Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-12-24
GOLD COUNTRIES SUFFER-.

sess over the gold standard coun-
tries on account of the use ofstand.
ard money of stable purchasing
power in the silver standard
countries and standard money in
the gold standard countries which
has been doubled in it's purchasing
power in the last twenty years and
is still growing dearer. We hope
the following statement will make
it clear.
The people of every country
have large obligations in the shape
of interest, taxes and other fixed
charges which must be paid in
money. The people of the silver
standard countries get in their
money for everything they sell in
the gold standard countries about
double the number of dollars for
the same commodities that the
people of the gold standard coun-
tries get in gold for the commodi-
ties they sell in foreign markets.
tits argued that a gold dollar is
more valuable than silver bullion
sufficient to make a silver doller.
This is true in the gold standard
countries, but for all practical pur-
poses silver dollars in silver stand
ard countries are as good as the
gold dollars in the gold standard
countries.
Silver coin will pay the same
amount of debt, taxes, and other
fixed charges in the silver-standard
countries that gold coin will pay in
the gold-standard countries. This
is not denied, and it is very inn
portant consideration, because it
takes double the amount of com
moditles in gold standard countries
to discharge the same amount of
fixed obligations that it does in
silver standard countries. Our
fixed obligations of all the people
and the government are variously
estimated to be between three and
four thousand millions, which
must be paid each year out of the
products of labor before anything
can be realized as net profit. If
these obligations could be paid
with one-half of the produce OF
labor with which they can be
paid, a crushing load would be re-
moved from the industries of the
country. This increased burden
of fully one-half has been imposed
by the increase in the purchasing
power of money since the gold
standard was adopted. It is an
unjust and arbitrary burden i'm
posed by vicious legislation and
ought to be removed.
Besides, silver dollars, in the
silver standard countries, will buy
as much of the commodities pro-
duced in those countries as gold
dollars in gold standard countries
will buy of the commodities pro-
duced in gold standard countries.
If it be suggested that the silver
standard countries have lower
rate of. wages than in this country,
the answer is, that that condition
existed in more marked contrast
than 1t now does before silver was
demonetized, and that it has been
greatly aggravated to the disad-
vantage OF gold standard countries
since the difference of exchange
was produced by the demonetiz-
alton of silver. In addition to all
this, the dollars which the silver
standard countries use give them
a protective tariff of about one
hundred per cent. Whatever thew
buy abroad they are compelled to
pay twice as many dollars for as
they would be compelled to pay if
there was no difference of exchange.
The result is that exports are en-
ormously stimulated by stable
money at home, which keeps up
wages and furnishes employment
to all, and protective tariff which
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