The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-10-29
TWO ILLUSTRATIONS LAND.
MARK VS.. ITS FARTY'S GAM.
PAEGN BOeK

PAIGN BOOK.
The Landmark of yesterday presents
what 1t considers a reply to she query of
~ Reader of the Landmark" who
seeking information, writes to know
IF Bryan's election will make
the silver dollar worth 100 cents to
the owner of silver mines. how Is 1t
that II Will only be worth nfty-three
cents to those Of us who haven't any
interest in silver mnes?'
The Landmark in its reply to this
very fore" e query of its correspondent,
remarks, n the first place. very limo
Gently, that 1.-THE point which our CORE
spondent does not seem to see is this, viz:
Under free coinage the silver dollar will
be legal tender for all debts public and
private. just as it Is now. except then
the right Of contract Will have been
taken away from individuals, and there
will be no means of self protection for
those who have lent money" Now II
will readily be observed ;:hat the Land
marks correspondent does not ask how
the man who has money ITO lend will
be able 10 get along, but the simple
query, IF the silver dollar through
B!yan's election Is worth 100 cents to
the silver miner, why TX IS only worth
53 cents 20 those who are not interested
in silver !nines?" Yet 1t is difficult 10 see
that, If the silver dollar, as the Land
mark asserts, is, after Bryan's election.
legal tender for all debts. public and
private, JUST AS IT is NOW" why
there should be the slightest fear that
1t Is going ito be only worth fifty-three
cents.
After this conclusive co argument the
Landmark proceeds to illustrate its cor
misunderstanding THE picture of the sill
yer mine owner. or the owner of silver
bullion. who goes with his bullion 10
the mint and has * coined into standard
dollars at the ratio of 16 to 1.-The Land
mark asserting that these dollars are
really worth but fifty-three cents fifty
cents 1t says is nearer the present quo
tation-and then as the dollar thus coin
ed Is a legal tender, the mine owner goes
back and pays all his laborers with ;hese
dollars at their face value, and the la
borer going TO buy his food and clothing
has to pay nearly two dollars for what
one used to purchase
The Landmarks illustration Is pa
thetic In the extreme, and the conse-
quence Of all this. 1t says. is plain, viz. {:
1. That the employer of labor gains
about one hundred per cent, and the
employee loses about fifty.
2. That the merchant, who Is enabled
ITO protect himself. suffers only from the
general depression, as he protects him
self by the sliding scale of prices. and he
escapes all but the effects Of blighted
prosperity.
8. That the laborer and the sala,ied
man have no recourse whatever, and
they bear the brunt OF THE whole eh;nr
as high prices do not mean high wages,
Evidently the Landmark loses sight
Of the fact. that if the employ err of labor
Is going TO make ono hundred Der cent
on silver bullion, the demand for bullion
Is going to be SO great that the price Is
going up; and If the price OF bullion
goes up 1t Is apt to go to a parity with
gold, and If silver bullion goes I'D. then
gold Is going to come down and come
out; and that this being the case. the
money lenders are not going TO be in
such awful trouble after all, whether
their loans are paid in silver or gold
But, aside from this, the country ha
not been getting on very we'll since 1873
neither the silver miner. nor the mer-
chant. nor the laborer. The campaign
Textbook Of the so-called National
Democratic party-that annex of the
Republican party-furnishes very con-
elusive evidence of this. and it IS diff.
cult TO conceive how 1t is possible for the
country to suffer as much under the
iouble standard as It has suffered in the
cast twenty-three years, since 1873 IN.
Ter the operations Of the single or gold
4tandeard of value
The Landmark has given an illus
ration OF what may be OK.
accted in case Mr.. Bryan is elected
See what the Landmarks party Cam
paign Textbook presents of what has
taken place-the suffering, the want
tfs hard times. the labor strikes. the