The Irish standard., 1896-07-18
DOES IT AFFECT ME /?

Of having it enlarged. ss
DOES IT AFFECT ME
How does 1t affect me personally? ts
the question one often hears when the sill
yer question is discussed. The average
man who has neither time nor inclina-
ton to study the great issue now before
the country will feel bored ii you speak
to him Of the relative merits Of gold and
silver unless you are able to answer the
above question In something like salts
factory manner, says the Irish World.
The subtle influence exerted by money
on the well being Of a community Is no
more understood by nine out OF ten men
than the influence Of the atmosphere upon
the general health is understood by the
average man. If you told q person unac-
quainted with chemistry that he Is sur
rounded by gases the due proportion OF
which must be maintained If he would
remain in good health he might take
this statement on faith; but, unlike the
chemist, he will be unable to analyze or
describe the chemical elements which
have SO important a bearing on his
health. The most ignorant Of men will
recognize the fact Of an excessive amount
of carbon in the air he breathes. He may
never have heard the subtle agency
which is undermining his health referred
to by name. All he knows is that be is
sick. y
In the same silent, unseen, but never
theless effective manner, money makes
itself felt in every community. A day
comes when the wage worker finds the
doors of the mill or the workshop closed
against. him. He is out Of a job through
no fault of his own. He Is as capable
and as willing as ever to work, but work
he cannot find. To his inquiry as to why
his services are no longer required, the;
stereotyped answer about "overproduc-
ton is returned. Too many hats, too,
many shoes, too many coats, and TOO
much of everything else required by men a a
have been produced, while thousands are
in need of these very articles, but find 1t
Impossible to procure them, because they
have not the wherewith to purchase
them. Sc.
The fact of the matter IL that there ts
q relative overproduction caused by un-
der consumption. Do away with the
causes Of underconsumptdon and you at
once and the same time do away with
causes of relative overproduction that
has shut UP mills, factories and work
shops, and sent wage workers adrift
whose enforced idleness compels them to
econon1ize, and so adds to the evils OF
relative overproduction which ever grows
greater and greater as the unemployed
are forced to economize more and more.
But someone here asks, what has the
silver question got to do with bringing
about this state of things? A pertinent
question which deserves and should have
an answer. We will try to answer it to
the best Of our ability, without quoting
figures, which often have a confusing eff
+, n Ll ( +
feet on the mind Of the reader.
When money is scarce it Is hard to set
hold Of and therefore it commands q
higher price, just as any other COM
modify would in similar circumstances.
sIf. for any cause the supply Of -four in the
country were reduced, say one-half, the
price OF -four would go up. The enc
mics Of silver aim at reducing the sup
ply Of metallic money. They would drive
out the white metal, and leave its vel
low rival master of the situation. Gold
money means scarce money, and scarce
money means dear money.
But here the question arises. how can
you. tell when money is dear? You can
always tell when it is dear by the list OF
average prices. When prices, not Of a
few, but Of a great many, things are go
ing down, you may be certain that
money is dear. That is what is going on
at the present moment. Here Is 9 record
Of the drop in agricultural products for
the week ending July 4. We quote from
the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Agricultural products have again
fallen. Wheat has dropped 21z cents q
brshel, corn Y cent, oats cent, lard 20
cents per hundred weight, and pork rs
Esents per barrel. Pork products are now
selling as low AZ they ever sold Il his
Ettry and grain IS not much better of.
= - Slzs.