Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-06-04
,hout 1915 they began TO talk about "pimetsi'
ism and its alleged beauties
what Free Coinage Means.

what Free AOlunEC "
What does free 5et eolnae That the government
m e : INV any of the silver, not aa ounce
The governments would simply reseivs tng ~
yer from its owner, stamp III anu nan9 ~ a.
10 him. Does that creaee any oAi"
p,ckv,heat -four is now used 70 a limited eS.
.ent for food. The demand IoF puSanneso
eo,r "a entirely due 70 this fact. would open
49, n neyr burkwheat -four mill create any ~
,nena FOR b~uckXheatf Certainty not rhy AAone
than the reaping and thrashing dld. > nos re- !
Iii eirnvly stems in preparing the supply INC
s 80 : ySorld still have TO be found IN compe'
fition with other kinds OF hour,
And similarly the "open mint would create
no demand whatever for sliyer any M, mo are ali
sinnIv stpps in preparing the supply me w
,i;:..a l. in the need OF money OF yHIlous nv -
with which 70 make e~Xehangcs; ~ ff And q
the coin would still have TO go forth ana una .
market for this kind OF money IN coihpeti.ioh
with other forms OF money. Inc mih't NJ
would, therefore, not create any usinaiu ~
the silver. but would simply put ~ INTO nnapo
To meet whatever real demand there might DC
for silver coin In the channels OF trace ia coh'
petition with other forms or money,
And. sir, because of the bulkiness or SILVER IN
pronortion 10 its value, the demand Tor si!-
Yer coin in actual business Is very Initeu.
As n matter of fact there IS more silver CONN
this country today than can be used as com.
Exnerience has shown that the business OF the
| corutry needs about SIPS, 600, zoo in silver coin
| OF ali kinds, including minor coins. But we az
| raady have n STOCK OF NllNtE VII W
ovar s500. O0. GOO. SO there is absolutely no
trade demand for more silver coinage FOR some
time TO come.
Wages In Mexico.
Every one will admit that. 30 far az legisla.
tion can affect the matter. that system Ia bcss
under which those who earn their DAILY preao
by their daily toll receive the best returns Ir
The gentleman from Texas Mr.. Baileyl,
who has Just spoken. points to Mexico as
Sl-.nanarpt,ap In pnn.pnnencp OF DAvlUk Lnf
free coinage Of silver. He quotes from an art'
ole In a recent number of The North American
Review, written by the Mexican minister. Mr..
Romero. This distinguished representative Is
naturally loyal TO his own country ana desir'
Gus of making as strong q statement as posi-
BILE as to her prosperity. be claims that manu-.
fncturers are making large profits. But what
| does he find TO say about the wages OF work
ingmen in Mexico? Listen:
"Although our wages are low, there has
been in recent years a marked tendency 70
Their wages are slow," even In silver. What
about increase in wagesf The most that he can
that direction-po real increase worth men
tioning specifically. Workingmen will do well
to '.ponder on these things"
The following statement appears In ouiletin
No. o. 1901, of the bureau OF the American re-
publics;
/ ico) at the present time Is the existence of .
scale of wages which defes all power Of reduc.
ton. which robs the lahorers OF all sense OF
| dignity or feeling OF association with the rest
OF their fellow citizens, and having reduced
them TO a condition Of abject abasement dete-
riorates to a like extent their productive pow
ar and the measure Of their ability. They arc
content TO regard themselves az n plant or
machinery which moves by extraneous aids
only and has no power OF v~olition, and no do
sire to exercise II IL 1t had"
And yet Mr.. Romero finds IL impossible to
claim more than that there has been "a ten.
dency" to Improvement In wages.
We have before US. Mr.. Chairman. n special
message from the president asking us to make
an appropriation TO pay certain railroads for
carrying certain people from the Mext.
can line to various parts OF the United
States. What Is the story behind thisf Sim.
ply this. sir: Some Of our wSrkingmen,
having been told how fea.fully they were
being abused under our system. and being as
became the victims Of their misplaced conf.
dence in free silver orators and went 10 Mex
leo. Then they learned the truth. finally com.
ting home at public expense. How many more
Of our w~orkingmen viii allow themselves TO
be made victims of similar talcss
How About American workingmenr
And now let US see how the situation ~
workingmen in this country compared In 1850
with that during the 30 called "bimetallic
times"
From the famous senate report on wholesale
prices, transportation and wages. before refer.
red TO, ] take the facts for the following table
OF wages In leading occupations every tenth
year for some time before the war, when We
had our mint ''open TO the free coinage of both
metals, " in ON parison with wages in $500, a
sixth Of o century after we finally adopted our
present system OF unlimited coinage Of gold
and limited coinage Of silver:
Wages per diem