San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-08-30
A PERSONAL APPEAL.
QUESTIONS WHICH BRING THE RE-
SUITS OF FREE SILVER HOME
TO EACH VOTER.


How Would 1t Affect you?-A Practical
Test For Cheap Dollar Theories
mon Sense the Best Defense of Sound
Morey.
The Populistic silverites talk of the
great profit there would be to this coun-
try in the adoption of their policy. But
let every man stop to think of what the
consequence would be to him individu-
ally, whether he would lose or gain by
the substitution of the silver standard
for the gold standard. That is the prac-
teal way to put their talk to test.
Are you living ON a salary or on
wages? How is it going to help you to
decrease the value of the dollar by nearly
one-half? You will have to pay double
for everything you buy. The same
amount of money will go only half as
far as now. Hence you will be cheated
out Of half your income, unless the sill
verites can double your salary or wages.
Do you really expect any such increase?
Has there been any precedent for sud-
den advance in wages so enormous, and
where and when was it? Do you mag
inc for a moment that if your salary is
now s500,a year, or your daily wages
give you that yearly income, your en-
ployer is going to put them up to 81, 900
If Bryan is elected and his silver policy
established? In the course Of years you
might look forward to the probability
of some increase, but at best, as AL ex-
perience shows, it would be long delay
ed and it would be much less than the
advance in the price of living, which
would be immediate.
Your case is the case of all those who
are in receipt of salaries or are paid
wages, and they include the great ma
jority of the population. Are these mill
lions Of. citizens going to vote for Bryan
at so great cost to their pockets? 1t
would be an expensive vote for every
man who gave it.
Have you laid by something in a saw
ings bank? If so, you are one of about
5000, 900 such depositors in the United
| States. Last year their number was
exactly 4,S75, $40, and the total of their
deposits was 81 $40, 597, 023, or an av-
erage to each depositor of $37l.36. That
is IA great number of people, and the
| aggregate of their deposits is enormous.
If Mr.. Bryan's plan of paying off in sill
yer standard money is adopted. they
will all lose nearly one half of the pres
ent value of their deposits. The money
in the savings banks will go only about
one-half as far as now. 1t will be pref
ty costly for savings bank depositor to
vote for Bryan, you see.
We might go ON thus through all
business, all trade and every profession.
We might make the same inquiries of
everybody whose life is insured or who
is in a building or benefit association,
every man who has money accumulated
and every man who is working for mon
ey in any occupation. The,questions we
have asked could be changed in detail
SO as to apply to them all, and the
answers would always tell the same
story Of loss. The actual money cost Of
the election Of Bryan would be heavy
for every one of them.
Think, then, of the effect the silver
policy would have on yourself personrl-
ly and don't waste your time in listen
ing to the general promises and pre-
tensions of its advocates. The true way
to test it is to dissipate the cloud of
boastful and deceitful rhetoric with
which Bryan and his fellow political
SPECTATORS seek to surround ii. 1t offers
very simple question for every man to
settle for himself by the application Of
common sense merely. A profound
knowledge of finance is not necessary to
solve that problem. If you know enough
to know the worth of dollar you are
competent to decide the question for
yourself. Exchange
mi