The Portland daily press., 1896-07-15
CURRENT COMMENT.
TOT.
fBarre VT. Gazette. }


time is whether or not the United States
shall undertake the free coinage Of silver
at the old ratio, under which sixteen
ounces of silver were accounted equal to
one ounce of gold
One ounce OF gold American coin stand
ard of fineness goo parts pure gold to 100
alloy will coin in gold dollars $3.50.
Sixteen ounces of silver American ooin
standard of finenegs 900 parts pure silver
to one hundred of alloy ct the rate Of
4l2 l-2 grains to the dollar (the weight
of the present standard silver dollar) will
coin SIS. 60 in silver dollars. These IL
ounces of silver can be bought in the
markets of the world today for SO. 81.
There would therefore be a profit of IS. 66
on an investment of 1894, being about
81 per cent, if holder Of silver could
take 1t to the mint and coin it without
charge into silver dollars. The advocates
of free coinage favor q law that will
allow any holder of silver bullion, or In
fact silver of any kind Gas the latter can
readily be melted into bars) to have the
right to take the same to any mint of the
United States and convert it into silver
coin free of charge. 1t is easy to see that
il this were done. it would not he long,
with free coinage, before the country
would be fiouded with silver coins, and
the very large profit to owners of silver
mines would quickly start to work mines
at present idle, to the immense adyant-
age of tho mine owl e-s.
It is also o asy to see, that everybody
who owei money would pay it in silver,
because silver money would be cheaper
than gold, and gold money would soon be
unnttainable. The gold could be used to
advantage in the foreign trade, because
a gold dollar would purchase abroad
nearly twice as much as silver dollar.
The wages Of labor would in fact be cut
down just ane half, because the con-
trncts Of woI king people with their EN-.
ployes are Expressed in terms Of ntousy,
and by reducing the mon system of The
country from the existing go,d standard
to the silver standard, the value of the
dollar would be practically cut in hnlf
FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE
RIDICULOUS.
Concord, N. II. Monitor.)
It is but {. step from the sublime to the
ridiculous, and that step was tnken in
the nomination OF candidates at Chicago.
The tall of the ticket is as ridiculous as
it's head now that the work of the con-
vention is finished. Every body is sar-
prised ut the outcome, even the candidate
for vice president. The Boy Orator OF
the Platte went TO Chicago expecting te
capture the convention by his sonor0us
slou uenoe Tho Maine ship builder, Ar
thur SewalI. wsnt to Chicago simply &c
file his protest against President Cleve
land. The Inconsistency of Mr. Sewall's
posi- ton as candidate on the ticket OF
Republication struck him so foroibly that
he was almost paralyze by the news Of
his nomination. The successful mer.
81 ant, the millionaire sbipbuilder whc
has obtained success In life because ht
has paid dollar for dollar of his debts
and faithfully kept every con tract he hns
made, standing as a candidate OF repudi
ators and anarchists, is one of the mos
ludicrous scenes of cur very humorous
| A merican politics.
MAINE.ALL RIGHT.
Boston Herald
| 1t is noted that Maine will hold be
state election seven weeks before tn