Connecticut western news., 1896-07-16
THE SILVER VAMPIRE.
Or The Scheme to Enrich Few and
 ImpOverish Many.

-APo' VI. @S-. ~~-~-ys
 F. R. Collin, the jeweler. is the ,ealer of weights and measures for the town of North Canaan, Conn. There is ! fixed and unchsngable standard by which he tests, gauges and seals all weights and measures. This standard is analogous to the gold standard where by the value of money is tested and fix ed or stamped. In his personal busi- ness MT Collin sells articles made of gold, and also sells articles made of sil- yer. But the value of the silver articles is determined on gold basis.
 The present tor gold basis) retail price of milk in Canaan is five cents per quart; molasses, 50 cents per gallon; corn, 43 cents per bushel; sugar, five cents per pound; coal, S6 % per ton. Now dearly beloved brethren you can imagine the result if the milk peddlers in Canaan should take their pint meas ures to Mir Collin and have hlm stamp them ''one quart" Could such stamp on pint measure make it hold one quart? And with milk at five cents per actual quart could you obtain five cents worth of milk in pint measure, even if tho measure did bear the stamp cone quart?" If the merchants in Canaan should take their half-gallon measures to Mir Collin and have him stamp them ''one gallon" could such stamp make each measure hold one gallon, or hold fifty cents worth of molasses? If the farmers and grain dealers of North Ca naan should take their half-bushel measures to MT Collin and have him stamp them "one busheP' could such a bushel, or hold 43 cents worth of corn. ? If the merchants, should take their scales to Mir Collin and have him ad just them to weigh eight ounces for every pound, would the buyer receive 20 pounds of sugar for one dollar. ? And yet the scales would be sealed scales, or in other words would bear the stamp which says that eight ounces are pound. If the coal dealers should get MT Collin to seal their scales in the same way, would the purchaser get 2000 pounds of coal for SCOOP Ii Mir Collin should cut yard-stick into two parts and then stamp each half as tone yard" would that transform an IS inch wide piece of cotton cloth into ''all wool and yard widee" In brief. would the farce Of sealing any weight or meas ure as double it's actual size increase the capacity of said weight or measurei Would it increase the intrinsic value oi whatever article is weighed or measur. ed by such false standard?. Would the intrinsic or market value of 5C cents worth of silver be doubled by stamping it cone dollar? In other words, does the farce of stamping silver as double its intrinsic value double the guantity of silver in the wofld?. Does doubling the price of bread fill twice as many stomachs? Does cutting the yard-stick in two give you twice a. many yards of cloth?. Will weighing or establishing the value of merchandise by 16 ounces of silver (which it is pro posed to call one dollsr) instead ol weighing it by 32 ounces of silver (whict is actually or intrinsically worth only $I % in the markets of the world) give you twice the quantity of merchandise Nay, brethren, it will notl But it vii give the owners of silver twice tho actual or intrinsic value of their metal The silver men propose to take you property without giving you an equiva lent for it. As 8 matter of fact the, propose to give you only half of al equivalent for your merchandise or you labor. And they propose to do it b. stamping "one dollar" on every 1t ounces of silver instead of on every 8. ounces.
 Now the foregoing homely and crud, illustrations of the fallacy of the staml theory may enable some to .'size up
 the silver question. The advocates o free silver want the United States t.
 place it's dollar stamp on 50 cents wortl of silver. and they want you and I t, believe that 50 cents worth of silver i
 worth one dollar in gold; and they wan
 us to accept 50 cents worth of silver a an equivalent for one dollars worth o toll or merchandise. That is the lengtl and breadth, the heighth and depth o
 the silver question. But the injustic and the pure cussedness of the ''fre,
 silver" theory or proposition is unfath
 omable, yet it illustrates supreme sell
 ishness and proves the truth of tn
 adage that "Man's inhumanity to ma
 makes countless millions mourn"
 A few years ago quart can of toms
 toes was worth 20 cents. To-day it
 only worth eight or ten cents notwith
 standing it bears the same stamp c
 brand as formerly. But it is the sam
 weight, quality, size etc. The stam
 or brand does not regulate the price
 The supply and demand regulate th
 price. A few years ago the ratio (
 gold to silver was 16 to 1. To-day it
 30 or 32 to l, nevertheless the silve
 men demand that every owner of silve
 bullion shall be permitted to take it t
 the mint and every % cents worth of
 be stamped as dollar, though it woul