Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-10-13
How the Republican Press Talked
Before it Surrendered to the Wall
Street Gold Standard.
STRONG ARGUMENTS FOR SILVER BY
THE CHICAGO Tribune.


tender silver coin furnishes the only
proper test. The values Of gold or
silver as bullion are not pertinent to
the issue, whether the two metals. as
legal tender, can be maintained
Chicago Tribune, Jan. 8, 1878.
The prime object of rcmonetizing
silver is to add to the solid, substan-
tial, intrinsic money stock of the
country. There can't be too much
hard money-ready lnoney-in circu-
lation. Such an imitation is stimulat'
ing and invigorating. 1t is at once a.
sign and prop Of national and com
mercial prosperity. The simple re
monetiZation Of the silver dollar, with
proper provisions for it's coinage, will
contribute a steady stream to the
money resources of the United States.
Chicago Tribune, Jan. 90, 1878.
The theory that demonstration
Of the silver dollar demands that the
weight of that dollar be increased to
correspond to the present London
bullion value of silver as measured
by "cornered" gold, is simply absurd.
1t is in plain defiance of the expert
ence of all the rest of the world-even
with our own experience before the
silver dollar was monetized-which
teaches that 153 ounces of silver to 1
ounce of gold is the proper basis for
equallzing the money value of the
two metals.-Chicago Tribune, Jan.
8, 1878.
A.correspondent asks US why we
give so marked a preference to the
silver dollar of s714 grains of pure
silver, and reject the proposed
"Christiancy dollar" or the "Blaine
dollar" or the trade dollar. We shall
not undertake now to repeat or re.
state oil of them. But the first rea-
son is that the dollar of 3714 grains
pure silver has been the monetary
standard or unit of value in this
country from 1902 until 1878, a period
of 81 years. 1t is the ancient, I'M
changeable dollar of that country
Chicago Tribune, Feb. II, 1878.
In 1884, as it was two years and
more later discovered, the coinage OF
this silver dollar was forbidden, and
silver dollars were demonetized by
law. This act, which was done Sc
cretly and stealthily, to the profound
ignorance Of those who voted for it,
and of the president who approved it
had, without the knowledge of the
country, removed one of the land
marks of the government; and, under
cover OF darkness, abolished the con
stitutional dollar, and had arbitrarily
and to the immense injury of the
people, added heavily to every form
of Indebtedness, public and private.
Chicago Tribune, Feb. %, 1878.
| AS the London Times has said the
reconciliation of the silver dollar
would equalize the values of silver
and gold coin; and at the rate of II
to the American silver dollar would
soon prove according to past expert
ence, to be. comparatively too heavy
and ought to be reduced to the Eu
ropean standard of 15t to 1.-Chicage
Tribune, Jan. 8, 1878.
j What is whole dollar2 Who say.
that part of a dollar should be 6
whole dollar, or wants it to BET Foul
hundred and twelve and half grain
} of silver is whole dollar. and was 81
fixed by law in 1902. 1t never wa
> anything else, under the law
Whether at present that weight o
unlegal tender silver is worth q.
much as gold dollar of IS $40 grain
in London, no one cares. Fou
hundred and twelve and half grain
of silver coined and made legal ten
der is just Us much dollar as gol'
, dollar Chicago Tribune, Jan. Ii
> 1878.
If the government has bsen payin,
gold interest, 1t had that right b.
: original agreement, and it may here
after pay silver interest by the sam
right. The option is in the govern
ment, and it has never been SUI
rendered and never will be. Ho,
often must this be repeated befor
1 the goldites will consent to accep
t the fact? We have had enough Shy
e lock talk about public credit" goo
g faith" ''honor" understandings
: expectations" and "suppositions.
The surest way to kill ''pub!ic credit
q good faith and honor" is to slnas
u down the price of property, paralyz
$ business, pauperize labor, bankruE
enterprise, and drive the people int
$ poverty and despair; and that is pr,
!. cisely the role the gold-yeIpers al
q playing.-Chicago Tribune, Jan. 1,
r 1878.