The Butler weekly times., 1896-07-23
Robt. E. Lewis,

publican county convention. he
spoke chiefly on the money question,
and it is safe to say he stands on the
st. Louis platform.
He doubtless believes in it. We
understand that Mr.. Lewis is not a
trimmer. He left the democratic
party, we are told, because he did
not believe IN free trade. He has
probably as much courage now as
then, and if he believed in the cause
of silver we have no doubt be would
repudiate the gold standard. The
Tribune admires Mr.. Lewis as a
clean and courageous young man.
But we do not admire the gold
standard. We do not believe that
gold must of necessity be our sole
measure of values. We listened care
fully to all that Mr. Lewis had to
say, and while his statement of facts
was reasonably accurate, we deny
the conclusions drawn therefrom.
This is not a question Of hew
much silver has been coined, nor of
how freely the two metals circulate
side by side. 1t is question of
deeper significance: In what metal
or metals shall values be measuredf
In gold which is high and scare, and
in that alone? Or in both gold and
silver
We are aware that money is not
wealth. We are aware tina. the fiat
of law cannot create wealth. But
money is the measure of values. 1t
is the standard, and the standard is
fixed by law.
At present, all our values are
measured by the golden standard
wheat, silver, cotton, corn, cattle
aud debts-all are measured by gold
and gold is constantly becoming
desrer, 1t is the yard stick (our
monometallist friends are fond of
that term and year after year as the
yardstick becomes longer, the bigger
the debt grows, and the greater
the amount Of produce it takes to
be equivalent to one measure Of the
STANDARD"
Truly, gold is the highest stand
ard. But let US carefully consider
whether it is best before we take
the step that makes it permanent
and binding on our country.
Suppose by the free coinage OF
silver as we'll as gold that the stand.
ard is lower. Suppose the dollar is
really cheapened. Suppose its pur
chasing power is cut into Suppose
it buys less than it buys now.
Do you see any calamity in ths,
fact2
Dear reader of the Tribune, O.
what does your wealth consist? Does
it consist of money No; it consists
). of property-the results of your in
dustry, the accumulations of you,
labor, The value of that property
as expressed in dollars, affects you
seriously When the dollar is cheap
ened, you have the came property
the same actual wealth-but itlis
worth greater number of dollars
Cheap dollars mean high priced
products of industry Think of tha,
and you will See that it is so. Mr.
Lewis will himself tell you it is true
Mr.. Lewis says that from '63 sev
eral years that we were deing buei
ness under cheap paper standard
end our values were rot measured
1 by gold. 1t is true. But was it an,
! harder to make money or to pa,
debts then than now Do we no
: ali share t.. benefits Of h;ehe
prices We are willing to paw NOR
if We can sell for more.
r Persistently falling prices ar
= rulnous.
e Now, the real heart OF the ques
r ton is this-and that IS why gol
: standard men cry 'repudiation'
e while the cheapening of the dolla
does not cheaper property, it doe
not cheaper the debt Il makes
Il easier to pay. in other words. Deb,
Il arr ot really Maid in ,popar WI,