The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-02
LOSS IN WAGES. PENSIONS AND
POLICIES.

POLICIES.
There are some people in the United
States who are iaboring under the impress
sion that because silver was demoneuxed
in 1873 it Is harder for them to repay In 1896
the money they borrowed In 1893 They
want free coinage OF silver. they say. IN
order that they may pay their debts more
readily. Possibly free coinage viii oens-
1T them. and II so they may be Justified
In trying to make ether people help them
They form a very Insignificant portion
of the entire population Of the United
States, however and before agreeing to
help them pay their debts II may be well
for the rest Of NJ to inquire how II is go
ing to affect US Making few selections
Of interest, the question may Be asked
how 10 1t going to affect the wage earnerf
Setting aside for the moment any the
orizing on the subject. We can take the
practical experience of George e. Storey.
a working printer who has just returned
from Central America--that paradise OF
free silver to whose prosperity our atten-
ton is so often directed.
'T am not a free silver man." says
Storey, land what Is more, It VIII b
pretty hard to find any one who has ever
lived in Central America who Is. II is a
free silver country. A hundred and twen-
ty-hve dollars a month looks like big
wages, doesn't TT But when You come to
pay from sixty 70 eighty-hvs Collars .
month for board. with everything else in
proportion, things appear In different
light. I paid eighteen dollars for pair
OF shoes. You see, tho dollar 10 worth
takes so many of them to pay for any
thing. How much do laborers receiver
About 20 cents a day. had rather work
In Seattle for 81 a week than to have q
good Job In Central America at hundred
and twenty-five dollars a month
Superintendent A. F. Haas is a reliable
man and anybody would readily believe .
statement he might make. He sayss
when I got home from the war. / paid
$50 in United States silver coin to buy
81 In gold" 1t win be remembered that
this must have been some time before
"the crime OF "a
There is no man who knows anything
sure that IL there Is going to be any poor
money. the working man viii most surely
have 10 take 1t for his wages. President
Everhard, OF the Glass Workers union.
has an intelligent appreciation Of the
consequence. of free silver. ana a. the APP
pointed spokesman OF at least ten thou
sand working men. he appealed to Major
Mckinley ito oppose the visionary ideas
OF those who seek TO create value by the
legislative fat of this nation alone and
the attempt Of those who seek to place
us upon the single silver basis"
Another class interested IN inouirtng
whether free silver is to benefit them or
not are those who hold policies in life
Insurance companies OF fraternal soci-
eties. II free silver coinage Is adopted
aud the silver dollar IL made legal tender
to any amount, OF course insurance COM
panies will be able 70 pay their policies
IN silver. suppose a man has insured
his life for s2oco. His purpose f.. let Us
suppose. to provids 1900 10 pay OF q
othsr 1900 for his wife's maintenance
II free silver 10 adopted and IN. universal
experience follows. the company VIII pay
IN silver dollars. which viii be worth 1T
lie more than - per cent as Mexican
silver dollars are. The widow win have
70 give up her s..aoo IN order to pay OF
the mortgage. and she will be penn,less
compelled. perhaps. to cell the house.
which cost s. no In good hunc-ed-csnt
geld dollars earned BY her hushand-so
sell n FOR Sc 900 legal tender silver, which
win only have q 900 purchasing power
r.. silver rnfns owner win have rsapee
the profit. and TIRE widow VIII pay the
penalty ~ her husbands folly IN voting
for cheap money. Is the risk worth tax
.nxs
Another elass-a partieuiarly important
eIass-consssts cf clt pensioners ard TIE
widows os soldiers. TIE nation pays on;
erer g4Ayo.s noe 4 year IN pensions y
every enc OF these cellars Is to have a
lees purchasing power" ss tire free ST.
v.~s,~s say VIII be The result OF free
silver coinage. 81 VIII rnsan loss TO
these pensioners and widows OF probably
80 eeo nc a year. II prices 90 Up as the
srns sIlver4ses clsirs-snt ~ they certain
~ wiz IL a senee-an6 tbs free silver ees-
lar rra4e 90 silver worth s. ceass an
oance. but paid for to the min. owner
a. n, rate Of SIS per ounce. reduces
the present purchasing power Of
-. dollar 100 Ter cent. Il rneans
practically THAI ssa.sass = year wsn be
taken out OF the pockets % the psasgoss-
ers ara the ws9ows ard pat krse ire
rockets ss tAs scr&zxa sxrdicaca which