Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1896-08-18
EFFECT OF FREE COINAGE
Asserts 1t Would Raise the Bullion Value
to Its Coinage Value.

Asserts 1t Would Raise the Bullion Value
to Its Coinage Value.
There is an actual necessity for bimetal-
lisn as well as {; theoretical defense of it.
During the last 20 years legislation has
been creating an additional demand for
gold, and this law created demand here
resulted in increasing the purchasing
power Of each ounce of gold The restora-
ton Of bimctallism in the United States
will take away from gold just so much of
its purchasing power us was added to it
by the demonstration OF silver by the
United States. The silver dollar is noyY
held up to tho gold dollar By legal tender
laws and not by redemption in gold be-
cause the standard silver dollars are not
now redcemablc in gold, either in law or
by administrative policy.
We contend that free and unlimited
coinage by the United States alone will
raise the bullion value of silver to it's coin
age value, and thus make silver worth
e1.29 per ounce throughout the entire
world. This proposition is in keeping
with natural laws, not in defiance of them.
The best known law of commerce is tho
law of supply and demand. We recognize
this law and build our argument upon it,
We apply this law to money when we say
that a Reduction in the volume of money
will raise the purchasing power of the
dollar. We also apply the law OF supply
and demand to silver when we say that q
new demand for silver, created by law,
will raisc the price Of silver bullion. y
Different From Other Commodities.
Gold and silver are different from other
commodities, in that they are limited in
quantity. Corn, wheat, manufactured
products, ETC., can be produced almost
without limit, provided they can be sold
at a price sufficient to stimulate produc-
ton, but gold and silver are called
precious metals because they are found,
not produced. These metals have been
the objects of serious search as far back as
history runs, yet, according to Mr.. Har-
yeys calculation, all the gold coin Of the
world can be melted into a 22-foot cube,
and all the silver coin in the world into a
66-foot cube. Because gold and silver are
limited, both in the quantity now in hand
and in actual production it follows that
legislation can fix the ratio between them.
Any purchaser who stands ready to take
the entire supply Of any given article at a
certain price, can prevent that article
from falling below that price. So the gov
eminent can fix a price for gold and silver
by creating a demand greater than the
supply. International bimctallists be-
lieve that Several nations, by entering
into an agreement to coin at fixed ratio
all the gold and silver presented, can
maintain the bullion value of the metals
at the mint ratio. When a mint price is
thus established it ".F =
Regulates the Bullion fyiee,
because any person desiring coin may
have the bullion converted into coin at
that price, and any person desiring bullion
/ can secure it by melting the coin. The
only question upon WHICH international
bimetallists and independent bimetallists
differ is: Can the United States by the
free AND unlimited coinage Of silver at the
present legal ratio create @ demand for
silver which, taken in connection with
the demand already in existence, will be
sufficient to utilize all the silver that will
be presented at the 1mints? They agree
in their defense Of. the bime lie principle,
and they agree in unalterable opposition
to the gold standard, International BIZ
metallists cannot complain that free COIN
age gives a benefit to the mine owner, be-
cause international bimetallisnl gives to
the owner Of silver all the advantages
/ offered bY independent bimetallism at
the same ratio. Int ional bimetalHsts
{ cannot accuse the dyocates Of free silver
Of being bull lion owners who desire to
!, Taiss the value Of their bullion, OF
debtors ds sire to pay their debts in
cheap dollars,' or ttdenlago CUES who de-
sire 10 curry fpyor with the people. s. They
must rest their opposit ton upon ono
ground only manuel that the supply Of
silver available for UOinage IS too large q