The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1896-09-24
A PLAIN TALK TO WORKiNGMEN.
The A II c of the Silver Question.

A PLAIN TALK TO WORKiNGMEN.
The A II c of the Silver Question.
Let US not get mixed up with com.
pick matters in connection with the free
silver idea.
Let Us not befog our brain with ar.
bother with the many theories which
the advocates Of free silver are giving us.
But let us take O common sense view
OF the situation.
Now, to start with:
Suppose Bryan was elected and the
free coinage act had been passed and
that free coinage was an actual fact
Suppose that silver could be taken to
the mint and coined into silver dollars
at the ratio OF 10 to /.
How would that affect usl
We haven't got any silver bullion.
A whole lot Of people who own silver
mines have It, and so they could have
1t coined into 16 to ! dollars, but not
having any ourselves we could not have
q solitary, single dollar coined under the
free silver act.
Now, suppose, however, that all the
silver mine and others who had
silver took it all to Washingto n or Phil.
adelphia or to some other United States
mint and had it coined into 10 to I
dollars, and
Suppose so much had been coined that
all the silver in the world was made
b.to 10 to l dollars and
Suppose that every one Of these dol.
lars was piled in one heap right on the
next block, and
Suppose every single one Of them was
worth 100 cents here and everywhere.
What good would they do us unless
we had something we could trade by
which WI could get one?
Well, we have something to trade;
everybody has.
Some have labor, so much for q dollar.
Some have lumber. 90 much for E
dollar.
Some have sugar or potatoes or hams
or coal or something else, all go much
for q dollar.
We have advertising and subscrip.
tions, so much for a dollar.
When we want one Of those silver
dollars, we cannot 60 and take it. They
don't belong to III They belong to the
men who took the silver to the mint to
be coined.
If we took one. 1t would be stealing.
If we asked for N for nothing. it
would be begging.
II the owners gave us one for nothing,
it would be q gift.
II we borrowed one, 1t would cost us
interest. and so
Most Of Us, to get one, must trade la.
Dor. lumber. sugar. coal. advertising or
something to get It
This is absolutely and honestly &c,
isn't it2
Well, being so, why do We take any
chances on the dollar?
We can get gold now.
1t Is worth 100 cents on @ dollar
everywhere.
So we have supposed the silver to be,
but
Suppose it isn't
What then1
What Is the use Of taking q chance
unless we can do better? A silver dol
Lar won't be worth more than 100 cents,
will IL?
We are getting that now.
Let well enough alone.
Some say duty compels a Democrat to
back up and vote for a Democrat. You
have Bryan's word hat be is no Demo
Graf. Let him deny that he said It.
Some say it is pretty bad now. We
might as we'll take q chance. 1t can't
be worse.
What kind Of t~omfoolery is this7
Are things bad in a business way?
Let Us tell you something to try.
Vote down this crowd Of repudiators.
Tell the world in trumpet tones in
November that We want the best money,
that We will take no other, and business
will revive.
Let the capital out that Bryan and
his followers have scared under cover,
and prosperity will come Lumber
Trade Journal.