The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-20
GOLD MEANS REPUTATION
THE REAL CONTEST NOW BEFORE
THE PEOPLE.
That "The Laborer is Worthy of His
Hire"-Undcr Silver the People Made
Money; Under Gold They Have Reach
ed Bottom Conditions.

In these opening days of our Presiden-
tial campaign we hear great deal about
SrepudiatiOn.n The word is used as
giibly as il it were us harmless as any of
the epitlsets employed for campaign pur-
poses One'would think, from the fire.
quenJ use of the term by those who advo-
cate the single gold standard that the
people who are favoring the full remone-
tization of silver by restoring to the free
coinage rights which it always had until
they were surreptitiously destroyed in
1873 were working to bring about repu-
diation. The United States has not u
dollar of paper money that is not redeem
able in silver, nor has it ever had dollar
of bonded debt not lawfully payable by
its express terms in coin of the weight
and fneness of 1870, when our ''unit of
money"was the silver dollar and silver,
not gold, was the legal standard of
measure. When we consider, the vast
ness of our debt and the fact that it must
be paid out of the profit of earnings on
production, those who talk SO freely of
reputation are playing with fire in a
place crowded with combustibles.
There is real reputation, funda-
mental reputation, the population of
the divine law that "the laborer is wor-
thy of his. hire" which the people are
now fighting against by trying to give to
the exchange of products the help of sill
yer, which will allow some profit out of
| which debt can be paid. There is no
| other way to pay it. 1t must lie paid that
| way or not ut ALL The people who are
| trying to continue the gold policy, which
has already reduced nrices VI products
to or below cost line, and which, if kept
up n,usU inevitably destroy our ability
to pay our debts. are working for repudi-
| ation-for fundamental reputation, for
undermining the foundation of sound and
solvent conditions. If that is done, then
the superstructure of debt built on the
earnings OF the people must crumble and
fall
If we were like England, n country hav-
ing sufficient natural wealth to sustain
our people; if we were just Il bank and a
workshop, having to 20 all over the world
for food to supply our population, for
material which their skill could fashion
for mans uses and which our ships could
distribute and peddle out; if we owed no
debts but were the creditor nation of the
world-thep, rs a cold. blooded business
proposition, irrespective of fairness or
moral rights, it might be business'to work
the people of other countries and live and
get rich off the sweat of the brows of
other people, and in cold-blooded bust
ness way we might push that advantage
to the limit which still permitted our
debtors to earn enough over living ex-
penses to meet interest and principals on
credits we have granted them. If we
went farther we would be destroying the
goose that laid the golden egg. The
gold standard people are now choking
their goose mighty tight.
But we are great continent with over
&c, 900, 900, of people, with our whole land
lnterlaced with rivers, checked over by
crossing railroad lines, surrounded by
seas. Our natural wealth is only scratch
ed on the outcrop. If we can have fair
prices for our domestic products in our
domestic market, we can carry our debts
and win out. If our increase of produc-
tion and exchanges is done at constantly
lowering figures, which leave no margin
of profit, we must inevitably fail
Twenty three years of gold has brought
us to rock bottom conditions. Under
silver we made money. With it's help
we will make money again. Our people
cannot afford to fail. They are, there
fore, determined on n change of policy
suited to our needs as a surplus and sell
ing country, which will make solvency
possible. This calls for the help of silver,
with the full rights of free coinage Mt our
mints at the existing ratio of 16 to 1.
There is nothing dishonest in that when
the rest of the world uses it ut 10 1-2 to 1.
That Wall street still talks about the ''53
cent dollars" only proves that Wall street
has not yet got out of the elementary
class. Bitter experience, q hard school,
has given the producers more advanced
education.-New York Daily Financial
News.