Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-10-24
The silver DOlinr.


and utterly worthless than their call
ing standard silver dollar of the
United States SO cent dollar. We
have standard silver dollars remain
ing among us yet, and everybody
knows that they are good 100 cent
dollars; and what the country needs
and calls for. is more of them by
means of the free coinage of silver, so
that money in circulation among the
people may be increased and the
stringency of the times be removed
by better wages for laboring men and
better prices for the peoples pro
duets, whether those products come
from the land or from the water.
But, the great gold power, in OPP
position to the wishes and welfare OF
the people, for its own exclusive bene-
fit is against such coinage of silver.
Less money in circulation among the
people, far more valuable becomes
the money in the hands of that
gigantic power.
There is positively and truthfully
no such thing as q standard silver
dollar of the United States worth
only SO cents, and an assertion TO that
effect is but a gross attempt at decep-
ton, a delusion and a mockery,-an
argument that depends, for its ac-
ceptance, upon the supposed ignor-
ance of those to whom it is addressed.
Ii you have the quantity OF I'M
coined silver that would make dol
lar, such uncoined silver is worth
about 90 cents; but such uncoined
silver is not a dollar and, as the law
at present is, cannot be made into a
dollar and does not represent dollar
it cannot be coined for you at the
mint, and cannot truthfully be called
a dollar. AS it is not a dollar and
cannot be coined into dollar as the
law now is, it is a gross assumption,
a fallacy, misneme and misrepre-
| sentation to call it a dollar. The
quantity of uncoined silver that
would make a dollar is worth only its
marketable value as a commodity
because its coinage value has been
entirely taken away from it by the
unjust law, to which have referred,
preventing it from being coined into
money. 1t is against this improper
and selfish legislation, foisted upon
us by the gold power, that the people
are now making their just omplaint.
If you have the quantity OF I'M
coined gold that would make ten
dollars, you can carry or send it to
the mint and have it coined into ten
dollars free of charge, and hence that
uncoined gold is worth ten dollars.
But, if you have the quantity of I'M
coined silver that would make ten
silver dollars, you cannot carry or
send it to the mint and have it coined
at all; and hence that uncoined silver
is not worth ten dollars as it certainly
would be if you could send it to the
mint and have it coined as is done in
the case of gold. Silver, being thus
deprived Of its coinage value, is re-
duced in price, as gold itself would be
if entirely forbidden to be coined into
money and silver entitled to coinage.
At one time they tell us that free
coinage of silver will give Us silver
dollar worth only SO cents; and then
they turn about and say, that free
coinage of silver will enrich the mine
owners by giving us a silver dollar
worth a 100 cents, enabling them to
make profit of Al per cent. l think
it will bother the good sense of any
intelligent man to reconcile these
contradictory propositions.
But it is not the uncoined silver
that we are concerned about and con-
tending for; it is the silver coin; the
coined silver money itself; the gold
and silver coin" recognized by the
Constitution of the United States as
good, standard, sound money, or, in
the very language of that constitu-
ton, gold and silver coin tender
in payment of debts" A tender in
payment OF debts is the highest at
tribute that money can be endowed
with; and such attribute is recog-
nized by the constitution as belong
ing alike to both gold and silver
COIN So that it is not gold alone,
the money of the millionaire, but
ssilver COIN also, the money of the
people, and more of it by means of
free coinage that we are after and
must have for relief of the country
from present stagnation and dis
tress.
And now, here is conclusive test
as to this SO cent attempt at decep
ton. When a gold advocate talks to
you about SO cent dollar, just try to
buy silver dollars from him at the
rate Of 90 cents, or rs cents, or 80
cents, and he turns his back upon
you and escapes; or, if he stands his