The representative., 1896-05-20
VALUE.
Editor Representative:

The value of everything is in its uses,
or the purposes it serves us. Nothing
has a value for us unless it satisfies some
want of our nature-phySical, intellectual
Or emotional.
Gold and silver served us three pur-
poses, or are useful on three planes. As
part of the earth, which is mans habi-
tatiOn and Gods footstool, gold and silver
ore have no greater value than rock or
dirt. for it serves the purpose no better
In the arts iron and other metals serve a
much more practical purpose than gold
CT silver. The value of gold and silver
on the art plane is in the qualification of
the taste. And much of the glamor at
taching to gold and silver in the arts
comes of the fact that they are money
metals.
When gold and silver or either one,
are placed on the money plane they take
| on the added value of this higher USE, If
the ratio of coinage is 16 to l then that is
the ratio of value for that purpose. This
coinage value reflects back to these met
ais in the arts, or as commodities, for no
man would take less for gold bars and
silver bricks than lit would be worth to
| him as coin.
If the ratio of coinage is 16 to that is
| the relative value to the bullion owner,
| and the government, Of gold and silver
| in making dollars, multiple of dollars
and decimals of dollars. When the gov
ernment puts it's stamp on a certain
amount Of either metal as dollar, it is
a dollar and no mistake. The value of
| these dollars will again depend on their
uses or the purposes they serve us. If
gold and silver dollars both are legal ten
der for debts and taxes they will have
| the same value in these uses. This will
| give them the same value in the 95 per
| cent domestic trade, as both reason and
experience teach us. And if the gov
ernment made legal tender paper dollars
they, too would have the same value, in
| the 95 per cent domestic trade, as gold
and silver dollars, for they would serve
redeemed the $5O0,0OO,OOO outstanding
greenbacks and treasury notes, and is
sued in their place $5O0,0O0,0 900 in simple
full legal tender greenbacks or treasury
notes, these would have the same value
or use in domestic trade. The IS pei
cent of the people would not be hurt by
the change and the government would be
rid of the redemption business. That
$100, 100000 gold reserve could then be
put out in circulation, and there woulG
be no occasion for idle silver and green.
backs in the national treasury.
1t is very difficult to see wherein the Gs
per cent of the people and Uncle San
would be hurt by this change. But, o.
course, it would not suit the 5 per cent
1t would not suit those who have monop
olized the gold of the country; it would
suit creditors; it would not suit the bono
buyer; it would not suit the banker an(
excusrionist, and it would not suit tht
evcursionist, and it would not suit til.
importer of foreign goods. 1t would no
suit what the man from Buffalo is pleas
ed to call business man and the man o
affairs" And it would not suit those pol
iticians who find it more profitable t,
legislate for "men Of affairs" than t.
legislate for the mass Of the people.
But, naturally, the 95 per cent, th'
mass of the people, are beginning to ask
was the government made for us, or wa,
it made for the per cent "men of af
fairs?" OF course the farmer, the miner
the retail merchant, the laborer and al
that outfit are not men of affairs. In
deed, comparatively few in the South an,
West are 'smen of affairs" But they ar
beginning to demand that the currenc,
system of the country shall be adapted t
the IS per cent domestic trade; and tha
the 5 per cent other trade must adap
itself to the new order of things, just a
the people have had to adapt themseve
to the old order with all its disasters.
In this change certain Inconvenience
may come to the per cent. 1t will a
least put an end to the robbery of Uncl
Sam and the 95 per cent by the pc
cent But Uncle Sam and the people ca
stand that much better than the presen
course of things, which will end in bank
ruptcy for both the people and Uncl
Sam.
Evidently, much the best plan is t
adapt our currency system to the need
of the great majority of the people, Civ
} to the people a sufficient volume of ful
, legal tender money, and they will kno,
what to do with it, Uncle Sam need nc
bother about parity. He didn't used t
do It, and he had his health much better
!, Neither need Uncle Sam bother about th
| "goings and comings" of gold and silve
: The law of supply and demand will al
tend to all that. If Uncle Sam takes tn
} place Of the laws Of God and human ns
ture he will have his hands full, and wi
have bit off more than he can chew.
Russia, under her financial syste1
) offers to loan Uncle Sam $500
| 100000 in gold. Uncle Sam III
/ der his financial system has
t regular time in keeping on hand the 500
, OOO, 900 gold reserve. Gold goes frol
( Uncle Sam in spite Of all he does. Ev
) IDENTIFY something is rotten in Denmarl
2 | uyhou hofh Uncle Sam and his neOnle su