Connecticut western news., 1896-10-29
THURSDAY. OCTOBER 29, 1896.
Intrinsic Values.

Bryan men claim that eff the United States should adopt the free and un- limited coinage of silver at the ratio of Is to l the silver dollar would be worth just as much as a gold dollar" They claim that "the government stamp on a silver dollar would make 1t worth 100 cents" Now let us see if it would. Everyone admits that a gold dollar IS worth 100 cents. It is worth 100 cents even if you melt it and destroy the stamp. Its bullion value is 100 cents, consequently the government stamp does not add one cent to its value. The silver dollar is worth 49 cents if you melt it. Its bullion value is 49 cents, consequently the government stamp adds 51 cents to the bullion value. This is true of the limited amount of sil- yer dollars already coined, but it would not be true under free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to |. The government has thus far, although at great expense, been able to maintain the parity of the Hmited amount of gold and silver already coined, but it could not maintain that parity for an uatimited coinage of silver dollars. No nation on earth has been able to do it, although many have tried the disastrous experi- ment.
 Iok xuhak hn ar,f stamp is actually worth. From 1861 to 1866 the government stamped and issued greenbacks, but even the govern ment stamp did not make dollar greenback worth 100 cents. A dollar greenback was actually worth from 34 to 40 cents. in other words it sold at g discount of from 60 to 66 cents on the dollar. The actual or intrinsic value oi the greenback was nothing above the price of waste paper. Nearly its whole value consisted in the value of the gov ernment stamp, which in those days was estimated at from 34 to 40 cents or tho dollar. In other words the govern ment stamp was the governments ''promise to pay" and the value of that "promise to pay" was based on tho estimated or recognized ability of th' government to pay it's debts. In case the Uuited States adopts the free ani unlimited coinage of silver at the ratis of l6 to the value of the Bryan silve dollar, so called, will be its actual O intrinsic bullion value plus the estimat ed or recognized ability of the govern ment to maintain the parity of gold ant silver while the silver of the entire civilized world is being dumped int the United States hints. The Unite, States stamp on Bryan dollar vii not make the quantity of silver il such dollar worth 100 cents.
 Bryan men claim that ''scarcity o money means low prices They clain ''there is not money enough il circulation" They want ''an expan sion of the currency" That means al inflated currency. They think tha everything will boom with more silve in circulation; that everything vii boom with an expanded, diluted currency. That is very seductiv theory, but it is delusion and snare On the same theory, why not put wate in rum if you wish to expand it volume. Would watering your rum ir crease its value? It might enrich tn man who owns the rum if be could se the diluted article at the same pric that the genuine or unadulterated art cle is worth. but would the purchase be pecuniarily benefited? No dout the free and unlimited coinage of silve would benefit silver mine owners, for
 time at least, but it would not benef the masses who have to buy or ear that silver with honest toil. Th Bryan silver dollars would eventual sell at discount, same as the greer backs did from 1861 to 1866 and latte Yes, water your rum whenever 70 want to increase it's intrinsic or med cinal value.
 A hackino couoh ia not only annoyin