Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-09-23
JUSTICE BIGElOW'S VIEWS.
Nevada's Great Jurist Tells Who Free
Coinage VIII Iniure.

Nevada's Great Jur1st Tells Who Free
Coinage Will Injure.
Chief Justice r. r. Bigelow, of the
supreme court of Nevada, had letter in
a recent issue of the Reno New Ga
zette which states some of the effects
of sixteen to one free coinage very clear
ly. Here is a part of his letters
Tt is not to be denied that the repub-
licans of this state are hard hit by the
action of the st. Louis convention upon
the monetary question. The free coin
age of silver is believed to be SO much to
the advantage of Nevada as silver
producer, and we have for so many
years heard nothing but free coinage
sat sixteen to one" arguments, that we
have almost come to the conclusion that
no one can think otherwise who is not q
scoundrel bought with British gold.
But there is another side to the question
that Is believed in sincerely by millions
of as pure patriots as any who believe
in free coinage of silver. any man who
says that this country can alone double
the value of all the silver of the world
and bring it and gold to par is either
ignorant of the lessons of the past or he
willfully shuts his eyes to them. IF the
free silverites carry the election this fall
on their sixteen to one platform, it will
not only paralyze business-it will ut
terly destroy it. There will be scarcely
a bank or business house in the land
that will not go down before the storm.
1t will send gold to almost 100 per cent.
premium, and, as measured with silver,
everything else will go up in value with
it. but as 1t will take twice as many
dollars as now to buy the same article
it will be of no earthly advantage to
anyone except the man who owes
debts that he has not promised to pay
III gold. His silver dollars will pay such
debt just as during the war green
backs would pay one, although worth
but 33 cents on the dollar, but they
will only buy half as much flour or
clothing or groceries as now.
But If he owes money to banks or
money lenders who does notP-
who have all protected themselves by
gold contracts, he will have to take two
of his silver dollars to buy one in gold,
and at the same time, owing to the gen.
eral stagnation in business, they will be
harder to get hold of than gold dollars
are now. It will be of no advantage to
the silver states, because their silver
will be just as hard to get from the
ground as now, and a pound Of it will
buy no more steel or powder or any of
the necessaries of life than now.
But the laboring man VIII be the one
who will suffer the most. The Comstock
miner will still get four dollars per day,
the laborer two dollars and the clerk
$50 to SIS per month, but it will be In
silver, and as 1T is now in Mexico, it will
only buy for his family or himself one
half what it will to-day. The same will
be the case with the crippled veterans,
their widows and orphans, who are now
getting pensions. It's effect will be to
scale their pensions. It's effect will be
to scale their pensions down one-half.
There is not one of the arguments Of
the silverites that cannot be completely
and successfully refuted. Free coinage
at sixteen to one by this country alone
cannot possibly benefit anyone, but 1t
can bring fearful distress upon all.