The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-07-15
A POINT ANS WERED.

mIs W. q. 0mltn, Oh Ed1mtnXbOus
Mimi, sends us the following clipping
from the Tribune Of that town:
when the Republican spell-binders
come around, bowling for high tariff
lust ask them why wheat 10 worth one
dollar q bushel Ia Mexico and nifty
cents In the United States; and wheth- 4
or the reconciliation OF silver would
not make it worth one dollar In the
United States? And IL not. why not?
-Donnelly's REPRESENTATIVE.
The employees Of . manufacturing
company 10 Atlanta, Ca, can answer
these questions Of the versatile Don
nelly practically. Four weeks ago on
wages in silver dollars and each re-
ceived twice as many dollars as the
usual pay roll brought. Then citation
and cheers for the company followed.
for they thought times were better
and wages had doubled. Their pleas
ure was shOrt-lived. Their bright
new dollars were all Mexican dollars
and no storekeeper would give more
than fifty cents for the dollar. They
found out that they had twice as
much money as usual, but that 1t was
worth only half what it seemed.
These men can answer the question
about wheat in Mexico. The farmer
who gets q United States half dollar
for his bushel Of wheat can buy Just
as much with his half dollar as the
Mexican grower can buy with Mexican
dollar.
We thank the editor of the Tribune
for this comment on our article-it
explains the whole situation.
For eighty years prior to 1873 those
Mexican dollars would have been
worth one hundred cents each at At
lanta, Georgia, and everywhere else in
the United States.
And il they could be taken to our
minis to-day. and recoined and
stamped, they would also be worth
one hundred cents on the dollar. Why
are they worth only fifty centsP Be-
cause the mints have been closed
against silver bullion. BY vile trick,
purchased by British money. The
| remedy is to remove the disqualified
ton put upon silver in 1873. and 1t
will rise to its old value In 1873.
And why we're the minis closed, in
these United States, in 1873, against
the white metal, thus breaking down
the price Of Ala grains Of standard
| silver from 10V cents to so cents? Did
the Republican party in 1879, or at any
time prior thereto, demand it? No. Did
the Democratic party? No. Did the
Prohibition party? No. Did any po-
litical organization? No. Did any
town meeting or political caucus Of
any kind anywhere ask for it? No.
Did any newspaper in the United
States advocate such stepP No.
How was 1t done? BY passing bill
eoith nothing in its title to show whdt it
meant; Without reading 1t In either
house Of Congress; by declaring that
it did not change existing law; and by
carrying It through 40 secretly that
the president soho signed It and the members
| of the Congress ,ohich enacted It declared that
they did not k,so,o, for tsco years thereafter,
that silver ,Oas densonetized By It.
And did it, in express words. say
''silver dollars shall be no longer coin
ed in the mints of the United
States?" No 1t accomplished its object
by 0naitting from the list of silver coins, tIa.
could be COT ned at the mints, the standard
silrer dollar; and by putting In clause
at the foot, that no coins not enumer-
ated above shall be coined!!
II this villainOus trick had not been
accomplished those Mexican dollars at
Atlanta, Georgia. would to-day be
worth lou cents instead of so cents.
And in Mexico where they are is
sued they are legal tender and worth
100 cents on the dollar!
And there they soill pay 100 cents Of debt
each. And our dollars .ciIl do more.
And is 1T any answer to our state
ment that wheat, which is worth one
dollar q bushel in Mexico 10 only
worth fifty cents in the United States,
to say that the Mexican dollar is not
legal tender In this country and has
therefore but . bullion value, when
that bullion value has been largely
broken down by our own Congress
corruptly depriving silver bullion OF
access to the minis?
In other words, this Republican
newspaper says to the farmers Of Da-
kota county:
/. Your wheat would be worth 81
IA bushel, instead Of fifty cents, II the
minis OF the United States were open
to the free coinage OF silver dollars.
2. They are not so open because
English gold corrupted our Congress
3. The wrong having once been done
We propose that it shall continue for
ever; because the Republican party
has espoused the cause of the money
lenders Of Europe and America, who
want money scarce and dear, and the
products Of labor cheap; aud It 10 bot
ter that you should Ill 60 to the
alms-house together than that the G
0. p. should be defes1Ad.
4. And to humbu md honey-fug-
gle you, . msnufactd Dr ct Atlanta
Ga. takes Mexico's legal-tender silver
dollars, worth lou cents in Mexico, anl
brings them to Georgia, where theJ
are no longer legal tender. It is sim
ply shabby trick.
Every country has its own currency
Who ever saw Mexican dollar In the
United States since 1850; on an Ameri
can dollar in Mexico? The editor Of
the Tribune might just az we'll refuse
to take United States postage stamps
from the postmaster 1T Pennington