West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-10-01
GOLD THE CHEAPER PRODUCT.
IL Costs Much Less TO Mine It Than It
Docs to mIno silver.

Docs 70 HtiNcf
One OF the oft-rcpeated statements OF
republican newspa pers and orators and
of their allies. the gold democrats, is
that the abundance OF silver ore and the
cheapness with which the metal can be
produced are the causes why people of
this and other countries will not, and
should not sanction it's free-coinage, as
redemption money. at the ratio OF six
teen 10 one, or even the French ratio of
fifteen and one-half TO one. IL this rea-
sonlng be accepted the truth Is IL Is gold
which should be demonetized, for its
production during the past so years has
been relatively much larger. in coin
value. than that of silver, and the cost
of its production is now much less. To
day, for instance, 20 get out OF the earth
the silver in Il dollar costs the Colorado
miner 55 cents, while the South African
gold In u dollar costs but 35 cents 10
mine. These figures the gold-standard
men never reveal, though practically ac-
quainted with them, for this campaign
Is made on falsehoods which they hope
the people will not find out Based on
the cost OF the production of both metals
the just market price of the yellow
metal as compared with the white IS
only n little more than 63% cents, and
so their present bullion prices should
be exactly reversed. According to the
strictly interpreted logic of the Shylocks
gold Is the cheap and debased metal and
silver should be the standard and inter
national coin, being the denrest one. In
this connection the following statistics
arc Instructive:
The Production OF Gold and silver.
l. by periods. from 1892 20 1s92
PRODUCTION OF gold from 1872 10
Production Of silver; from i7gs to '''''i''''''
1850 ........................... GsO.azoOO
over gold .......s..........'... $50. .Oa1. 900
lgoid Of California and Aus
ls7s =. -. 1.15oo25 600
Excess OF production Of gold
pfoduet9n oi gold from ISIS to to ''D'''o'OOOO
Production Of silver from iS75 10 ''''''''''O''
1872 inclusive. ivo......'...."..... a.ae'.HaOoo
Excess o., production Of silver
Total production Of goid from '''''''N'''O
- $50 % isg2 9ciusl i've 80. i7s5. no. 900
1850 to 1892. Inclusive. s.HI4i4coo
Excess Of production Of gold
over TllYor from 1850 90 1872. In
Total production Of gold from ''''i'4'''O''
i702 90 1892 incusiyo. go. ... s., ,6ss. .O0S 900
Total production Of silver from
i7os 20 1891. inclusive. -. s,ioaoei 900
Excess of production Of gojd
over silver for 100 years. from
an analysis of these dgvoir,c,ss doi,,s ''1''''''Oo
HH 49, t. a -frs -
production Of silver was nbous
double that Of gold (for uart
or THIS period, or prior ~ the
incrcoao IN the production
81 gold from Ruasia. Tho pro-
than three times that OF
ROidJ. yet. with cOinago free.
the ratio Of silver 10 gold
gid not change; on tho other
hond, from 1870 to 1878 tho pro-
dycuon of gold exceeded that
Ana silll ffbcre was no change '0'''''0
IInetals wes absorbcd N coln-
Again. the production of silver
has slightly exceeded that of
fsss. CO., h,oyweger bslne but -. sao86aa.ooo
change IN the ratio has gone
on tiu 81 has reached about
thirty 60 one
r. arafn. We fake fss entire po.
rod from 1870 % fs2 the rro-
ductop % goid hos exceeded
tunf of silver bT............. Isl .3Tf .I1Grff
Showing exclusively fhnt 10 is not
The excess of silver production that has
caurcd o. FAN .a silver bust che cxciu-
sion Ofsiivcrf from free coinage. thus con.
ccntrating Che entire demand Tor money
on gold that has caused The enor-
nous rice iu gold. and O correspond
ing fall OF silver, and Of prices gcncr-
ely.