The advocate., 1896-10-28
sECREEARY CARLISLE TO LABORING MEN.

from the Wage Farmers Patriotic
League of Maryland called on SeCre-
tary Carlisle at the Treasury Depart
ment and invited him to make an
address before the wSge-earnerS Of
Baltimore at his earliest convenience.
The Secretary could not promise to
accept the invitation, but he delivered
q short address to the delegation in
which be Is reported as saying:
II there is any lsborinR man In the United
States who really believes the money no re-
celVes for his toll 10 too good, that 1t Will buy
too much food and clothing Tor himself and
family, or pay rent for better house than he
should have, then it is his duty to vote for free
and unlimited coinage at the ratio Of 16 TO 1.
II there Is any lsboTing man who has saved
money out Of his earnings and has depOSitedit II
in q savings bank or . building and loan ssso-
citation, or life insurance policy for the pro-
lection Of his family, and he desires TO have
the proceeds OF that Investment returned TO
him In dollars worth half as much as those
which he paid, he also should vote for free
COINAGE OF silver at 16 to 1; but on the other
hand, every man in the United States,whether
he works for wages or not, II he desires TO pre-
serve what he has accumulated, or what ne
may hereafter accumulate, he ought to vote
against silver At l6 to /, and for the mAinte-
nance OF a sound and stable currency.
We are In the closing years OF the
nineteenth century, period IN which
greater development of the inventive
resources of men has been accom-
pllshed than In any other 500 years
preceding. The progress of our own
country has been phenomenal. In
every department of life and work we
have advanced beyond all precedent.
Yet we are only beginning the study
OF the most subtle and important
agency in modern clvllization-money.
Here is man at the head Of the Treas
ury Department the financial officer
Of o mighty people-who has not got
beyond the barbsric notions Of the
anclsnts who effected changes Of prop
erty by merely passing the articles
from hand to hand without the con
ceptlOn OF the need or value Of
money. He would have the people un
derstand that money is mere barter
an exchanging Of certain kind Of
metal for other property.
Surely Mr.. Carlisle and other persons
who think as he does on this subject
must know that It would be impossible
for any system Of money to be estsb
lished or maintained unless the gov
erning power afilxes legal value to thI
thing which Is used to represent value
In other articles. Why was Congress
empowered to regulate the value o.
money! Why does the government o.
every civilized people regulate thr
value Of money! 1t Is because Their
must be some means Of not only OK
pressing values, but Of representing
values. II q thing Is said to be wort
q dollar Il is because q dollar has
well understood meaning among tn
people. And the thing which We cal
q dollar simply represents that ideG
If a horse is worth 800, he can be puI
chased with paper money quite as vel
as with coin made Of metal. The Valu
ls In the horse, not In the money. Tn
money received FOR the horse cannot b
used Cor any;other purpose than tina
for which money is made. It can b
.oA orlv CO.. nnrohaainO okhaP Yror