The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-06
The Moral Side of 1t.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
To settle once and forever the silver
question should be the effort of the Repub-
licans and thoughtful Democrats. The act
of April 2. 1892. Section II, proves that the
intrinsic and relative value of gold and
silver was the vital consideration in coin
ing money. Any changes from it's provi-
sions were expedients for certain purposes,
or unsuccessful attempts to bolster up a
metal of declining value. because it is found
in great quantities in our own country. If
it was a foreign metal that declined, we, as
Americans, would assist its fall order to
buy it as cheaply as possible; would
be called business. Not desirin, kill a
home industry, the Republica, S and
thoughtful Democrats are trying to save
the silver mine owners from the conse-
quences of their own folly by curbing their
wishes. A perusal of the act of Feb. u,
1873, shows that it was intended to intro
duce a dollar of commerce.. same as a Span
ish or Mexican dollar. AS the people of the
United States prefer subsidiary. silver coin
to the more cumbrous. the legal-tender
value was limited to S., but in order that
this dollar of ommerc should be of great
value in countries where silver was a me-
dunn of exchange for products, and valued
according to weights and fineness, the
weight of the silver was increased over
former weights Any schoolboy will UNDER
stand that this superior coin would cause
an lilOSS ldNlilS an iiitTiOI OHe 10 HuSlte
to get rid of it, as the superior forces
the inferior into retirement. Congress did
not seem to understand this. but became
ratified when a decline in silver took place
by the attempts of the silver countries to
unload the lighter coins all at one time
as if it was the devil for the hindmoSt.'"
Had Congress stood firm. borne the eX-
pense of recoining the lighter coins of the
silver countries into the superior American
dollar of commerce called the trade dollar,
in time the panic would have subsidized and
the United States, a strong nation, would
have the respect of the So-called Latin
Union. But, no. No such wisdom was ours
we took the back track: we tried to pro-
pitiate the panic-stricken Latin Union by
depriving our own people of actual weight
in silver coin. compelling them to take the
cumbrous discs as legal tenders, except
where there was a special contract to the
contrary; then denied that we intended to
swindle anybody and directed the Presi-
dent to ask the Latin Union to join us in
still smarting from the injury done their
lighter dollars by the attempt to displace
them with our superior dollars of COM
merce. Suppose indianapolis merchants
were selling a box containing 4l2 small
packages of starch, each package contain
ing an ounce: and suppose one of them
conceived the idea of putting 420 such pack
ages in a larger box and selling it for
the same price as the smaller one. The re-
suit would be a fall in the price of starch.
as there would be an endeavor to unload
the smaller boxes. There would be two
courses for the originator of the 400 scheme
either to continue. getting the credit of
being the first to increase values of the
boxes or to call a meeting of the mer-
chants, after returning to the smaller
boxes, and ask them to join in restoring
former prices for quantity of less value.
The farmer would call this forming a trust.
and Bryan is asking them to form a silver
trust by asking the courts to compel the
people to take small values at an enhanced
price, by refusing to listen to outside ar
guments about the hardships of poverty.
and other evidences of weakness. Let us
keep TO the moral question-how can we
honestly better our condition by defrauding
somebody else? TRAVELLER.
Salem, o., Oct. 8.