The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-08-12
HOW IT WILL HELP

-
HOW 1T WILL HELP ~
A QUESTION ANswERED.
We have received the following let
ter:
Hon. Ignatius Donnelly:
It goes without saying in this
meek of the woods, that tie Sage
OF Nininger, is the clearest and
ablest mind on the silver side OF the
great question now before the people,
not excepting the eloquent, magnetic
Bryan. This is my individual. opinion.
on the matter, and therefore, l ask OF
YOU to present to the readers Of THE
REPRESENTATIVE. in concise COM
pact shape. the logical, relevant, COM
Quently asked by my Republican and
Democratic gold STANDARD friends.
What good will the free coinage OF
silver at the proposed ratio, or any
other ratio, do TO you as an Individual,
or to the country? How wi1ttt help
tho swage-earners, the farmer, me
manufacturer or the merchant, or any
| particular industry or calling?"
I'm thoroughly assured that yQus
| can answer these stock inquiries In
such manner that when You are
through the proponent would be
somewhat in doubt as to where he
was at.
] do not ask that You elaborate or
embellish the article with anything.
unusual in the line Of rhetorical or
literary achievement having an abtd-
ing faith that should you graciously
incline to have q deliverancy upon
this question, it will be not only
o1o \ - h,,< mil kao
cidthed with q sufficient amount Of
| lightning to reach the place with
both feet.
am farmer. too busy just now to
| do anything for the paper, but when
| the hurry is over / will send you the
| largest club that our Office receives. /
think that strong and sustained ctr
| fort in this state this fall would turn
the Republican machine wrong side
| out and wipe the earth with 1t. Very
| truly yours. MEUD BAILY.
Elmwood. Wis.,. July u. 4.
We reply: r
The prices of commodities ana Ia
Dor are fixed by the relation which
the amount of primary, metallic
money In the world holds to the guam
tity of labor. property or wealth in the
world. iAN 7
II money Is scarce it is necessarily
dear. That is, it will buy so much
more of all commodities and Of the Ia
Dor which produces them. Hence
scarce money is dear money; and dear
money means cheap goods and cheap
labor:-and consequently cheap men
and cheap women. The value of the
human race sinks and the value of
gold rises. This is as plain as q pike
staff.
| Now when silver was taken out of
the supply of the worlds money and
added to the supply of commodities.
one-half the metallic money Of the
world was swept away,-so far as its
power to regulate prices was con-
cerned.
Gold alone remained as the basal
foundation OF prices. AS one-half the
metallic money of the world had
ceased to be primary money, the re.
mainder, gold, by the ihf1exihie Law
of demand and supply doubted fts
purchasing power; and thereby caused
a falling off of one-half in the prices
Of commodities. Hence dollar-wheat
is now fifty-cent-wheat; fifteen cent
cotton is now seven cent cotton; and
a corresponding fall has taken place
in all things made by human indus
try. ~
To remonetize silver is to put II
back where it stood for 5000 years. II
will double the basal, metallic money
Of the world, which alone regulates
prices. The purchasing power of the
dollar will be cut in half. but the pur-
chasing power OF wheat, cotton and
all products Of industry will be
| doubled. Is that not clear:
II you are in debt you will have
twice as much with which to pay that
debt. II you are prod ucer, on farm,
in mine. or in shop, you will get twice
as much for what you produce. II
you are q professional man the pro
ducers will have twice as much with
which to pay your fee. II you are a
merchant, living by supplying the
wants of others, those wants will be
increased with the increased capacity
OF your customers to pay for them. II
you are manufacturers the backs and
feet and heads now bare will, with
double pay for their productions,
cla1or for what you have fer sale.
Who will suffer?
The money lenders. For fifteen
hundred years the Christian church
conddmned all men to hell who took
any iuferest on money. Henry VIII,
that Blue-be ard of monarchs, who
chopp6d the heads of his harem as
5ast' 81 his brutal appetite was sati'
| ated, aid who hung two hundred men
| II London In one year for begging &,
nDt ldgalized money-lending FOL
profit. He made the rate ten pei
cent.
with ffee coinage of silver, and a.,
ab~ndons eapply Of national paper MONEY!
the whitAa}sprUsy of mortgages would
|disappear from the face Of the land
idtefestec1lesGes would cease to de-
vdur the p(ople: business .co,.ld be con
t7slc1ed a. ! bosk basis; the breeding Of
mil1ionntre4 would stop: and the
whole people would rise up to splen
did prosperity.
IIess ~ AAsWersd our friends CUES
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