Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-09-10
THE PLEA OF A Sill vERITE.


Editor The Gazette: The contention
that the government must put IA gold
dollars worth of silver in every dolar'
shows an utter ignorance of the whole
monetary question. In destroying half Of
the primary money of the country. through
the characterization of silver. the gold dol
lars remaining have become too valuable,
procuring twice as many commodities as.
before. They are two-hundred cent dol J
lars, and the demand now is that twice as
much silver be put in the silver dollar so
that it will represent two hundred cents
and equal the gold dollar. In your edi-
torial reference, yesterday, to an article
of mine that appeared in the Milford
Herald, "rhe Present Financial Policy
the Ruin of the Country" you say this is
'untenable." Now let us look dispas-
sionately ut the facts and see where the
truth lies:
-Four hundred and twelve and hale
grains of silver, mintage standard. in
lS92. before the metal was demonetized,
procured one bushel of wheat or two bush.
els of corn, and the same amount OF
silver now will buy bushel of wheat or .
two bushels of corn. Twenty-Five and
eight-tenths grains of gold in 1872 pro-
cured one bushel of wheat or two of corn;
but now this amount of gold will buy two
bushels of wheat or four of corn, and so
1t applies to all property and commodi-!
ties. Gold, then, has doubled in yalue,I
procuring twice as much us formerly,l
while silver has remained the same in
purchasing value, getting as much Of
everything, but 10 more than formerly.
If silver had fallen in purchasing power
one-half and gold remained stationery,
then the demand for twice as much silver
IN the dollar would have been just: but as
gold has gone up in purchasing power to
twice Its former value and silver remains
the same as formerly, the demand for an
increase of silver in the dollar is unjust
and dishonest. The demand rather should
be for reduction in the gold dollar.
In 1913. when silver was demonetized,
the gold and silver coinage of the country
was about equal. The act made gold rep
resent what both gold and silver before
had represented, and us a consequence
each piece of gold became twice as ynlua-
bile as before, procuring twice as much
land, twice as much property, twice MS
many commodities. Those having the
gold did not object to such an alteration
in value of the metal it simply doubled
their fortunes, and promised them also
twice as much for their future mine pro-
duct. But for the laborer, who had no
gold, who was dependent upon his pro-
ducts to obtain it, how did 1t result for
him? 1t forced him to give twice as
many products for a gold piece as before,
while his taxes, his doctors bills, his edu-
cational fees, his debts remained the same,
still payable in this high metal The in
justice, then, is to the great toiiing masses,
who produce all that the rich consume.
Each dollar nlpuuS two 6ays' unrl xx,ba,s.
it formerly meant one, and each debt
twice as much labor us before, the for
tunes of the rich and the misfortunes of
the poor together multiplying.
What bimctallsts claim is that il YOU
restore the coinage laws as they were for
more than eighty years previous to the
decentralization of silver, allowing unlim-
tied coinage of both gold and silver, then
the increased demand for gold will he
transferred TO silver, and the gold as a
consequence, will return to its former
ratio with silver and commodities. II will
no longer he u two hundred cent dollar. IL
will again he q one hundred cent dollar,
buying one bushel of wheat and not two.
Now put the question to your own reason
aud conseience---isn't this fair and honest,
and doesn't such legislation promise the
srea test good to the greatest number?
We simply ask that legislation shall he
In the interest of the sixty million toiers
Of our country, rather than in the interest
of the ten millions who do no work, whose
only purpose and object is to make money
out of money, producing nothing. Bimet-
ailism is for the masses, the producers of
the country; m0nomctallism for the I'M (
productive few. Recommendation is not |,
only un-American hut anti-Amcrican. and !
IL can be fastened on the United States
only by the sitting of that spirit and love /
of liberty which proclaimed our political
independence in 1776. and won it in the /
war of the revolution" Yours. ETC.,
J. s. Prettyman. Jr.
Milford, Del, Sept. LIST. 1896.