Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-11
SILVER IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Eject OF Buying ut Gold Prices and
working for silver.

|
| Colonel Thomas Moonlight OF Kansas.
! territorial ex-governor OF Wyoming and
now United States minister TO Bolivia. was
radical advocate OF free coinage Of silver
/ when he left this country in 1893. Expert
| ence in a free silver country demolished
| his financial theories and converted him
into a sound money advocate. In letter
| addressed to the democrats of Kansas, which
| was not permitted to be read In the state
convention, June z, Mr.. Moonlight describes
the effect of free silver in Bolivia and ad-
| joining countries as follows:
"ln view OF the coming democratic ma
tional convention and the meeting OF our
state convention in June to send delegates
to that convention. charged with the re-
sponsble duty OF nominating candidates for
president and vice president and of form
ulating a platform of principles, selecting
| national committee who shall not only have
charge of the campaign but who shall give
voice and expression to the platform, l have
thought that my old democratic friends
companions and co-workers might be pleased
to hear from me and to have an expression
of my views touching the important question
and principles involved in the campaign.
IL am in country having for its financial
basis silver. Now, permit me in all frank
ness and in the spirit OF pure, disinterested
friendship and with an abiding faith in ard
deep love for the democratic party, to say
that If you were here or in any other free
misery and wretchedness caused by cur
rency below par value in the commercial
world. You could not find piece of Boliv
ian gold coin IL you should hunt for week.
The basis is silver, with a good circulating
medium in paper from dollar upward.
There are in silver so, 30, 20 and Is cent
pieces, and with 10 and cent pieces largely
in nickel as an accommodation. In this sill
yer country there is average premium
on gold of go per cent: that is, 800 OF
Ann will hiiy poliyiap dnll
of 100 cents each, called bolivians. In Peru
the soles of 100 cents are worth less than
so cents. and remember that they are of
good silver. In Bolivia and all the other
silver countries everything is sold for the
money of the country anG all the labor is
paid in the money of the country-don't
forget this fact-and all cne importations
embracing flour, liquor, clothing of every
description, furniture, paints, pianos, hard
ware and the like must be paid for in gold,
the money basis of the world, from which
they import. The flour comes mostly from
Chile, now struggling to get back to a gold
basis in which she will succeed Clerks in
the stores here, who would receive in our
country $50 month, get only 40 bolivians
in silver or its equivalent, equal to about SIS
in American money, and find themselves:
laborers receive per diem, and find them
selves, from 25 to rs cents in silver. equal
to about % cents in American money on
an average of so cents Bolivian money. Me-
chanics receive on an average one bolivian
per diem and find themselves, equal to about
A cents in American money.
This condition is true more or less of
all countries having silver for basis. Oh,
my democratic friends of Kansas-free Kan
sas-how would you like to live on this free
silver scale of living? In all countries
where silver is the basis of the currency
there exists species Of semf-slavery among
all the wage-workers and particularly among
the laborers and farm hands, as in Mexico,
Central and South America, China, Japan
and India. Argentine, now the great COM
petitor of the United States in wool. wheat,
cattle and even in horses and mules, Is on
a silver basis and her semf-peons work
men produce by their labor these compet-
ing articles on less than % cents per diem
and feed and clothe themselves. But how?
Do we want to come down to this level?
Thank God there are no longer bondmen |
and bondwomen in the United States! No
peons no silver system making the work. |
ing classes work twelve hours each day, |
sleep on sheepskin on the floor and feed
and clothe themselves on % cents per
diem.
is it your belief that we should come to
this condition? l cannot believe it, and
yet, with free coinage of silver at 16 to /,
we would in six months be on silver basis
with not a dollar in gold to be found, just |
as it is in Bolivia. All the gold coins would
be smelted into bullion and buy with the |
proceeds double the number of silver dollars |
and pay all the labor with this deprecated |
currency.
''Why do the free silverltes call for un
limited coinage at 16 to 1? Why, In the
name OF cheap money, not make 1t to l?
With the ratio of 16 to / 1t Is about half
the value of gold, and in making 1t to
there would be much more money in cir
culation and the degree of dishonesty would
only be a shade darker. | am sometimes |
amazed at the moderation of the free silver |
demand of 16 to l. when 1t would be just |
as easy and about honest and honorable |
to make it one ounce of silver to one ounce |
of gold"