The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-26
OBJECT LESSONS IN SILVER.

An era OF advertising with political
point has been inaugurated in several
cities about the country. One Of the
windows OF Chicago store shows keg
fun OF Mexican dollars, above which
this sign is displayed: San OBJECT les
son. Any SOC. article in our store ana
this big Mexican dollar for 81 OF our
money. Are you onY' ARMOUR & Co.
make a similar offer, inasmuch as they
will sell 90 cents worth Of meat and a
mex lean silver dollar for one U. ). dollar.
A tobacco store advertises TO give a silver
dollar (Mexican) and 90 cents worth of
cigars for one dollar bill. II Is SAID that
there Is a large demand for Mexican
dollars by business men for the combi
purpose of advertising and illustrating
the evils OF tree silver. Here in Provi-
dence and in other places in Rhode Island
we learn OF the combining thus OF ad-
vertising and object lesson in the value
OF silver.
The Mexican dollar is really worth more
than the United States silver dollar. 1t
has more pure silver in it. Melted down
II would sell for more pennies. 1t isa bet
ter article OF money. Ii is not intrinsi-
cslly worth 100 cents, however, and as
the government iiat which declares IT to
be dollar Is not strong enough to support
IL at valuation OF 100 cents, since no coun-
try where silver coinage Is free and
unlimited could succeed in backing up
such fiat, IT'S purchasing power is re-
duced to its intrinsic vslue and you can
ope American silver dollar which Is
really worth little less, intrinsically,
than one Mexican dollar.
II you 60 TO a iewelry concern today
to buy solid silver of kind, like spoons
for example, where the labor aud skill
employed in fashioning the articles has
not been too elaborate and so expensive,
the jeweler ought to be, and doubtless
will be, willing to sell you the silver
ware, weight for weight in American
silver dollars If the American silver
dollar wsrs about twice as big as
1t Is and so contained one hundred
cents worth OF value according to the
present market prices the jeweler would
not want to engage in any such transac-
tion as selling his silverware by weight In
silver dollars, since he would simply get
for his goods corresponding quantity
OF silver that would not he worth what
his goods were until ii had been melted
down and fashioned into articles like
those sold, at an expense OF labor, time
and skill But he will cheerfully trade
weight for weight with the American
dollar as 1t IL, since II only contains
about 50 cents worth OF silver, while the
government stamp adds H cents to It's
value for purchase aud trade. In other
words, the jeweler who sells you silver
spoons weight for weight for silver collars
gets back just az much silver as there
Is in the spoons, ounce for ounce,
an even exchange. and the AZ cents extra
value which the government stamp gives
to the silver dollar pays for all the ex-
pense OF skill aud workmanship in fash
ioning the spoons and the jewelers. !
sufficient business profit.
II Uncle SAM, however, wasn't known
to be "good" fer that extra AZ cents the !
jeweler would make his prices quite in
dependently of weight, or II he sold by
weight at all he would demand two |
ounces OF silver dollars for one of silver |
spoons at the present market rate for ell |
ver--the value that our silver dollar would |
nave under free and unlimited coinage,
just as 1t has in silver standard Mexico.
s-A
Tom WATSON is going to drop work |