The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-08-19
HOW IT WILL HELP.
A QUESTION ANSWERED.
We have received the following let.

we nave received the following let
Hon. Ignatius Donnelly:
1t goes without saying in this
meek of the woods" that the Sage
of Nininger, is the clearest and
ablest mind on the silver side of the
great question now before the people,
not excepting the eloquent, magnetic
Bryan. This is my individual opinion
on the matter, and therefore, ask Of
you to present to the readers of The
REPRESENTATIVE. in concise COM
pact shape. the logical, relevant, COM
petent answer to the question fire.
Quently asked by my Republican and
Democratic gold standard friends.
What good will the free coinage of
silver at the proposed ratio, or any
other ratio, do to you as an individual
the wage-earners, the farmer, the
manufacturer or the merchant, or any
particular industry or calling?"
I'm thoroughly assured that you
can answer these stock inquiries in
such manner that when you are
through the prepayment would be
somewhat in doubt as to where he
was at. -
I do not ask that you elaborate or
embellish the article with anything
unusual in the line Of rhetorical or
literary achievement having an abid-
ing faith that should you graciously
incline to have deliverancy upon
this ques tion, it will be not only
very clear and Intelligent, but will be
clothed with a sufficient amount Of
lightning to reach the place with
both feet.
[ am farmer, too busy just now to
do anything for the paper, but when
the hurry is over will send you the
largest club that our Office receives. l
think that strong and sustained eff
fort in this state this fall would turn
the Republican machine wrong side
out and wipe the earth with it. Very
truly yours. MEUD BAILY.
Elmwood. Wis, July %.
We reply:
The prices Of commodities and la
Dor are fixed by the relation which
the amount of primary, metallic
money in the world holds to the guam
tity Of labor, property or wealth in the
world.
II money is scarce it is necessarily
dear. That is, it will buy so much
more Of all commodities and of the Ia
Dor which produces them. Hence
scarce money is dear money; and dear
money means cheap goods and cheap
labor;-and consequently cheap men
and cheap women. The value Of the
human race sinks and the value of
gold rises. This is as plain as a pike
staff.
Now when silver was taken out of
the supply of the worlds money and
added to the supply of commodities,
one-half the metallic money of the
world was swept away,-so far as its
power to regulate prices was con-
cerned.
Gold alone remained as the basal
foundation of prices. AS one-half the
metallic money of the world had
ceased to be primary money, the re-
mainder, gold, by the inflexible law
of demand and supply, doubled its
purchasing power; and thereby caused
a falling off of one-half in the prices
of commodities. Hence dollar wheat
is now fifty fifteen cent
cotton is now seven cent cotton; and
corresponding fall has taken place
in all things made by human indus
try.
To remOnetize silver is to put it
back where it stood for 5000 years. 1t
will double the basal, metallic money
Of the world, which alone regulates
prices. The purchasing power of the
dollar will be cut in half. but the pur-
chasing power OF wheat, cotton and
all products Of industry will be
doubled. Is that not clear?
If you are in debt you will have
twice as much with which to pay that
debt. If you are producer, on farm,
in mine: or in shop, you will get twice
as much for what you produce. II
you are a professional man the pro-
ducers will have twice as much with
which to pay your fee. II you are
merchant, living by supplying the
wants of others, those wants will be
increased with the increased capacity
of your customers to pay for them. II
you arc b man VuS OdCAS duV
feet and heads now bare will, with
double pay for their productions,
clamor for what you have for sale.
Who will suffer?
The money lenders. For fifteen
hundred years the Christian church
condemned all men to hell who took
any interest on money. Henry VIII.