The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-09
A TRAIN or THOUGHT i,

a cashier, bookkeeper or teller IN
bank.
A day laborer.
Or of any other occupation, as one of
the majority millions of meu who are in
receipt Of a days pay, a weeks wages or
a years. salary.
Now supposing BRYAN was elected
President, that majority OF both houses
OF Congress were silverites and that a free
coinage law was passed.
Under such a law anyone who had
silver could take IT to the mint and have
1t coined into silver dollars at the ratio
OF 16 ounces OF silver to one ounce OF
gold.
Now, just forget for the moment. all
about the "criine OF 49," And also dis
miss from your mind the present. past, or
prospective commercial ratio OF silver and
gold. Eliminate, IL you please. all men,
tion OF the ratio at which the government,
under such law, would be asked to
coin silver. just consider the bare fact
that anybody who has silver can take
1t to the mint and nave it coined into
silver dollars.
Surprising you are any OF tho classes
OF workers mentioned above can you con-
osive how such law would help you?
Or how 1t would be of any value to any
body who didn't have silver to take to
the mint?
Plainly, having no silver TO coin you
could not have a single silver dollar
coined under such an act. SO you would
not get any silver dollars In that way.
Would your salary or wages be in.
creased? Or would your money go any
farther than II does today? Could you
get any OF those silver dollars by throw
ing up your job or taking vacation or
rec cling your hours OF work? Wouldn't
you have to work for them just as you
do now7 And would there be any more
work for you to catch on to IL you had
time or energy than there Is now?
Plainly not.
Then where would be the benefit2
There would not be any.
Why then should you vote for free
coinage? >t.
We don't know. Does anybody know?
II. however, the commercial ratio Of
silver should continue below the pr opos.
ed coinage rptio, there is every reason
why you should vote against the propo-
sition. Indeed, II you are In possession
OF your sense, It is incon ceivablo that
you should vote any other way but fiat
against II.
Because,
The first result Of such a law would ba
panic. The siIverites tell us that and
we knew 1t before. A panic means hard
times Perhaps you might have your
hours OF work or your pay reduced or
lose your job altogether. A panic means
a general cutting down All around.
stocks are not the only things that get
scaled down In panic times. You know
that because we rave recently beer
through panic.
After that, the silverites tell Us, there
would be q "roadjustment." SO thsre
would. Hail the resdjus,men,sl But a
read sdjustment does not come in dey.
We have been resdjusting from the panic
of 1893 and we haven't got thugs en-
tirely readjus,ed yet. Resdius,ments arc
matters not OF davs nor OF weeks nor of
months-but Of years. Meanwhile who
is goias to board and lodge you? Per-
haps 10 we we're not now read !ustiug
from the panic of 1893, IL we were not
now suffering from II, the silver miracle
scheme would not seem even so attractive
as 1t appears to be in remote quarters.
And not iuireQueptly, readjustinents
fail to reaojust.
One thing is certain, unless the com
msrcial ratio OF silver and gold readjust.
ed itself to the coinage ratio, we should
continue in bad shape for all time. Our
money wouldn't DO worth what it is to-
day for the purchasing of the necessaries
OF lie and what Is moro, we never would
know what it would be worth.
No one can promise when the con mo cial
ratio will come around To the coinage IA.
Ito or II It ever will at all. II probably
Wouldn't. And IL Il did?