The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-11-02
.ASQUES;TiloN FOR YOU,
How viii Free Coinage OF silver t'cntn,
foui--son,etl,ing for Nil 10 Consider i,e

aud unlimited coinage Of silver at ms
ratio OF 10 to 1--how viii Il benefit YOU.
my fritnlT Ia u question which at this
tine every citizen will do well 10 con.
slider as personally addressed to him
self, h 3 -
We do not mean to suggest for one
moment that mcre considerations Of
selfish and Individual interest nre Inc
only or the Highest considerations
which should have weight with the
voter In determining hts action and his
vote ut tho election next Tuesday,
rherc are considerations OF patriotism,
OK what II best FOR The country and the
whole country, OF the greatest good for
tho greatest number to say nothing OF
tho higher questions OF public and nri.
Sate honesty and morality Involved.
and The Sun has not hcsltatcd TO say in
favor OF which side these consIdcrn.
lions, properly weighed, ought to In.
cline the balance In the mind OF any
voter who Is In doubt rs TO how he
should cast his vote, 4 NFIf .p'7
Bat Che the greatest good OF the
greatest number Ia Itself hut the nE-
srcSatc good OF the majority OF lndl-
viduals, anu upon the simple plane OF
Individual self-interest we should like
each Individual to nsk himself-''lNw
Is free silver coinage going to benefit
me?" ~ = = -
Are you n silver mine owner? Then.
we can understand your Interest in the
matter 1t Is not the free and unlimited
distribution OF silver dollars that Is
proposed. II Is merely the free and un-
limited coinage, that la without ex-
pense 10 the Individual, OF all the silver
bullion which he may own or which his
mines may produce, In any quantities
that he may offer Into one-hundrcd
cent dollars at the ratio OF sixteen
ounces OF silver 10 one ounce OF gold,
Al the present market value OF silver
all over the world the silver bullion In
one dollar 10 worth trIiie over .lfty
cents. To tho silver mine owner or
owner OF silver bullion free coinage
means. therefore. FOR every nifty cents
worth OF silver (hbonO ono silver dol
lar. II you are sIlver-mIne owner,
your interest In free coinage Is obvious,
II explains fully your interest In Bry-
ans election aud your liberal contrl-
buttons TO his campaign fund.
But Mr.. Bryan has little or nothing
to say about the interest OF the silver
mine owner. He talks altogether about
the benefits which are to ensue to the
plain people" and ''the common pen-
ple' from free silver coinage. What
are those benefits? In the first place,
You DO not expect to get any of those
silver dollars from the government.
iney VIII be the property exclusively
OF those who bring silver bullion TO
the mint. The government merely pro.
poses 10 coin that bullion into dollars
one dollar for every fifty or fifty-thsee
cents worth OF silver.
How then, do you. being only one OF
the plain people," expect 10 get any
o! those dollars? When they ret into
circulation, which will only be when the
silver bullion owners, TO whom they
VIII all belong and be delivered In the
nrst instance. choose to part with
them--will 1t be upon any other tocms
thha those upon which you now get
your dollars which are equivalent to
gold? Won't you have to work Cor
them the same as YOU do now, or give
an equivalent for them In your labor. or
In something that you produce or have
10 sell? The owners OF silver huilIan
who have had their bullion coined into
dollars are not going TO give those
dollars away for nothing. They are not
likely 10 part with them for less than
they would expect In return for n M
per or gold dollar
DO you imagine that the silrcr.mInc
owner or Spectator who yesterday got
one hundred dollars In silver for flfty
dollars In bullion, that he took TO the
mint, VIII Tomorrow give two OF those
silver dollars for piece OF meat which
he could get for one gold dollar? II
50. where does his profit come In? So
iar US the silver mine owner Is con-
cerned his Specula ton VIII have re-
suited IN simply giving him fifty-cent
dollars for tifty-cents' worth OF silver
The one hundred cent silver dollar viii
only buy half US much as the gold dol
lar. n. -
And Is not that really what Is meant
when Mr.. Bryan assures the farmer
that free silver coinage VIII give him
n dollar FOR his wheat, which before
was worth only fifty cents? The free
and unlimited silver dollar will buy no
more than silver half-dollar WIN buy
now. How Will that benefit you, my
friend? 80 '.''-r5''
suppose you do mark all your prices
up. whether You be farmer or shop
Keeper, and get twice rs much for what
you have 10 sell as you do now, will
not everybody else who has Anything
to sell. do the same?,And II you nav
twice as much for everything you buy.
there will be small profit in getting
twice rs much for what you sell-pro-
rided You are one OF the plain peo-
Pie" and 1t takes all you make 10 SUD
port you and your family in comfort.
But II you I've by your labor, wheth-
er OF head or hands. and all tie dol
lars You get come In the form OF salary
or wages, whether paid by the week or
the month or by the day-what beneti,
Will It be to you to pay for everything
you buy twice as much as you do now,
unless your salary or your wages or
your days pay issls0 doubled? What
expectation nave you that your wages
VIII be doubled? Mr.. Bryan promises
the farmer that he shall get twice as
much for his corn and wheat, which
means, or course. that -four and meal
Will cost lnOre-twice as much for his
meat. his poultry. his butter and kis
eggs. How Will that effect You, who
live upon wages or n salary or .iycd
income OF apy kind? VIII not the affect
be exactly the same rs II your salary
or your wages or your income were re-
duced One-half?
IL your wife goes to market and has
to pay twice as much for what she
buys as she pays now--so that with
one dollar she can buy no more than
she can buy with fifty cents now-and
to- buy what she buys now with one
dollar she has to give two-wherc Is
the benefit In free silver coinage and
consequent higher prices to you, my
friend?
These are some OF the ways In which
to test practically the soundness Of
Mr.. Bryan's theory that free silver
coinage Is going to benefit the people.
Silver mine owners and SPECTATORS
yes. The plain people-nIt.