The Saint Paul globe., 1896-08-11

ing purposes, and we all approve
heartily of that regulation. Surely, IL
the symbol of our national existence
is too sacred to be used to help the de-
mands OF a greedy commerce, the SYM
boil of the greatest, noblest and purest
religious faith that the world has
evez known ought to be held by COM
mon consent too sacred to be degraded
10 the level OF campaign button.
"TWO HUNDRED CENT DOLLARS.
BY the appreciation of gold the dollar
has become a 2oO-cent dollar in
stead of the silver dollar becoming
5O-cent dollar This is the funda-
mental positiop Of the advocates of six
teen-to-one coinage. Omitting to re-
peat the abundant refutation of this as
sumption let us consider what the logic
OF the statement calls for. We have
gold and silver money. We have had
tnem Tor a century. For forty-two
years, from 1892 to 1884, silver was not
only the measure of values, but it was
the medium of exchange. For sixty
TWO years gold has been the measure
OF values, and gold, greenbacks and sill
yer have been the media of exchange.
1t is not pertinent but it fits In here
10 remark that, if gold has appreciated,
1t has carried up with it all the silver
ana paper money of the country and
endowed it with its own purchasing
and debt-paying" power. But that is
an aside
If gold has appreciated in value rel
at1vely 1T means that more weight of
gold is put into our coins than the
relative values Of other commodities
silver included, warrant. If the con-
tentlon Is accurate that the silver dol
lar today will buy as much of staple
artlcles as 1t would twenty-three years
ago, while the gold dollar will buy
Twice as much. then it follows In due
course of logic and of common sense
that the gold dollar has too much gold
IN 1t. 1t follows that it's weight should
De reduced Instead of trying to raise
silver bullion to par Of exchange with
gold bullion, thus making its purchas-
ing power what that of gold now is.
gold should be eepulled down to the level
OF silver and those other commodities
that have remained stationary. That
is only logical. The gold dollar should
De cut down to 11.6 grains and tho
iarser denominations proportionally.
Inc remedy proposed by the silver
ties is thus Illogical. But it does NOT
stop there. From its own premises If
is monstrously unjust. What is tbe
contention? Gold buys TOO ,o,,ot
Prices are cheap because of this. Give
silver free coinage and it's price
they say. will at once rise to
par with golds that is. six-
teen ounces Of silver will be worth &c
much, will buy as much, as thirty-two
ounces now will. In other words
silver will have the same mower
over other commodities that gold
Is alleged now to have Where
lnel VIII be the advance of the
price OF these other commodities? Tho
man In debt will have to sell as much
OF MS product as now to get the silver
with which to pay his debt. Gold and
SILVER VIII then be the two imperial
commodities dominating all others and
IKE two old feudal barons, compelling
their subjects to yield plenteous trib-
ute. There will be, can be no divided
sovereignty between them; thew will
De two souls with but single thought,
two hearts that beat as one."
One can understand the argument. of
appreciation when made by the pro-
ducer#of silver bullion, and also easily
grasp his motive He wants to "appre-
crate the price. of his prod
uct But we confess our in
ability to grasp the force of the same
argument in the mouth of any other
person with anything to sell or
with debts to pay. We would
De equally unable to fathom
the motive of the producer Of
silver bullion who should advocate the
reduction of gold to the level of silver
while, granting the premise of "appre-
ciation," we could EASILY sense the ar
gument of the producer of any other
commodity for its AS it is, the confu-
sion. the lack of coherency, the absence
of logic make this huge conundrum,
a fifteen puzzle whose solution appears
hopeless.