Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-09-26
A PLAIN TALK TO woRKINoMeN
The b of the Silver Question
Clearly Put.

aSActstAy Eue fl.s.
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
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 dol
lar.
Some have lumber, so much for q
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 to us. They belong to
the men who took the silver to the
mint to be coined.
If we took one. it would be steal
ing.
If we asked for one for nothing, it
would be begging.
If the owners gave us one for moth
ing, it would be gift.
If we borrowed one, it would cost
us interest, and so
Most of us, to get one, must trade
labor, lumber, sugar, coal. advertising
or something to get it.
This is absolutely and honestly so,
isn't it?
Well, being so. why do we take any
chances on the dollar?
We can get gold now.
1t is worth 100 cents on the dollar
everywhere.
So we have supposed the silver to be,
but
| suppose it isn't?
| What then?
What is the use OF taking q chance
unless we can do better? A silver dol
| lar won't be worth more than 100 cents
will it?
We are getting that now.
Let well enough alone.
Some say duty compels democrat
to back up and vote for democrat
You have Bryan's word that he is nc
democrat. Let him deny that he said
! it.
Some say it 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 out that Bryan ant
his followers have scared under cover
and prosperity will come. = Lumber
Trade journal.
1 =
Germany's Influence With the Sultan.