Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-10-22
a PLAIN TALK TO woRkINeMEN
The of the silver Question
Clearly Put.

Clearly Put.
Let us not get mixed up with complex
matters in connection with the free
silver idea.
Let us not befog our brain with
arguments about the crime of 1873 or
bother with the many theories which
the advocates of free silver are giving
us
But let us take common-sense view
of the situation.
Now, to start with:
Suppose Bryan was elected and the
free coinage act had been passed and
that free coinage was an actual fact.
Suppose that silver could be taken to
the mint and coined into silver dol
lars at the ratio of sixteen to one.
How would that affect us?
We haven't got any silver bullion.
a whole lot of people who own silver
mines have it, and so they could have
it coined into sixteen to one dollars.
but not having any ourselves we could
not have solitary, single dollar coined
under the free silver act.
Now, suppose, however, that all the
silver mine owners and others who had
silver took it all to Washington or
Philadelphia or to some other United
States mint and had it coined into
sixteen to one dollars, and
Suppose so much had been coined
that all the silver in the world was
made into sixteen to one dollars, and
Suppose that everyone of these dol
lars was piled in one heap right on
the next block, and
Suppose every single one of them
was worth 100 cents here and every
where.
What good would they do us unless
we had something we could trade by
which we could get one?
Well, we have something to trade;
everybody has.
Some have labor, so much for a dol
lar
Some have lumber, so much for a
dollar.
Some have sugar or potatoes or hams
or coal or something else, all SO much
for dollar.
We have advertising and subscrip-
tions, so much for dollar.
When we want one of those silver
dollars, we cannot go and take it. They
don't belong 10 us. They belong to
the men who took the silver TO the
mint to be coined.
II we took one, it would be steal
ing.
If we asked for one for nothing, 1t
would be begging.
If the owners gave us one for moth
Ing, it would be gift.
II we borrowed one, il would cost
MS interest, and 20
| Most of us, to get one, must trade
labor, lumber, sugar, coal, advertising
or something TO get 1t.
This is absolutely and honestly -,
| isn't Il? tesaa
Well, being so, why do we take any
chances on the dollar?
We can get gold now.
| It is worth TOO cents on the dellar
everywhere.
| So we have supposed the silver to be,
+, but
Suppose il isn't?
What then?
What is the use Of taking chance
unless we can do better? A silver dol
lar won't be worth more than 100 cents,
viii itQ
We are getting that now.
Let well enough alone.
Some say duty oompels a democrat
TO back up and vote for a democrat.
You have Bryan's word that he is no
democrat. Let him deny that he said
1t.
Some say IL is pretty bad now. We
might as well take chance. 1t can't
be worse.
What kind of tomfoolery is this?
Are things bad in business way?
Let us tell you something to try.
Vote down this crowd of regulators.
Tell the world in trumpet tones in
November that we want the best money,
that we will take no other, and bust
ness will revive.
Let the capital ont that Bryan and
his followers have scared under cover,
and prosperity will come. = Lumber
Trade Journal