New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-14
DEu4GOGIC APPEALS TO IGNORANCE.

DEMAGOGIC APPEALS TO IGNORANCE.
1t is a barren unfruitful day for the cause
of social revolution when the silver leaders
cannot find some new falsehood or some new
distortion Of facts with which to appeal to the
prejudiced or misead the ignorant Here Is
the latest. from the pen and over the signature
of a Senator of the United States:
Two half-dollars and the other subsidiary sill
yer coins are less in weight than the standard
silver dollar by nearly eight grains. and yet.
being at least 80 per cent Of the coin actually
paid for labor and for the daily food OF the PEG
pie II is money debased by law as to it's weight.
When the Republicans insist so earnestly on
giving TO the common masses or the common
people gold dollars (of which none can be coined
under existing law. what have they to say about
giving them silver half-dollars that are eight
grains under standard weight? Is that nonest
morey? They are also deaf and dumb 10 the
demand OF the people for full legal-tender power
in favor OF silver money. These debased and de-
graded coins. with nickels and coppcrs, are the
only specie money that the worlds toilerS use
or ever see
Only a genius In the use of language could
compress more absolute untruth and more raise
implication into an equal number Of words. 1t
is true that the subsidiary silver coins are less
In weight than the standard silver dollars IL IL
true that existing law does not permit the coin
age Of gold dollars. 1t probably Is true that
subsidiary coinage forms 30 per cent or the
"coin" actually paid for labor. 1t Is prac-
tically true that these coins with nckels and
coppers, are the only specie money that the
worlds toilers ever see. 1t Is true that these
coins do not possess full legaltender power
And yet, though all these things be true, the
differences drawn from them are not only In
tentionally misleading, but absolutely ana IN
famously false. They are presented with the
single view to persuadng the laboring man,
by the use of the most brazen sophistry, that
he is the victim of sharp practice
The fallacy lies in the implication, clearly
made. that the people" have practically no
other money than these "debased' coins, and
that 90 per cent Of their wages are paid IN
them. Nothing could be further from the truth
The subsidiary coinage forms only small per-
centage Of the money mot the "cOin') paid FOR
wages 1t Is 1.-THE only specie money that the
worlds tOilers or ever see" because IT is
the only specie money" they want. They want
Il only for convenience In making change. They
absolutely refuse to Use the millions Of silver
dollars coined under the Bland and Sherman
acts because they object to being loaded down
with bulky, ungainly pieces Of metal There
lie Idle and unused in the Treasury vaults to-
day over 340OOOOOO silver dollars. silver bull
Ion winch cost cllo,OOO,vVV, anu %1SVV',VVV III
gold--in all $5OOOOO.OO0 in spece-representcd
in actual circulation by silver and gold certif-
Gates, merely because no one. be he wage
Garner or bOndholder. wants specie He pre-
fers the paper warehouse receipt. which Is what
the gold or silver certificate Smoothing more.
nothing less-because 1t Is more convenient to
carry. No gold dollars are coined for exactly
the same reason-no one wants them. They
would be 80 small as to be useless.
The subsidiary coins were made lighter In
weight by law In this country-and the same
practice obtains In every civilized nation on
earth which uses subsidiary silver with the
single exception of Japan-for the sole purpose
of keeping them in circulation. Before the re-
cent enormous output Of silver. which cheap
ened its price and drove Its commercial ratio
to gold from 1920 to In 1850 to 1886 to In
1895. It was the common practice to melt up
Ill silver coins, whether dollars or dimes' ana