The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1896-08-21
AS0UND AND HONEST DOLLAR.
Three Plain and -Business-Like Talks on a
Business Question.

easier TO get II will be becausa they will
not be worth 30 much as now. In that
case tho silver mine owner ~ deceiving
himSelf--he will get the mere shadow
of the bounty he seeks and miss the
substance. II will take two OF the free
coinage dollars to buy as much as one
buys now. The government will be lln.
der no obligation TO keep at par with
gold the dollars coined free for the mine
owner sn unlimited quantities. and could
not do Il if II tried. II the silver mine
owner ba right about II, he alone Will
profit by the change. Whoever wants
10 have silver coined free must first get
his silver. II he docs not produce II he
must buy u. and he will have to buy Il
not sell II to him for less than he can
get for It bysturning II into dollars.
Great Deln.ion.
But the producer will not be put 10
this test. When the government goes
into the free and unlimited coinage OF
silver Independent OF the action OF the
great trading nations OF the world, the
silver producer will find that his coin
ed silver will be worth just Its market
value as bullion. no more and no less.
Anybody who desires to buy with silver
dollars will ind that It will take about
two of them TO get a gold dollar or 10
buy dollars worth. He may pay an
old debt with the fifty-cent dollar. but
he will have to make his now debts on
a gold basis. II he wishes to borrow hs
will have to promise to pay In gold.
Just as ha must do now II he borrows
from Senator Stewart of Nevada, the
head OF the free silver propaganda
Most of the debts owed In this coun-
try are now debts. Not more than per
cent of the indebtedness in this country
Is over two years old. The moment FREQ
silver seems TO be coming. borrowing
and lending will be on q gold basis. do
not stop TO discuss the moral question
Involved in borrowing hundred cents
and paying II on with fifty cents. Nor
shall ask any intelligent merchant
he thinks he could sell eight
rem inches Of cloth for the same price az
thirty-Bix inches; or any Intelligent
whether he thinks he could
get the same pay for one hours work
as for two; or any Intelligent farmer
price for thirty pounds of wheat as for
sixty pounds. No more can you buy a.
much with fifty-cent dollar as with o
dollar.
From Gold and silver to silver.
With the present standard, which Is
The gold standard. we have practical BIZ
metallIsm. With the free coinage of
,ilver we would drop to monometaulsm,
md silver would be the standard BIZ
metallism - two-metallism. Mono-
Is one metasllsn. Gold
countries use gold and silver.
silver standard countries use silver only
y the precious metals. With our press
mt standard we had In this country at
he beginning of the present fiscal year
1876 millions of gold. 625 millions of sill
yer and 65S millions of notes. all at par
and every dollar as good as gold. This
- the condition which free coinage
would change. Gold and the notes
based on II would be driven out OF clrcu-
ation-a shrinkage OF a thousand mill
ons In the CURRENCY What this would
mean ls beyond the imagination to pic
lure. Those who are to-day clamorIng
Tor free coinage would curse the false
prophets for leading them into tho
fitch.
II is often said that dollar IS a
follar SO long az the government stamp
g on II. no matter what It IL made OF.
There could not be greater deiuslon.
There are so-called dollars that are not
dollars. The Mexican silver dollar con-
tains 40 grains OF standard silver. III
more grains than ours. Its value on
April In this country was 5S.6 cents.
Mexico does not undertake to keep her
silver dollar at par with the gold stand
ard of the world and its own worth does
not keep 1t at par.
The Japanese equivalent of the
American standard dollar is tho
YEN" Japan has two metallic
, a,s,,s. as wa , have ... two metallic
silver yen" Her gold YEN Is worth
1917 cents IN our gold money. practically
a dollar. Her silver yen" Ia worth Sc 2
cents. little more than one-half.
Russia has two metallic coins called
the 'ruble. gold "ruble" and a silver
ruhle. as we have gold dollar and a
silver dollar. The gold "ruble' is worth
u. cents. the silver ''ruble" 1915 cents,
about one half. Russia has an auto
cratic $. government. The Will OF the car
~ law. but the Will of the autocrat of all
lne Russias cannot make thirty nine
cents equal to seventy-seven cents, All
dhe czar's armies and all the czar's
meets, all the monstrous prosecutions at
nome. nli the torturing miserIes OF ST.
Derla'B frozen hell. cannot make tho
car silver "ruhle" as good as his gold
ruole he world of trade says II Is
moi SO good. and the world OF trade 4;
mtghtier than the car. mlghtier than
Sarhafnents, mightier than congresses.
An Old Trick.
Debasfng the currency has ALWAYS
pcrn the cheap and ready resource OF
spcndthrift kings and bankrupt princes.
More than 1000 years ago Dionysius .ty-
rant Oh syracuse. being hard tip and out
OF credit, determined that tin should
takc me place OF silver as money, Ev-
erypouy was to agree that the tin mo.
ney Was silver money. Dionysius might
as wen have decreed that the moon was
tHe sun. DEGREES cannot turn tin into
SILVER. Legislation Is not an alclfemtst
10 CONVEX: silver into gold. So long AZ
me world esteems gold more highly
nan aliver gold will be Its standard.
ana unhappy indeed that nation mai
Ties In the face OF civilization.
saw the bolt of the fifty-cent dol,o-
men from that great convention that
onered 20 the country two representa-
I've americans on a platform OF sound
money and sound tariff. I heard ami
mighty host singing the national air.
as the delegates from the mining cnmns
nleu out saw the Star-Spangl..d Ran
ner waved in Triumph over the dele
gates WIN remained-'quIte enough IA
10 oasiness The sight thrilled me with
y new pride In my party and a new
nope LOT my country. The stripes seem
eh a deeper red aud n purer white: Tho
neiu oi Que took on more OF heavens
aauF" nue., and every white star sl,,na
with new and morn radiant glory 1'hs
,naS waved a new pledge of the Reuib-
INan party 10 stand, where IL has nj.
Ways stood and always will stand. close
~ me country's honor. Sound the do
gan through the hills ana the valleys a,
tne Mountain Statc--McKiulcy and Ho.
part' Sound money and sound tariffi
The WAGE-EARNERS' SIDE.