Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-09-10
what 10 to l Would Mean.

nothing is more foolish than the tall
about "poor mems money snc
money Of the people, as distinguish
ed from "money Of the rich Mr.
Of the Altgeld-Tillman-Brya strips
are trying to persuade the voters thai
q currency Of so cent silver dollar
while it might lessen the income o.
"gold bugs" and wall street sharks
would greatly benefit farmers, labor
ing men and the common people gen
orally.
Apart from the palpable wickedness
Of a proposition thus to set class
against class, and to enrich one part
Of the nation by robbing another, q
little reflection will show 1t to be
equally false and delusive, and that
these demagogues, in preaching plum.
der Of the rich, are really Putting for
the further impoverishment Of the
poor.
There cannot practically be two
kind Of money in circulation. The
money Of the rich and the money OF
the poor must be the same. The
same money that the millionaire re-
ceives from his dividends or coupons
he must pay out again to his EN-.
ployes and to tradesmen. II 1t be
gold, or currency at par with gold,
then gold is the money Of the poor
man as well as OF the rich. II 1t be a
deprecated currency Of silver or
paper, it is the poor mans and the
rich mans alike. II by any chance
there be in existence two kinds Of
money, only one Of them, and that
the poorer, will be in actual circula-
ton. That is law as inexorable as
the law Of gravitation itrelf, The 100
cent gold dollars would be boarded by
every man fortunate enough to pos
sess them, whether the rich man with
q million Of them, or the poor man,
with q hundred and the 30 cent sill
yer dollars would alone be In circula-
ton.
What thenP Deprecated currency
being universal, who would suffer
most from itP Not, we may be sure,
the rich men, against whom these
Populists declaim so vehemently.
The man whose income Is 100000 a
year might find 1t inconvenient to
have 1t cut down to $4,000. But
how about the man whose income Is
only $l,OOOP Would he not find it
much more inconvenient to have to
have to get along on $600p And the
laborer who is now getting " day,
how would he fare on only SlP And
the farmer, when he got only II for
the same amount Of produce for which
he now gets 81, what would he think
Of cheap money"p
For be sure that is exactly what it
would mean The free coinage Of
silver at the IS to ratio would in
stantly drive gold and Its equivalent
out Of circulation. and would leave in |
circulation nothing but silver dollars
and their equivalents, worth only |
fifty cents each. The laborer would
have to accept them for his wages,
and the farmer as the price of his |
produce. Each man might receive
rs many dollars, so called for his
abor or his goods, as before, but
hey would have only half the old
power. The market value
II the farmers grain and cattle would
hus be reduced one-half The labor
Nc mans wages would be reduced
'ne-half. This is exactly what the
Idoption Of the Chicago platform
would mean, 1t would rob the rich.
t would ruin the poor.
But, its advocates contend, there
would Immediately be REIMBURSEMENT
4 prices. Wages would go up.
10 matter II dollars were cut in two;
men would get twice as many of
hem That is the argument. But
'ho will be convinced by itp Is any
ational man going to vote to have
very dollar he gets reduced in value
ne-hali, in hope that he will then be
bic to get twice as many Of them and
0 be as well of as nowp That would
e performance fit only for des-
crate gambler. 1t is throwing away
certainty for an uncertainty, with
he assurance that the uncertainty, II
salized, would, after all, be not a bit
etter than the present certainty; and
18th the odds, as universal experience
as proved, overwhelmingly against
lie uncertainty ever being realized.