The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1896-05-09

Inc very WORDS OF ION GfeSnam HIu-
self. but Tom probably had mental mi
asma and didn't know what he was
talking about. 1t says that CONNER
cial ratio never had anything to do
with fixing the coinage ratio of the
money metals. Of course the Signal
knows, so the facts must lie. Alexan,
der Hamilton gathered together about
thousand Spanish dollars of different
coinages, and weighed them and struck
an average which was 81 grains of
pure silver; then he sent to Europe and
other places to find out how much gold
81 grains of silver were worth and &C.
cording to the best calculations he
could maze, 27iA grains of silver, at
that time, were worth 1884 grains of
gold, That gave a ratio of just 10 to /.
Soon after it was found out that
Hamilton's ratio did not quite agree
with the commercial ratio; that 37lh
grains of silver were not worth 24A
grains of gold. Hamilton had made u
slight mistake in his calculations. The
silver dollar was 81 grains too light.
Then a funny thing happened. The
light American dollar would 60 all
right in the West Indies. They didn't
know much down there. And traders
would take the light American dollar
to buy things with in the West Indies
and bring back Spanish dollars, which
were heavier, coin them at the American
minis into American dollars and then
start for the West Indies again and re.
peat the same old game. Thomas JEFF
fersOn got tired of running the minis
for that kind of business so he ordered
that coinage of the Dollar of our Dad.
dies be stopped, there and then. That
was In 1905. The trouble was with the
commercial ratio, ana there were no
more silver dollars until along about
1886. Then there was change in the
coinage laws, which by reducing the
amount of gold in the dollar, made the
gold and silver conform more nearly to
the commercial ratio. That was when
our glorious 16 to began. That's his
tory; it is facts. 1t may look like men
tai miasma to anyone who mOnkies
with journalistic therapeutics. The
Signal says bankers want the gold
standard SO they can buy things cheap
Such as tea and coffee and cheese and
salt, we suppose. But, seriously, the
banker is not buyer of things. He is
4 lender of money. What difference
can it make to him personally whether
property be up or down? On the
other hand, he wants the people to have
lots of money so they will deposit lots
In his bank and then he can loan out
30 much more. lie wants business to
be lively so he can discount CONNER
cial paper and draw drafts on his dis
liant correspondents. If bankers were
out buying hogs and cattle and prunes
with their money they might want to |
mako the money dear for the tine be.
ng, but when they came to selling off |
he truck they would want free coin.
age, sure as blqZes. We fear these
'acts areSsO simple they will look like
,wo mental miasmas TO the gentleman
With the therapeutics The SignGl
'lsO says we are mentally miasmaed on
he tariff question. We don't blame
t for feeling a little tender on that
ubject. Ali Democrats, in whatever
tage of decay, are sore on the tariff
ince they have seen the consequence
It practical application of their own
IDEAS. But the Signal chides us with
icing a one ideaed fiend and says if we
lad our one ideaed way the standard
i the Wing party would still float SOL
mn and alone. We don't know about
hat. The last Wing platform had
our ideas and that's several more than
ny Democratic platform is likely to
ave In the year of our lord 1896. In
IDAHO they will have to get the POpu-
sts to help them or they wont have an
lea to their backs. But this is mias.
IA. Now, see here, friend Signal, if
his controversy is to be continued, one
hing must be understood: We can't
ford to take chances on malpractice,
nd we don't want you clandestinely
journalistic therapeutics into
s and filling us with malaria. You've
OF to play fair or we quit.