silver orators with i'm
mense assurance Of its success:
Lincoln, Neb.. Aug. .8:-To the EDITOR:
s1Soo 8 a1S p.ysbie IN swfa money case
q eees osasar9 9 eis
SSss. ef S T. sse Il ..s ia.s S
at So cents per bushel. viii pay half the
!: seduesa to g Sg free Coinage
bushel Of wheat. without any change In
its value. viii be worth 50-cent dollar.
fore, fore. Be- ees able to pay y the entire debt With
paying debt Of $1,000 has doubled since
laws Of my country under the gold standard
and shall obey them under silver standard.
The opponents Of free coinage Of silver are
policy holders to protect their own per-
sonai interests. If should fall to look out
for my own Interests who will do 50 for
vote for the free and unlimited coinage Of
silver7 Very respectfully. ]. w. Btnser.
The answer is not far to seek.
when this farmer borrowed the money
II wa. the e eauivalentt t Of Of S9 $1,000 in g9ld: /
all in gold $50 pieces. He could have
had it that way if he 80 desired. Per.
haps he did, for many such loans have
been made. When he expended it he got
$1,000 in gold equivalent. He probably
bought stock or machinery. In whatever
way he used it, unless he burned it up or
souandered it, he got value received.
The borrowing and lending was a busi-
ness transaction and the borrower used
the money to promote his business in
terests
At no time since that mortgage was
executed, for few mortgages run over
thousand bushels Of wheat have paid it.
Suppose we had borrowed the money
from a neighboring farmer more pros
porous than he. That neighbor would
probably have to carry something like
two thousand bushels of wheat to town,
sell it for a thousand dollars, get the
money and h.rd hand 5.vi it hscn over ;s to his his
past thousands Of such transac-
tions. In fact, in every farming
community there are q few farmers,
more thrifty and of better business quail
ifications than the others; who always
have money to lend out of their savings.
I0cy get Tue uOuSy AEOm tuS QEOUuCt0
of their farms, but they are not loaning
those products. They are loaning the
money. and since 1879 it has been gold
or its equivalent. Why should they
not have the same kind Of money In re-
payment?
Is it any wonder that the advocates of
unlimited free coinage are charged with
dishonesty and that silver is called dis
honest money, when by the passage Of
a law a thousand 60-cent dollars will be
sufficient to discharge a debt of thou
sand 1OO-cent dollars? Such q law
amounts to the reputation of one-half
the debt obligations of all the debtors in
the United States.
When Mr.. Binger In the above letter
saws. ssThe burden Of paying debt Of
$1,000 has doubled since borrowed the
money" he must remember, If he is stat.
ine ieu What il true, that the "burden" is not
alone upon him, but upon every other
% business man who has borrowed money.
same stress ef the hard times as the
farmer do. It 10 not because they bor-
rowed gold and have to repay gold that
the burden Is greater, but that their
earnings and assets have not turned out
as they hoped and expected. Competi.
ton and overproduction have affected
the whole world, but reputation II not
the proper cure for it.
Honesty 70 the best policy-as q policy
merely, without reference to its moral
ouality-for nations % well - for indt.