The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-09-04

Republican Party Safest.

W Ieinark tnat tne argument against
free coinage of silver over the protest
of the financial nations of the world
deduced from the financial condition
OF Old Mexico, proves too much.
No fact can prove too much. II
may prove more than some people de-
sire to admit, but facts can only prove
what IS true. And it is true that
Mexico can take all the silver in the
| world and stamp it as coin, but she
does not give the silver she stamps the
purchasing power stamped upon it.
Her dollars have as much silver in
them as ours, but our dollars are worth
two of hers. Why is this?
! Because Mexico's coinage of silver
is unlimited; ours is limited. We
maintain the parity OF our silver, un-
der the present coinage law; Mexico
does not. If our creditors prefer gold
to silver, we pay them in gold Mexico
cannot pay in anything but silver.
She is forced to take all the silver that
is presented to her in payment of her
products, at its coinage value; we are
not bound to take it at all, at any
price, consequently Mexico is "silver
poor" She has more of silver in pro-
portion, than she has of anything else.
She is like the man who was Gland
poor" in the early days,-he could not
buy a square meal with quarter Sec
tion. So with Mexicos silver; she
has lots of it, but nobody wants it, on
that basis. We are afraid that would
soon be our condition if We opened our
mints to the world without any re-
striction or means of protection.
Free coinage of silver by the United
States would start up every silver mine
in the world and all the vast product
would come to us. It would start
thousands of men to prospecting for
silver. It would at once. make Mexicos
dollars worth more than ous, instead
OF half as much as at present. All the
deprecated silver dollars in the world,
from all directions, would come to us,
and we would be compelled to give the
full value of $1.29 per ounce for it in
our products.
This would give US lots of silver, but
no gold. What we had to pay other
nations would have to be paid in gold.
Hence there would be continual out
flow of gold and continual inflow of
silver, and soon we would have no gold
in circulation. We would be like
Mexico,-on basis of silver mono
metallism.
Surely no one who knows anything
of the conditions of the Mexican peo-
pie, and especially the laboring classes,
would compare it with the laboring
classes of the United States, or ask
that our laborers be brought to their
level. In civilization, dress, mode of
living, food, nor in anything else, is
there comparison. They are perhaps
satisfied with their lot, because they
know no better, but the poorest and
meanest dtch-digger in this country
would promptly "strike" on his first
introduction to such life: Thatched
'dobe huts, tortillos and frijoles as
staples, with occasionally calde, or
soup; chill con carne, mixture of
pepper and dried meat; and pulque,
the vile national drink that is extract
ed from the juice of the cactus plant.
There is no home in Shelton that can
not boast of more cookery conveniences
and better furnishings for personal
comfort than that of the best paid
laborers and mechanics in Old Mexico.
The class found in Southern Califor-
MIA, contains purer Castilian blood and
are in more civilized surroundings, but
our laboring class would not care to
exchange places with many of them.
We mention this simply to show that
the United States does not care to
pattern after Mexico or its people, and
certainly not its financial policies.
The above are few of the reasons
why we fear to assume the burdens OF
silver free coinage alone. 1t Is all
right to call us towards, and to boast
about our ability to whip the world.
We can whip :he world ON our own
shores in battle of men with guns;
hut we are not so confident OF our
success in battle of men with money.
The fact is that the World is the
strongest in money. We are nation
of borrowers. From the poorest man
up to the government at Washington
we have found it desirable at times to
borrow, and we have borrowed from
the World-not from ourselves. It
we can whip the World with dollars
why do we borrow.
The republican financial policy is
the safest; it is conservative, not wild !;
we take no chance of a panic, or OF a
deprecated silver currency. No dem