The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1896-09-24
FREE SILVER IN INDIA
,r HAS REDUCED LABOR TO THE
VERGE OF STARVATION.
mana. Have Remained Stationary While
the Price of Necessaries Have Gone Up
nut of the Reach of TOilers.

Ip NJ -
.hn stock claims of the white metal advo-
,a,as is that in India silver furnishes a
stable currency. That the people of that
oo,ntry are happy with it; that they are
,rosncrous and getting an increasing
ssbare of the worlds trade; that while
liver has fallen when measured by gold,
h, has not fallen when measured by other
nrodlcts. The claims cover a wide
'nrn and are intended to prove that
silver on a strictly silver basis makes
|ro, deal currency for a happy and pros
|%perolls people
liz citing Mexico as an example for this
|'auntry. Mexico lies too near our doors
|anJ knowledge of the desperate condition
t., labor and the middle classes in that
Backward land is too easily accessible.
E,1i, as Il guide for America is an
Lnu,lly unfortunate selection. Like ev-
|.rv other free silver country it is a land
IT, ignorance. with the great mass of it's
\. ,%nIation in wrctchcd depths of poverty
H.,ouI the conception of Americans.
FIR all hut the privileged few life is
H.. Of endless struggle for mere exist
|,nrc. and the gaunt specter of famine
|s ever ready to stalk through this sore
Stricken lana.
l.. Hauser. a tea merchant of Chi
kago. who has spent the greater part of
f. last thirty-tive years in India, where
n. has a branch house and is interested
En- tra and in several agricultural ma
chiucs of his own invention adapted to
India. being Il close student has made a
rarrful study of conditions in that land
nd this. Long residence has given him
bpportunity to carefully watch the vari-
ms changes which the past quarter cen
furv has brought about. Seated in his
library. surrounded by curiOs gathered
\ a life spent in the Orient and with
btfcial and private publications concern
ng the country at hand for ready ref
krence. Mr.. Hauser talks most enter
tainingly.
There is no gold coinage in India. The
Init of circulation is, the silver rupee,
which has no fixed value. Its worth va
hes from day to day according to the
brice of bullion or bar silver in the Eu-
Upean market. To appreciate the
EhangcS in the value of the rupee. its
Equivalent in American money in 1851
vas ~ cents: % cents in 1861: ~ cents
l>1l; II cents in 1881 and 81 cents
b 1881. The depreciation in recent years
ha> been rapid: in 1893 worth 81 cents
(nd in 1874 only - cents.
The subsidiary coins are anaS 16 be-
D. equal to a rupee; pice "COPPER" 4
NuaIing an ana; pies. also copper. II
Nualiug one ana. The lowest form of
currency are cowrieS, n kind of shell,
S4O being counted as equivalent to a
hpcc, or % cents of our money. These
bwrleS are used by the poorest people to
urcilasc salt. trcwoOd and the barest
ece>>ltics of life. 1t is a fixed law in
lance that the poorer the people the
hcaper the money and the smaller the
examinations into which that money is
iyldcd.
"lt is a stock argument among
lyer men that the value Of silver
men measured by all other prod
e. has not fallen. This is an as
nmpti0n that is directly contrary to the
lets. In India. n strictly silver using
Puntry with no gold coinage. the pur,
pasll!s power of silver when measured
other products has declined at such
rale as to keep pace with the decline in
NaIne OF silver when measured by
Oll' IN other words the purchasing
PWer or the money of India has huctu-
@u ana appreciated according to the
RahseS IN tn" price of silver in London.
i> iact entirely uIsets the claim of the
nIle metal men that silver is ii stable
oAoy metal and that it is gold that has
Plf"rlatrd instead of silver that has de,
feciatrd."
,ahliS down Il large blue bound book
nucd Prices and Wages" compiled by
nSSlS'aht Secretary of State for In
! ana issued 10y the Finance and Com
gree i",partmcnt." Mr.. Hauscr turned
" SERIES of tables showing the pur-
Ii"e power of The rupee over certain
~, Fl"dli@lS for Il long series of years.
."nl"N cover very market cen
~ 'h'iia and show the average pur-
Ing power of tn" rupee in each for
' Years. Selecting Cawnporc as a
G'''I market il is shown that i'm 1871
f0n"r would purchase IS hounds of
-" IN lNNl. 10 pounds: in 1892. oS
1H.r, ~ rice ii would buy 81 pounds
Ca ~ pounds in 1881: - pounds
- barley it bought ~ pounds
r'I. >" pounds in 1881 IS pounds in
W. grain equivalent to OATS it
Ar"i fN pounds in 1871; 40 pounds in
r.'N pounds in 1891.
- tables show. and my own per-
3D. 'NPrfl'h"e c~orr0boratcs them. that
-" pre-" Of silver went down lesser
u"'N o. goods could be purchased for
I' IN" same result would follow
"-''nihg Of our own currency to
Eyer standard. The great hard
such a decline in the value Of
Ni't IL another way OF put
81, >''"h an imitation of prices when
"''i ny Il dchasrd standard of
= mat all prices do not tluctuate
sam" proportion, and the wages
y 'hih@" hni slowly. This makes
"'''a'IonS bear most heavily upon
WE" are least able 10 bear such IA
| 'h" people whose daily bread
"'> n1on their daily labor. Their
:" '' slowly if ut all. while their
fli'S 81 life advance rapidly. max
iInpuSSihlc for them to purchase
"", This has taken place in India
''fg' part of the population of
",'I'Hiat" country are perpctually
''rS' OF starvation.
'prif'r1lc the desperate situation
n'hvcs of India and To sec how
"rnir III silver has reduced them
~ miles. let us consult this official
"h" see what il says about wages.
gives the wages per month of able
IT,, agricultural lahorcrs' in init
ni"h"y at Lucknow as 81 "a in
Hi'-.i m 1881. $1.4S i'm 1891. Al
N423 in 1871. $3.50 in 1881.
~ - At Calcutta Sl.SS i'm