Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1896-05-21
he argued from the supply and demand

be argued from the supply and demand
point of view.
Taking that position, we fortify our
selves in a Gibraltar against which all
gold-bug assaults are vain.
The moment we evacuate this for
tress, and begin to claim supernatural
virtue fer silver, because it is silver,
we make ourselves the prey Of the ad-
versary.
Make money scarcer and you make
1t costlier.
Is there any lodging that?
Can't you drive that fact into the
thickest skull that ever sat on the top
of moss-back?
Can't you illustrate it in a thousand
ways so that no man can fail to grasp
It?
Why leave a Gibraltar like this to
take up the weak position that silver
is sacred and carries healing virtues
about its respected person?
Silver is better than iron-when the
government makes money out of it.
Until the government makes money
out of 1t, silver is less useful to man
kind than iron.
Then, if it becomes specially useful
only when the government makes it in
to money, is 1t not clear that paper, or
linen, or brass, would become equally
beneficial upon the same terms?
The cry should not be "Silver;" 1t
should be more Money"
Land, in the south, is comparatively
cheap. because there is more Of it. as
compared to population, than there Is
in New England. The New England
soil is poorer than ours, and its climate
more rigorous and unfriendly to pro-
duction. Yet her lands sell for more
than ours because they are scarcer, in
comparison with population.
Why is New York City land worth
more than Ohio land? Because scarcer
to the demand.
Why do certain unions Of skilled Ia
borers always command high wages?
Because these unions keep their trade
secrets, and keep down the supply Of
workmen who know the secrets Of that
particular trade.
Why do seal-skins bring such fancy
prices? Because there are so few to
be had.
And thus you can go all over the
commercial world, illustrating the fun
damental truth that scarcity produces
high prices, while plenty produces low
prices.
Scarce money means high-priced
money money which costs much labor
Dor, much land, much cotton, much
wheat, much merchandise.
Lessen the number of dollars con-
stantly, and you constantly make them
harder to get; and after you get them
these hlgh-priced dollars pay no more
taxes and debts than you paid with the
dollars which were easier to GET
Easier to get because there were more
of them.
Speaking Of the decline in values
there is one factor which is usual!
overlooked.
AS soon as the civil war closed, thu
confederate states were thrown cpel
to trade.
The money supply Of the union states
had to serve, thence-forth the needs o
two separate sections-or sections
which have been separate.
In other words the volume of govern
ment money had to circulate among {
vastly greater number of people.
The entire confederacy and the freed
slaves, had to use the supply Of none!
which, up to that time, the union states
had kept all to themselves"
This itself made a relative scarcit!
of money, and caused a rise in the pric'
of money; a decline in the prices o
commodities.
Therefore the extreme advocate o
free silver, who tries to make the de
cline in values commence with 1879
overlooks the tremendous fact that tn
entire southern people had 70 be sup
piled with a currency, after Lees sur
render, and that this supply came from
the stock which the government hat
already made.
. -
And as we were saying awhile ago
now is the time to renew your subscrip
ton to this paper.
Don't wait for the 5O:cent offer for i
amt going to come. You may rel!
on this for we get it straight, from re
liable source. Your affectionate uncle
T. E. w.
The Do Nothing Congress.
Has anybody heard Of anything thu
present Congress has done except tall