The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-10-01
A MECHANIC
WRITES AN INTERESTING LET
TER FROM NEW BERLIN.
Despotism of n Single Gold Standard
Attacked by a Man who Earns His
Bread by the Sweat of His Face
An Interesting Letter.

An
(By O New Berlin Meohanjc.)
We are today suffering labor and
money famine simply because Of the gold
standard, the demonetizing Of silver, and
the contraction and control of the volume
of our money by the bankers of the world.
There is neither fallacy nor mystery about
itl And when the people shall again join
hands, and lay all party prejudice aside,
and unanimously demand and vote for
the free and unlimited coinage Of both
gold and silver at the present legal ratio
of Is OF 1, then, by so doing, the people
will break away form the grip of Shylock
and will create by act of congress, its
own legal tender money payable and re-
ceivable for all debts, aud sufficient In
volume, say $50 per capita, for the busi-
ness of the country, just such money as
the $50, 900, 900 of legal tender notes is
sued by Abraham Lincoln In our national
distress in 1852. Such a currency as this,
backed by the wealth, dignity and integrity
forever take the people out Of the hands
Of bankers and brokers, and such catas-
trophe as money famine (or yellow fever)
could never happen in the world. This
would be scientific money, token Of
wealth, "a tool Of commerce and measure
of value. There is but one true standard
of value In the world, and that is the
quantity of labor required to produce that
value, and when once the masses come TO
realize this fact and act upon 1t, the des-
potism of the single gold standard will
be at an end, and our industries will
again blossom like a rose. 1t is as clear
as sunlight that the contraction Of cur
renoy to enhance the purchasing power of
gold is the great crime Of our age, and
is the source of misery, vice, prostitution
and crime. In 1865 we had $50 per capita
of currency in circulation, before con-
traction had accomplished its deadly
work, and prosperity, peace and happi-
ness ruled our fair land. We have since
seen and experienced that maintaining
the gold standard would put the working
men of this country at great disad-
vantage. And farmers have learned in
the last three years, II not before, that
cannot buy. So that farmers, as we'll as
workingmen, owe it to themselves to try
the double standard and oppose the single
standard. That is not good government
my friends, where those who do the most
have the least. Not only the necessities,
but the luxuries, and comforts of life,
toiler. There is something radically
wrong when men and women have to beg
for the privilege to toll. 1t is not won
der that the waRe-earner eanuot pay his
honest debts, and that millions of men
and women are unemployed, and the
shadow Of poverty rests upon the cheerless
homes of the workingmen; 1t is not a
wonder that poverty, prostitution, high
way robbery and bank ROBBERY, insanity,
suicide and murder are becoming cpl
demic all over the land. This state of
things will go on until the toiling masses
will rise up in their might, and on
November unanimously vote for that
gallant leader, William J. Bryan. By SO
doing we will hurl from power these
worshipers Of the golden calf, who have
dragged our country down to TIE verge
of national death under the false and
wicked pretsnse of honest money.
p. V. s.