Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-08-13


kind. II ever men give up using them
as money they will have very little
value left, for both gold and silver are
very much lees useful in other ways
than iron or copper or other metals
Suppose somebody should discover
somewhere whole acres and acres of
solid gold, SO that gold became us com
mon as dirt and everybody could get
all they wanted of it. Any man can
see that it would lose its value. Well,
this is what has happened to a certain
extent with silver; SO much of il has
been discovered and dug out of the
earth that it is not worth as much US
it used to be, and that il the reason
why the United States and all the
other great commercial nations 10 the
world have stopped its free coinage
into money.
Free silver means that the United |
States government shall take every 52 |
cents worth of silver in the world that |
may be offered to 1t, and give back to
the man who brings II silver dollar.
Mind you, this is just exactly what
free silver means. The friends Of it
demand .'ths free and unlimited coin
age OF silver at the rate of ID TO /. y
That is, that the government shall
Ireceive all the silver that is brought
| to it and coin it into dollars at a rate
that shall make one ounce of silver
| equal to the one-sixteenth OF that
amount of gold.
Well, naturally, all the silver in the
world will come right here to be
coined, because every man wants to
double the value of whatever he has
got.
Do you believe for moment that
the United States government eau
stand this sort of thing? Taking all
the silver that is offered to il, and
stamping it as being worth double
what it really is worth
Up to certain point no doubt the
government can stand ii. because to-
day our government is strong and has
high credit.
Even pieces OF paper, stamped by
! the government as being worth d dollar
pass as dollars, but this can only be
done to certain extent.
Do you believe that the government
, could take every bit of paper that was
offered to it and turn it into dollar!
Certainly not.
After time people would say:
"Why, that isn't dollar, it's only a
, bit of paper" And so il we have free
/ silver at The rate of 16 to |. after a
, time people will say of the new silver
| dollars, "Mhy, that isn't dollar; it's
r only 50 cents worth of silver, "
Q And you can depend upon it the
8 American people are not fools; they
| will be emart enough to see that this
so cents worth of silver buys only %
0 cents worth of goods.
Now, once more, why should the mer
O who have silver to sell TO the govern
a ment be allowed to sell it SO as to gel
a dollar for every 80 cents worth: Il
Il you could sell the government wheat ol
# corn or provisions that were worth 3:
70 cents in the market for z dollar yot
It would get rich very fast at the expens,
Ir of the rest of the people; but if you tr.
10 any such thing you will be found gu
It and called swinder.
is Don't forget the fact that you can g
IS into any market in the world TO da
le and buy for % cents the quantity o
1t silver that the owners of silver mine
ID and their ''l6 to u friends propose +
ID compel the government to coin into
ii dollar, and then say whether yo
think free coinage at 16 to l would b
is an honest transaction. Fifty cent
Q. cannot be made worth dollar an
&c more than eight ounces can be made
We pound, or Is lncne8 can pa ulaue yaru
be or Ii quarts can be made a bushe, {
water can be made to run up hill
x None of these things can he done; an
ey if we try any of them we shall find OF
en- to our sorrow that We are only foolin
as ourselves.
Ike Things have been bad enough for IL
% last few years. Let US not take ste
90 that would make them much wors
and, above all things, before we col
lat sent to cut the dollar in half let
ns remember that the loss will fall mo
all upon the poor man who works for b
he daily bread.
The rich man who has many dolla
he will not starve if all of them are C
in half; but where will the poor mi
0 l be, who works for one or two dollars
YER day, when he is paid off at the end
rn- the week in dollars worth only
SO cents each. to buy food and clothes
for his wife and children?
he NEW TABLE OF VALUES
ans To be printed in every school art
the metic when we have free coinage
ICE silver at the rate Of IL to l.
WHEN
Six inches make one foot
- Eight ounces make one pound
~ Sixteen quarts make one bushel
III 1