Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1896-08-13
A Political Scheme.

MIR. EDITOR II desire at this time to
call the attention of the voters OF this
county to what appears to be scheme,
intended for political effect, which is
now being carried out by some of the
plant tools OF the money lenders and
changers.
Until quite recently it has been the
custom of the owners and operators Of
many of our saw mills on this harbor to
pay off their employees in thirty, sixty
and in some instances ninety-day paper;
but nov comes new departure On pay
dav the employer brings ont his bag OF
cash, the contents o. which, upon being
revealed, is found to be composed entirely
OF subsidiary silver coin in the denomina.
ton Of half dollars. These are paid out
to the employees, the unsuspecting laborer
receiving them for the full amount due
him for his months wages.
Now, all this strikes the mind Of the
casual observer as vastly preferable to
time paper; but to one who looks be.
meath the surface and enquiries into the
object of all this exertion to import
fractional currency instead OF other de-
nomlna atoms of currency with which to
pay the laborers in our mills, the reasons
are obvious, and the scheme becomes
transparent.
Under the act OF congress Of June 9,
1879, which is still in force, all fractional
silver coins are legal tender in amounts
not exceeding ten dollars. The scheme
then appears to be to food this section OF
the country with silver half dollars and
export all forms of full legal tender
money. 1t is patent that this simultane-
GUS action on the part of so many OF our
largest employers of labor in procuring
and paying out to their operatives this
limited legal tender money is not an
accident or coincident, but is the result
OF prearranged understanding, and can
have no other object in view except to
cause obstruction to trade, by reason OF a
lame silver currency. This will be
brought about when our merchants pre-
sent these silver half dollars to the banks
and ask for credit for the same upon their
accounts or to purchase drafts upon other
banks with which to pay for their goods
Their attention will then be called to the
fact that their half dollars are not legal
tender in any amount over ten dollars,
and will not be received Except at dis
COUNT. And when the merchant looks
for other money with which to do bust
ness, he will find that it is not in this
section Of the country, and if it was, his
silver, limited tender, half dollars would
not command it.
Then it is that this condition of affairs
will be held up to the voters by our
bankers and money lenders as sample
of the state Of affairs that would prevail
if we had free and unlimited coinage of
silver.
The dollar piece is orr only silver coin
which is legal tender for any amount ex-
ceeding ten dollars, and if there was an
honest intention to ''pay the laboler in
honest money!" about which our Repub-
lican neighbors make 80 much noise,
dollars would be paid out instead OF
fractional currency, which was never in
tended but for convenience in making
change and not to be collected and ex
pressed to one locality for political effect.
Let the laborer assert his right and re-
fuse to take his pay in limited tender
money which the banks will not receive,
and this scheme will fall fiat or reflect |
upon those who conceived and endeav.
ored to execute it.
|. w. MASON.