Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-09-10
NIX DOSTER ON THE FINANCIAL QUESTION

b b0E; and does 80 now. in all International
| price, and IL needs no convention or agree
ment to compel or induce men TO accept it
Would not the object be to agree upon g
money value for silver in excess of its com
modify value and decree its aceepianee -i in
commercial transactions at such excess OF
would be the very Snort of eb5,5isbneSs for
grave ana serious men TO get together and
So Sol, az declare they would accept sill
goods at its commodity value, when they
are already doing so. and had all the time
TO the contrary This agreement, then, If
commodity in the market When that is
you, be impaired to it solely by me fat of
law II not, L ask you what would give IL
something would, else it would be futile TO
nold convention and publish a decree
tainIy such convention ana decree could
give to silver no greater value as a mere
commodity than it had before. Men would
or wine trays after than before. Neither
would they prize them more highly than
ful or ornamental than before
Money Value Can BE Decreed by LAW.
What, then, would justify a z>onventfon
of law givers in decreeing that men should
accept silver as money at value higher
give you your only answer the only one
You can make yourselves and the very one
you DO make 1t is that silver would have
a higher commodity value than before, be-
cause of the demand for it for money pur-
poses as Well Then, You can give value
to silver by law by decreeing its use for
fore been used for such purposes, and by
the same token you can take value away
be used for money purposes. You can COM
PEI rise IN its commodity price by en-
put, and yOn can enforce a reduction OF its
commodity price by prohibiting its use for
some of the purposes to which it is adapted.
The argument is impregna be. ssaiI-
able, II not, there is no occasion for an
int9ernattonsl agreement. and its fat of
value would be as important as the blowing
OF the winds. But You say that an inter
national agreement would be more effectu-
al to secure and maintain the Eemonetiza-
ton OF silver than would the effort of a
true, l answer that the effort of a great
PoMerI9l and wealthy nation ike ours. the
terlaI and the neeesSaries of life of any
effort great erect toward compeiiinssa fun
acceptance or our demands. if Ii can not do
Mr.. Edward Wilder. treasurer Of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad
The Kansas City Times. endeaVors to- pn ut
the advocates of silver coinage in the afti-
metal and the prevailing hard conditions
OF the time to the decentralization act of
the views of the silver people. and does
not correctly quote their utterances. We
OF domestic concern, because it was espe-
ca1iIg an anair OF this country and be-
which gave promise of great development
uation as much. if not more, was the series
OF crimes of the same character Committed
about the same time by the countries of
Europe as well. The assault AGAINST sfll
Yer was not a single one 1t was general
effect has been felt along the whole line.
Mr. WiIder's Objections Answered.
MT; Wilder, in the same communication.
e osemiption OF silver in gold, or legal pro-
VISION or ,,, any kind TO affect its inter
OF the claim that its legal tender char
ee e59 Sufilees to maintain its parity with
sue parity Is due solely to the practice of
one coin for the other. Fhis claim Ia sife
upon theory and superstition alone, the other
and 1880 which declare the legal f fen der
or silver Suppose, however, the
be changed and instead OF sn9 diei
bursting gold when demanded silver alone
With eoid wbSP T11,d IN equal
effect? Would the holder of this silver pro-
his 1OO-cent legal tender dollar at less than
It's taG &c Would he sell it at so cents? or
It pay only % cents Of the dollars indebt-
ednes s he might owe? II he should do so,
OF it do likewise, and sell it for 50 cents
Of Indebtedness with it? No to all of these
questions and suppositious statements of
. Every man in whose hand a dollar of
this money might come would be interested
III IL at It's lace value Of 100
cents Should any of them come to the
hands of European -bondholders- or other
creditors OF ours, would they sacrifice one
half of their money value when they could
reinVest in this country at 100 cents on the
dollar, or buy 100 cents worth q goods or
discharge 100 cents worth of indebtedness
which he might have contracted here? No,
in answer to all of these questions. No
The interests of every creditor of the
American people, either $ individuals or
In their collective capacity, would compel
them to help to uphold the money function
value.
unfortunately this country is a creditor
and not a debtor nation, and this fact is a
most potent weapon In the hands of the
American people to compel the money mas
terS OF the world to restore to them their
ancient privileges and laws. If the remon--
citation of silver by this country would be
to the disadvantage of the common people.
the Wage-earners. the ordinary professional
and Industrial classes of the countries of
common humanity meet them half way and
agree TO carry part of the burden ourselves
rather than impose the whole Of 1t upon
them
but is such the case? No. The holders
Of our securities not of the classes
named The holders of such securities are
The great bankers and wealth absorbers
the money barons of England. Germany,
the Netherlands and France, a class which,
for the purpose of making the power of
hands, limited and circumscribed the means
by which that power could be combatted
and held ia check To that class owe
nothing. absolutely nothing, except what is
did Portia to Shylock adjudge the pay
ment fully, promptly and exactly of that
IF flesh beyond"