West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-10-29
An Appeal To The Common Sense
And Reason Of The American
People.
IN FAVOR OF FREE COINAGE AND
THE CONSTITUTIONAL MONEY
OF OUR COUNTRY.
Another Splendid contribution on
the Financial Question BY Mr.
D. Frank HarJesty.

Oh tuio 'Ln0C our money
goes at par all oyer the world. Z"
Now lets see IL gold does. have
stated before that if the money
lower was taken from gold all over
the world, that it would not be
worth 10 cents per ounce. as there
would DO enough on hand to- supply
the arts and sciences for 60 years,
and on that we base its value. Now
the question arises, who fixes the
price per fine ounce of gold, and is
not its value made by law z We
find that England by act of Par
liment, dated the 10Th day OF July.
says: 1.-The Bank of England shall
pay 3 ponds, ~ shillings and 9
pence for every fne ounce of gold
presented at her counters under
penalty of forfeiture of her charter. I"
Now what does that do? 1t makes
an absolute unlimited market for
gold, aud no man need take less
because he can get that for it, less
transportation charges. Now the
question arises. VIII IT does she pay
in, gold That would only be
trading, so you would make moth.
ing by that. There is only one
answer to 1t. She pays you in the
fiat of the Grown. There is where
your law comes in. Suppose you
start one of our $40 gold pieces
across the water. You would nat.
urally suppose from all the sound
and honest money talks you have
listened to, that 1t would bring its
FACE value; but az soon as it gets 3
leagues from the American shore it
becomes a commodity and on ar
rival there is placed on the scales
and weighed as such, making it
worth about 1882, transportation
charges to be deducted. They
never say anything to you about
that. Now if England can fix the
price of gold for the world, why
cannot America, the greatest and
richest nation on Gods foot stool,
with seventy millions Of the most
intelligent people in the world be.
hind it, with unlimited resources.
fix the price of silver, Of which she
is the greatest producer; and fur
Their, if seventy millions of Amer
lean people under our form of gov
eminent are not competent and
able after giving 100 years of hon
est toll, to adopt and maintain a
financial system, strictly American,
without the aid of any foreign
power, we certainly offer an insult
to the three millions of true pa
triots of liberty and independence
Of 1776. No true American can
doubt our ability to do so. Now
what relief does McKlnley's Tor
rather Hanna's) platform offer the
people? Just two things and only
tWo--tariff and international BIZ
metallism-both of which are i'm
possible. 1t IS we'll known that the
silver men hold the balance OF
power In the Senate, and he can
pass no tariff measure unless he
recognizes silver also, and that he
will not do as he has already sta
ted, and as for international BIZ
metallIsm England will never sub.
NIT TO that--she being the creditor
nation of the world to the amount
Of about % billions of dollars. OF
this amount we owe her about 5
billion of dollars, the greater por-
ton and all the interest payable in
gold. She, therefore, can con-
troll every dollar of gold in the
world. So 1t is simply absurd to
think Of 1t, and when the Repub-
leans put that in their platform
they knew it could not be done,
and they are deliberately deceiying
the people. There is only one
way it can be done, that is for Us
to take the lead; we will then com
pei her to do so, or we will take
her trade from her. Lets see how
incOnvenient and utterly falaclous
their whole argument is. Their
platform says they are in favor oil
the gold standard, and silver only
by international agreement. They
admit that the gold standard il
bad or they would not want silver
Then they come around aud tel
you under independent free coinage
that the silver mine owners would
be the only ones benefited and
that they would make ~ cents on
every dollars worth of silver or,
they had based on present prices
Then they tell the laboring man he
would be paid of with City cent
dollar, (both Of these statements
cannot be true) and those owing
debts could pay it OF with dollai
only worth fifty cents. Repudia-
ton, you know. Now let me ask
you question. Will not inter
national bimetallism help the silver
mine owner just as much as indie
/ pendent bimetallism, and will il
not also help the debtor just a.,
much as independent bimotallism
and SO on through the LIST You
are bound 10 admit that it. will.
We'll, then, does this not prove
their whole argument false ? They
1 lio and deceive The voter every time
they make such statement. and
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