Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-08-13

crty to protest against giving to money
'diSproportionate and unfair advantage
over every other species of property" If
tic relatively few whose wealth consists
largely in fixed Investments have right
to use the ballot to enhance the value of
their investments, have not the rest of the
people the right to use the ballot to pro-
tect themselves from the disastrous conse-
quenccs of IL rising standard? The PEOPLE
who must purchase money with the prod
ucts of toll stand in II position entirlcy diff.
fcrcnt from the position of those who own
money or receive Il fixed income. The well
being of the nation-ayc, of civilization it
self-deEcnds upon the prosperity Of the
masses. What shall it profit us to have Il
dollar which grows more valuable every
day if such dollar lowers the standard OF
civilization and brings distress to the peo-
pie? What shat it profit us if in trying tt
raise our credit }y increasing the purchas.
ing power of our dollar VIC destroy oul
ability to pay the debts already contracted
by lowering the purchasing power of the
products with which those debts must lie
paid? If it is asserted as it constantly is
asserted, that the gold standard will cn-
able us to borrow more money from abroad,
/ reply that the restoration of bimctallism
will restore the parity lCtwCcn money and
property, and thus permit an era Of pros
pcrity which will enable the American
people to become loancrs of money instead
OF perpetual borrowers. Even if we desire
to borrow how long can VIC continue bor-
rowing under system which, by lower
ing the value of property, weakcns the
foundation upon which credit rests?
Even the holders Of fixed investments,
though thcy gam an advantage from the
appreciation OF the dollar, certainly see the
injustice OF the legislation which gives
them tins advantage over those whose IN
comes depend upon the value of property
and products. Ii tho holders OF liked in
vcstments will not listen to arguments
based upon Justice and equity, appeal to
them to consider the interests of posterity.
We do not live Tor ourselves alone. Our la
Dor, our sell denial ana our anxious care,
all these are Tor those who arc to come aft
or us as much as for ourselves, hut we can
not proteTa our children beyond the period
OF our llHHs Let those who are now reap
ing advantage from vicious financial sys-
tenn rememEcr that III tho years to come
Their own children and their children $
,"iiUi'H may 'iu"Sii ,i'o Npei"'ioIi VI
to the descendants of those who are
wronrcd today
Asa against the maintenance Of II gold
r+nrdnrd either rorn,nncntlv or until 9TH
or nutions can he united forits oyprsnrow
the Chicago platform presents n clear and
cmuhutic demand for tho immcdintn res
torntion Of the FREQ and unlimited coinnoe
of silver and pold Mt the present lnool ratio
of III to / without Nvoitiug sor tho ni1 or
consent Of any other nation We orc not
asking that Il new, Cvrc1,i,,,crt bn +ricd Wo
are insistirp upon n return to n finnnciol
policy arnroycd by the exuorionco of his
tory and suuuortod bv ali tbo uromincI,t
statesmen of our nation from tbo dnvs of
the first president down to 1ST3 When we
nsk that orr minis Ice openpd IN the free
and unlimited coinage of silver into full
local tender money. yyo nro simplv asking
TINT tke same mint privileges he accorded
TO silver that are now Dccorded to gold
When we ask that this coinage bo nt the
ratio of 1Gto1 ,yo sinr1vosl, that our oold
coins and fine standard silver dollar
whit h. bo il remembered. contains the
same amount of pure silver as the first sill
ycrdolIar coined alto mints. retain thcir
present weight and 1nencss.
VI i' ''ii'
Ihothcorotical advantage of the bimotal-
lie system Is fcst stated by a European
writer on political economy who suggests
the following Illustration; "A river ICd
from two sources Is moro uniform in vol
tlmc than IL river leu from one source the
reason being that when one OF the feeders
Is swollen the other may DO low, whereas
river which has but ono 1ccder must rise
or fall with that feeder. So i'll tho case of
blmetalllsm. 1he Nolumco OF metallic mon
cy receives Contributions from both tho
gold mines and the silver mines, and
therefore varies less, and the dollar rest
ing upon two metals, is less changeablc i'll
It's purchasing power than the dollar which
rests On one metal only
II there are two kinds OF money, the OPP
non must rest either with the debtor or
with the creditor. Assuming that their
rights arc equal, we must look at the in
tcrests OF society III general III order to de-
tcrnlEe to which slGo the option should bo
given. l nder tie bimetallic system gold
ana silver are linked together by law at u
hNcd ratio, ana any person or persons
owning any quantity OF either metal can
have the same converted into full legal
tender money. If the creditor has the right
- I'm a nu.la au.aNe