Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1896-04-08
A NATURAL RATIO.
Js There One Between the Value of Silver
and Gold?-If So, Is II I6 to 1?

u There One Between the Value of Silver
and Gold?-If So, Is It 16 to I?
Mr.. J. J. Mott, chairman Of the ma
tional committee Of the free silver party,
recently organized at Washington, in
hicts on a much abused public a long
appeal for votes for free coinage This
latest official utterance Of the silverites
is not much worse than their former
walls over the terrible suffering caused
by an imaginary scarcity Of cart wheel
dollars, and is only notable in that it
boldly asserts that gold and silver exist
in the earth in almost certain fixed pro-
portions, and that the natural ratio be-
tween the two metals is therefore l6 to
l. "This ratio, says Mr.. Mott, has
continued as arranged by man under the
natural order as he found it." 1t was
accepted by mankind as part Of the
grand plan upon which the world was
tomove, and approved by the philosophy
and common sense Of all ages.
If it were true that when the earth
was created the amount of silver found
in it was 16 times greater than the gold,
this would be no reason why one metal
should be worth 16 times as much as
the other. The labor cost of producing
anything and the demand for it is what
regulates its value. There is no natural
measure of values, and no fixed ratio be-
tween two metals or any other products,
so that there is no ground for the claim
that the value Of an ounce of gold was
designed by nature to be the same as
that Of 10 ounces OF silver.
Mr.. Mott must have been using the
newly discovered Y ray to peer into the
innermost depths of the earth, if be
really knows that gold and silver exist
in almost certain proportions 1t is
pity that he does not inform the public
Just where all those hidden metals are
and how many tons there are Of each.
Perhaps he is waiting until congress
passes q free coinage law, when he will
uncover the masses Of silver which he
knows so much about. And perhaps,
great and wise as q chairman Of silver
party must be, he doesn't know any
thing moro about the metals in the earth
than he does Of the currency question.
"The grand plan upon which the
world was to move" seems to have got
badly out Of joint in these days. If a
natural law can be set aside by worldly
minded business men, who say that as
the commercial value of silver is 30
times less than that Of gold they will
give no more for il, nature must feel
sighted. But there is bare possibility
that even Mr. Mott hasn't been told all
of the worlds plans for moving.
AS for the PHILOSOPHY and common
sense Of all ages. 3" it is a little curious
that in some Of the ages silver was val
ued at eight to one Of gold. If the yield
of the South African, Australian and
American gold mines should prove to be
as large as is confidently predicted by
eminent geologists and mining engi-
neers, the ratio might again drop to
those figures Would the philosophers, ="
Of whom Mr.. Mott is evidently one, stick
to the magic 16 TO /, or would they
adopt the commercial ratio, whatever il
might bei
The silver party may get few votes
in November, but its following will GER
tainly not be increased because Of the
practical wisdom and arguments Of its
national chairman.