The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-29
ley I. H. LEYsoN.l

nlZe conditions as lH6y dIe. III uO'A6
so. W.T. find the existence among the
people of a universal feeling of griev-
ance and discomfort
II Is undeniable, too, that this con-
dition is one of comparative recent
date All the means, conditions and
'+>li ces ~ ihr production of wealth
in our country are intact. The broad
fields are fertile with the harvest, and
the abundance of everything TO sus-
tain life should make the people con-
tented and happy.
In facing the condition as we find 1t,
however. il IS one Of universal discon-
tent and want. The scaling down of
all the prices, of all the products of
labor has caused the limitation of the
employment of labor, and as conSe-
uuence, such stagnaTion in all lines
OF business as to bring bankruptcy
and ruin to our Industrial and COM
mercial enterprises to an extent I'M
paralleled in the history of commercial
reports. (See Bradstreet's report of
Oct. 2 for confirrnation.) 1t is our
duty 10 inquire into the cause and de-
termine how far it is in our power to
remedy the evil.
THE CAUSE.
Tine cause must be as universal as
the condition. Is there any factor
but money that enters all the ramifi-
cations of Industrial and commercial
life? We know no element thar so uni
versally controls our industrial enter
prises and prosperity as money. Ii IS
the circulating medium-the medium OF
exchange 1t is the hfe-blood of trade.
1t is the means of giving employment
TO the people. and employment 10 the
people removes the grievance of dis
content. which now threatens the sta
blity or the government. In this con-
lection let us consider the money
metals and their employment of labor
in gold and silver mining, and deter
mine their respective values in mar
ket overlooked with labor anxious for
employment. Let us consider this
solely as business proposition as we
propose TO challenge a contradiction
to the statements and principles that
we advocate here in the interest, not
only of our own condition, but the
condition of the civilized world-the
employment of the people through the
agency of money and money metals.
EMPLOYMENT.
We submit that the prosperity of
our country depends on the profitable
employment OF labor, and that the
measure of prosperity is indicated by
the value of labor Labor is made the
principal unit OF value in estimating
wealth of the nation is the product Of
brain and muscle. actively employed.
The ricn harvest of the farm, the hum
and din of the machine shop and fac
tory, the valuable product of the mine,
hidden deep in the slips. seams and
veins of the earth and the hustle and
busy mart Of the trade exchanging
these commodities, find their inspira-
ti0n in honest .oil.
1t 1t evident. then, that the more
useful employment we can give our
people the more prosperous the nation
will be. No industry is so local in its
interest but that other sections of the
country must be affected more or less
by it. The more widespread the in
1iuence of any branch of industry in
the employment CT labor, the more
universal is the benefit TO the coun-
Try.
The workingman is not only the pro-
Queer of wealth. but also the valuable
distributor of the wealth he produces
The material facts here crystalized
are invaluable in considering the mer-
its of the silver question.
Attention should be called especially
to this fact IN comparing it with The
production of gold. when considered in
the interest of labor. As labor is made
the principal unit of value in estimat-
ing the cost of all products, we tail TO
see the wisdom or honesty of exempt
ing gold from this general rule.
LABOR. THE UNIT OF VALUE.
If this were done, in comparison with
the cost of producing silver it would
be found that the Coz. OF producing the
grains OF silver contained in the silver
dollar is greater than the cost of pro-
ducing the grains OF gold contained in
the gold dollar DIT the established ratio
of 10 TO I between the twotmetals. Peo-
pie who are familiar with gold and
silver mining are aware of this fact
but the country al large has been SO
misled by the vague and visionary
statements concerning the intrinsic
value OF soit5 that they have bus a
faint conception of its worth in our
industrial economy.
For comparison in the interest of la
Dor, we Will outline gold and silver
mining, that we may come TO wise
conclusion as to which metal brings
the greatest benefit to the world at
large and especially TO our country.
which is the greatest producer of ST.
yer.
GOLD PLACER MINING.
Gold mining is mostly the simple
process of washing nuggets and par
ticles of gold from the earth The
miner has his pick and Shovel to dig
up the ground, and then wash It in i
pan, rocker, or sluice-boX; or, if the
jg-acer mining is done on q large scale
then by hydraulic pressure washing. as
is done in California. By this last pro-
cess Sc geral cubic yards of earth, which
will Yield several dollars in gold, can
be reduced for a. few cents. Mark you,
even when gold placer mining is car
ried on in this way on a large scale, it
gives employment 10 comparatively few
people, and is consequently local in its
benefit. and is OF the greatest benefit
TO the mine owner.
1T is the belief Of well informed
scientists that. in the case Of gold the
element of cost of production bears
much smaller proportion 70 the money
value OF the metal than is the case
with silver. After an exhaustive inves-
LEGATION covering series of years. Pro-
lessor Suess, OF TIE Un.eisty of Vienna.
perhaps the moss distinguished of NV
arg geoiogists, declares II his work on
the Future of Cold that nine-tenths
of the gold OF the world has been OBJ
tanned from The gravel deposgts OF cid
river beds (placers). in which work. as
a matter OF course, the labor ccsl the
Neriess trifie in comparison with the
money value of the product
The writer was told by i placer mine:
that, IN Alder Gulcn. Montana, ne aver
aged over $500 2 day 10 the man for the
entire season. This statement was con-
firmed by the best authority. Judge q.
w. S>apleton of Butte, Mont. who was
there. sad that FaTssn v ooa, the u. s.
covery company. Bill Fairweather. Bar