The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-09-25
The Worlds Twenty Questions.

on the silver issue. They went, as we
we think, to the root of the matter
Mr.. Bryan's able speech, devoted mainly
to free coinage, is fresh in the minds
of the public. The people can tell
whether he has answered these question
convincingly or whether they are not
the best answer to his speech.
When in the history of this country
has silver occupied "its ancient place
by the side of gold?" Has the re ever
been time when the two metals cir
culated upon equal terms as full-legal
tender money, with the mints open to
the free and unlimited coinage OF both?
If so, when was it?
You say that the restoration of that
condition will, in your judgment,
"restore the parity between money and
property" Will you kindly explain
what you mean by this? What is the
"parity between money and property?"
Do you mean that the "restoration"
will put up prices, undo the cheapening
effects of improved machinery, trans
portation, ETC., and increase the cost
Of living to all classes of the community
If SO, will you kindly explain how this
increase in the cost OF all commodities
is likely to promote "a return of general
prosperity" Will the workingman.
whose wages are stationary, or nearly
SO, be made more prosperous by having
to pay more for his flour, meat. grocer
les, chickens. eggs, fruit, vegetables,
clothing. househol d utensils, rent, and
all the rest of it? Will even the farmer
be better off with a double price for
his produce, in the who lily improbable
contingency that Europe will consent
to pay it, if he must pay double for
everything he has to buy?
You point US to "a larger field of
usefulness in supporting the gold and
silver coinage of the Constitution. 4"
But what is "the gold and silver coinage
of the Constitution" In what clause
of the Constitution, Or in which of the
fifteen amendments, does the funda-
mental law prescribe a gold and silver
coinage or any other coinage? In
which does it mention any coinage
further than to authorize the General
| Government to "coin money" and to
regulate the value thereof" Acting
under that authority Congress at first
authorized coinage at 15 to l. Was
that the "gold and silver coinage of
the Constitution" If so, how has 16
to l come to be the coinage of the
Constitution? Under the first ratio
silver was undervalued and refused to
circulate except in the form Of worn
and abraded foreigon coins. Our own
silver coins, even the subsidiar pieces,
were milted down for bullion because
they were worth about 3 per cent more
than gold dollars. In all the period
up to the time of The great silver
discoveries Congress sought to make
the coinage ratio the same as the
commercial ratio 1t never authorized
coinage at any other. Was that the
"coinage of the Constitution" II SO,
will it be return to it for US now to
establish free coinage at the ratio OF l6
to | when the commercial ratio IS
about 81 to 1?
Will not free coinage at 16 to l
reduce the value of the dollar init by
about one-half?
Will it not be in fact reputation
of about one half of all our debts,
public and private?
Is there not danger that it will cause
the return to us of all the American
securities held abroad-Government,
| railroad and industrial stocks and
bonds thus precipitating q panic of
giant proportions, with long years of
depression to follow?
Will not your election upon the
Chicago platform cause the calling in
between November and March, OF all
collectable debts, all loans, all mort
cages that have expiredg And will
not this produce such distress as this
country has never known, particularly
in The West and South, where capital
and credit are most needed and depend
upon confidence as their basis?
Will not free and unlimited coinage
drive all the five or SIX hundred
millions of gold and gold certificates
out of use as money or as bank reserves?
VIII it not cause currency cantrac-
t;on of the most disastrous proportion,
inasmuch as the utmost capacity OF
the mints to coin silver can not make
good this withdrawal for several years
to come?
Will not free coinage place Us at
once on a financial level with Mexico,
India and China, and can we afford
/ that level?