Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-08-08
A SILVER CATECHISM.

The Detroit Free Press publishes the
In my judgment an associati ton of men
eminent in business and otherwise
should he formed in this city without
delay, whose duty it should be to write
or procure to be written, n large number
of tracts treating solely the question OF
sound money, to contain not more than
1000 words each, and to be printed in
large type and upon good paper. These
should be distributed, or be ready for
distribution by the middle of August,
and copies should be placed in the hands
of every wage-earncr and farmer in the
state of Michigan.
They would best subserve the purpose
If drawn up in the form of catechism,
of which / append specimen:
Q.-What is the fundamental conten-
ton of the ree-coinage advocates?
A.-That the amount of money in cir
cuation has been decreasing since the
decentralization of silver, and that this
decrease has caused a general fall in
prices.
Q.--Is it true that the money supply
has been decreasing?
Alt is not.
Q.-What are the facts?
A.-As far as the United States is con-
cerncd there has been an enormous in
crease. In 1850 the money in circula-
tion in this country was $442, 102, All;
in 1872 it was $T3S, ,309,5 $40; by the
treasury bulletin at the beginning of the
present month of July it was 81 500, 725,-
300.
Q.-What does this show?
Alt shows that our money supply
has increased 24O per cent. as compared
with 1860, and 104 per cent. as COM
pared with 1872.
Q.-Has the money supply increased
faster than the population!
Avery much faster.
O,-HOw do Won OrOyp thiSI
A.-By dividing the total money in
| circulation at each date by the total
| population of the country at the same
date, and thus finding the circulation per
capita.
Q.-What does such process show?
A.-The per capita circulation of the
United States on July l., 1860. was
$14.06; on July l, 1872, it was $1S.T0;
at the beginning of July in 1896 it was
$21.15.
Q.-But has not the money supply of
the world at large been decreasing?
A.-On the contrary, it has been in
creasng rapidly.
Q.-How is this proved?
A.-By the statistics of new gold pro-
duction.
Q.-How large has this production
been?
A.-Thc reports of the director of the
mint, which are acknowledged authority,
show that from 1873 to 1894, inclusive,
the worlds total new gold production has
been So, ,526, ,S34 800
Q.-Is this new product of gold in
creasing or decreasing?
Alt is increasing with enormous ra-
pidity.
Q.-Givc the figures.
Ain 1873 the worlds gold produc-
ton was S9G,200,O00; in 1880 it was
S106.436,S00 In the year 1890 it was
S11S,S49,O0O In 1894 it was $1SO,626,-
100. For 1895 the exact total is not yet
compiled, but is closely estimated at
$199,5 100000.
Q.-What does this mean?
Alt means that the amount of gold
annually added to the worlds money
supply has more than doubled in the last
twcnty-thrcc years.
Q.-But has not the issue of silver
with full coinage privileges cut down the
total annual addition to the worlds me-
tallc money supply?
Alt has not.
Q.-Why?
Ain 1873 the worlds gold produc-
tion was $96.200,000; it's silver produc-
ton, $S1 100000; total, $17S,00O, 600.
Last year the production of gold alone
was $199, 100000.