The record-union., 1896-09-23
A SIMPLE DOLLAR PROPOSITION.

The present dollar is not the dollar
of our daddies" It has been so chris
tened to give it character. The fact is
that the dollar that had gone out of
use long before 1873 and which few
young men of that day, now going into
old age can recall ever having seen,
had in it little more of silver of mar
ket value than the Mint call on the face
of the dollar. 1t was dollar and more,
and was in fact a high priced dollar.
But the dollar clamored for now is
to be a dollar with but 50 cents of
silver in it. So, as Mr. Bryan said in
New York State the other day, all one
viii have to do under free coinage to
individual account-and that "individ-
ual account is the meat in the nut
VIII be to secure silver" and take it
to the Mint There the Government
Will stamp it and return it to the
bringer. But he forgot-did he?-to
add that it will stamp on every fifty
three cents worth of such bringing the
legal tender quality of 100 cents worth
plies, or clothing, or land.
In other words, the Bryanites propose
legal equality for that which is com
mercially unequal The Government
did, it is true, attempt to make legal
equality and commercial inequality one
and the same, by buying silver for
fifteen years or more, and coming it,
But 1t proved a fat failure, and the
attempt was abandoned after full, long
and fair trial. But it has declared a
policy that keeps the gold and the sill
Yer dollar of equal value at home.
The moment, however it is at
tempted to use the silver dollar having
but 50 cents Of silver in it, for foreign
purchases there Is failure, and hence
whenever there is a balance against
Us in the worlds markets, we have to
settle in gold, and that is what is
meant by gold going out"
Now a way to prevent this is to have
the volume of silver large enough for
all our domestic uses by silver coinage
on Government account, and limitation
to include in this legal tender quality
all silver coinage from our Mints, half
dollars as well as dollars, etc.
Then by coming no gold Of less denom-
ination than the double eagle, we will
have silver in plenty for domestic uses
and gold sufficient for our business in
the markets of the world.
Trade with the world is an existing
thing, a fact that was before silver or
gold or money Of any kind. 1t will
be a fact when money is known no
more, If ever that should be. We can
not therefore. say to those of whom
we buy, that they shall take any other
money than that they choose to accept
for their goods
But 50 long as we continue to reissue
the Government notes, greenbacks,
which we take up in gold on demand,
SO long will they be returned to again
draw gold from the Treasury, and thus
the Government will be the constant
furnisher Of gold for foreign trade
She will be forever paying her debt
and never discharging it.
That problem has to be met. The
silver free coinage advocates advance
no proposition to meet it. 1t is a prob
lem "in futuro." But the present one
of domestic money is a simple one, and
we repeat that it Is to be solved by
coining the surplus silver lying idle in
our Treasury, and limiting all our sill
yer issue to a legal tender value of
$50, leaving gold in denominations of
S2O-nor any paper based on gold of
less dissemination to be issued-to
serve the purpose of our trade in the
worlds markets.
Thus we win not be attempting to
force our flfty-three cent dollar into
competition with the money the worlds
markets demand. Really the producers