San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-10-15
SOME SOLID SENSE ABOUT
MONEY

than any speaker vet heard from
We commend the following ex.
tracts to the careful considera.
ton of our readers:
Money is something that man
canOt create. Iti something
that man must find. 1t is part
of nature. And what else?
Money is something that does
not have to be redeemed. Money
is the redeemer. (Applause.)
Anything that has to be boIsered
up with the promise of an indi-
vidual or nation is not money.
Greenbacks are not money. They
are promises to pay money.
Nothing that Il government can
print, no matter what picture it
may put upon it, no matter what
words, 'In God We Trust"-it is
not money, it is simply a prom
Use to pay.
and yet, there are thousands
and thousands of people who be-
lieve that a nation can create
money. \ nation can no more
create money by law than it can
create corn and wheat and barley
by law. (Applause.) And the
promise to pay money is no near
er money than a bill of fare is
dinner. Continued laughter and
applause)
Now, the next question is,
what is a dollar? There are many
statesmen going over the cOun-
try, making speeches from the
tail end of cars Gaughter), and
not one of them knows what a
dollar is; not one of them knows
what money is.
"What is a dollar? | can tell
you. Uaughter.) Twenty-three
and twenty-five One-hundredths
grains of pure gold make one dol
lar. That is the money today of
the United States. That is the
money today of the civilized
world. Twentv-three and TWEEN
ty-twO One-hundredths grains of
pure gold make a pure and honest
dollar. (Applause.) All, but
they say, cannot you make dol
lars out of silver? | say, yes.
but when you make a dollar out
of silver you have got to put a
dollars worth of silver in a silver
dollar.'' (Applause)
"If you make money out of
something else you have got to
put dollars worth of something
else in the dollar. 1t takes a dol
lars worth of paper to make a
good paper dollar. Iaughter.) 1t
takes a dollars worth of iron to
make an iron dollar, and it takes
a dollars worth of silver to make
a silver dollar.
"And let me tell you another
thing. You do not add to the
value of gold by coming it, any
more than you add to the value
of wheat by measuring it, any
more than you add to the value
of coal by weighing it. Why do
you coin gold? Because every
man cannot take a chemists out
fit with him. Iaughter.) He
cannot carry crucible and re-
tort, scales and acids, and so the
government coins it simply to GER
tify how much gold there is in
the piece.
Then there is another thing
about it. 1t does not make any
difference who issues good mon
ey. 1t is just as good when La
zarus issues it as when Dives is
sues it. No matter whether the
government is bankrupt that
coins it, the money is just as
good. y piece of gold coined by
the Romans $500 wears ago is
just as good today as when julius
Caesar rode at the head of his
legiOns. Since that time dark
ness has fallen over the Roman
empire, and the empire has pass
ed into oblivion, but the gold
coined shines as brightly now as
in Rome's palmiest days. Gap
plause.) That is good money.
But when you issue a bill or
note you want some good person
behind it, Money that is money
needs no guarantee, needs no
hacker, it is always good; no
matter how many nations go
down to dust, good money re-
mains forever the same. Now
then, you know what a dollar is;
23-22 grains of pure gold is 81, |
no less.
what else is money? You see
this is quite a question. What is |