West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-05-28

H'hel luhCtton Is oompleto. tOW
many pounds Of copper could you
buy for 100 cents 2 What is il
that gives these coins OF base metal
their curreney2 1t is the govern
meHt stamp. This great govern
mont of almost boundlcss wealth
and inexhaustible resources, says
that these coins within certain linz
ITS, on money, and 10 they are
money. To the extent Of thoir use
what does il matter to you or me,
what the commercial value OF cop
per and nickel is? What does it
matter to you or me whether the
nickel miner ar tho copper miner
becomes rich or poor by hls mining
enterprise, as long MS Uncle Sam
says our "nickep' is worth Eve
cents? What difference, then,
should it make to us when using
our silver dollar, or half dollar,
quarter or dime, whether the miner
who went down into the bowels Of
the earth for the bullion out of
which they are made, grew rich, or
became bankrupt, as thousands of
them have? What does 1t matter
to us. whether John Bull will not
give more chan 90 TO 60 cents an
ounce for silver bullion That
may be as much as John can afford
to pay for it, for tho uses to which
he wants TO put it. But we are not
using bullion for currency: VIC are
using money, StlDsr money. our
government says that it is money
and John Bulls oVereoat would
not make single breasted jacket
for Uncle Sam. Let England trade
IN bullion, il she wants to. Let
her pay Whatever price she can get
1t for; but as for us, we are not
after bullion, but we want moaey.
When you are using a five dollar
gold piece, (but | hate to accuse
you Of doing that. is it any con-
oern TO you whether the gold in it
may have cost in toll and money,
five times its actual value to the
miner, or whether the miner pros
pered or failed
How silly, then, is the argument,
that the profits Of the silver miner,
or gold miner, have anything to do
with with silver or gold, as mosoy.
Tho silver that is left to us, is
therefore, as good as the same
amount OF money anywhere on
earth. And that, in spite of the
fact, that everything has been done,
and everything is being said that
can be, to induce the people to be-
lieye that it is "degraded money"
r"dishoRest money" fifty cent
dollar" money. Why? Because
though politicians, unfortunately
can unmake or dcmonetize money.
they cannot mabe it. 1t is tho
province of the government to make
money--to say by lav what IS. and
what shall be money, and when It
/
has said, by affixing its stamp, that
4124 grains Of standard silver shall
be worth, and pass for, 100 cents,
then, as far as our country ls con
cerned, it is a dollar-ras good as
any other dollar, and better than
any other dollar for the people, be-
cause it will stay with them, which
gold will not--and SO it will be
with every dollar, half dollar, quar-
ter and dime that the government
will com IN the fature; notwlth-
! standing what the price OF bullon
may be in London, whether sixty
cents an ounce or four shillings an
ounce; notwithstanding the fact
that il is TOO bulky to DO used in
large "money" speoulatiOns; and
transactions tn m0ney, on Wall
Streets and notwithstanding that,
on account Of its great weight com
pared with its Purchasing power, IL
cannot all be gobbled up and stored
away in tho money vaults OF the
| great bankers. brokers and money
changers Of New York. Still ID
would all The time be money, go0a
mouoy-hOnet moDcy-tho hes,
money for the people. DO you
know that for forty years past, ali
subsidiary silver coin has beou
debased by law? Two half dollar.
have not, since 1857, been reall,
worth as moch by nearly ten cents
as silver dollar IL takas obo,l