Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-05-20

You'd ,is Intrinsic worth. II uttered In
unlimited Quantities, any more tran
businessmen can negotiate his paper be-
yond his resourcss ard capital without
inviting disaster and bankruptcy.
But. let US look at some OF the results
that viii accrue to the people from free
coinage The writer r. a merchant. III
free coinage becomes law, two neces-
cary articies-sugar and coffee-will have
10 be bought and paid for In gold or us
equivalent. because these articles are
imported. and whilst we may be silly
enough 20 deiude ourselves into the bellef
that piece Of metal worth In the mar
kets OF the world 60 cents Is worth 100
cents. these foreigners can't be made
10 believe or accept II. The retail mer-
chants viii have to pay the tobber Tor
this sugar and coffee in gold or It's equiVa-
lent and when the workingman goes 10
his grocer he will also have 10 pay TOT
the sugar and coffee In gold or It's equive-
tent, so that. instead OF paying. as now
cents per pound fer sugar. and ~ 10
Is cents per pound FOR coffee. he VIII
have to pay 30 cents for sugar, ana 70
20 30 cents per pound for coffee VIII TINS
help the workingman or the salaried
man? I trow not. WIN the working
man. the salaried man. have his wages
doubled in this deprecated currency
Is any one foolish enough to suppose
that II money depreciates the wages ana
salaries will increase in the same ratio?
Was It ever thus?
But. granting, for the sake OF argu-
ment. that this would be the case, wouin
the Iaborer or the salaried man be any
better off II he got double the wages he
20
and double prices for everything he buysE
Yet II a man will think for moment
he will see that this will be the result
THE wORKINGMAN.
There is no class that would suffer so
greatly II free coinage was adopted as
the working and the salaried man.
Those who are in debt, II Is true, would
be benefited, and the silver-mine own
ers would be enriched, and the people
are being used by these two classes Tor
selfish and sordid purposes, as monkeys,
TO null their chestnuts out or the hrel
II would be well for our people TO pause
and think before they leap blindly into
this tran set for their destruction. IN
less the silver dollar can be made as
good as a gold dollar. by free and un-
limited coinage. why mint II? Ana yet
no sensible man can think that TINS can
be done, except by the concurrence OF
Furopean Powers Our foreign com
merce our foreign importations, will
withdraw every dollar In gold
ont of the country and the silver
dollar. unsupported and unsustained by
the gold dollar will, Of course, sink 70
tia bullion-value. The farmer. whose
corn and wheat are sold and regulated by
the prices in Europe the world
market, will only get for II what II Is
worth I'm that market at their standard
of value, which Is gold; and when he
buys anything imported lie VIII have 10
pay upon the basis Of that standard!
The silver men tell us that the low
price Of wheat, corn, cotton, etc, etc.
has been caused by the decentralization
of silver. Let us look into this. With
out firing the reader with multiplicity Of
dry facts and figures, j will only give a
few illustrations: In the United States
in 1850. 592.O71, 1O4 bushels Of corn were
raised. I'm 1850. SSS, 1872 742 in 1885, 1,75459l,-
s7e: and in 1890, 2l22.S275 f bushels. or
wheat. in 1850, 100. 1854; in 1862 11SlO4,-
92i: in 1880, 459,4S31 1871; in 1899, 46s,S7S,e6S
bushels.
Does not this tell the tale? Has the
population increased anything like the
ratio Of production?
Well. let us look at cotton, which has
also fdllen OH dCNOuHl VI Nht NNhiNhN'iN
ton 60 OF silver. according TO the silver
men. In 1850 2,iG9,Q93 bales were raised;
In 1850. 53s7. 052; in 1880 5.755. 1853; In 1870, 81
7 4725lf. These same illustrations apply
TO hog products and other things, showing
that over-production has
caused low prices, and when the farmer
has 10 sell his products In the worlds
markets, competing as he does with pau
per labor and then pay protective
tariff on nearly everything he buys. he
is bound TO be poor. and the protection
lists 90 will keep him poor until he snakes
the shackles from his enfranchised limbs!
venture the prediction that If at
the next election free coinage is defeated,
and God grant that 1t may be. that there
will be an era OF prosperity set In for this
that Il has never before enjoyed.
England has millions of money ready to
pour into our laps to start the wheels or
Industry, and new enterprises In this
as soon as this vexed question is
settled She has more idle money await
ing safe and profitable investment than
ever before in her history, but she VIII
not loan out a good dollar with the pros
meet of receiving in return dollar worth
by her standard 80 cents Let this phren-
sy die out, so that prosperity and happi-
ness may once more smile upon us, and
the music OF machinery be once more
heard. and the hum of industry regale our
ears. j. D MOONH