West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-05-14
SOUND MONEY.
Another Able and Convincing Article
On The Financial Question.
EDITOR ARGUS,
Kingwood, W. Va.

| O.huo VI Il II II AhGN %. 4 VIII nfSt
quote from Judge Walter Clark, OF
the Supreme Bench of North Car.
olina, now travelling in Mexico aud
writing for tho Arena.
"Mexico does not produce enough
cotton to clothe all her population.
Her manufacturers buy in New
Orleans the quantity the country
fails to produce. a few years ago
when their dollar and ours were
equal, they paid on an average,
thirteen cents in New Orleans.
Now they still pay thirteen cents
In New Orleans and in tho very
same (Mexican) money, but owing
to the enforced enhancement in the
value of our money by manipulated
legislation, this thirteen cents in
stead OF being still equal as it
should honestly be to thirteen cents
in our money is only equal to about
seven cents of our increased. value"
money. The direct loss to the cot
ton planter of the South is, there.
fore, thirty dollars per bale or 5000
000,000 annual loss to the South on
this one crop. The same is true of
the wheat and corn of the West and
all other crops, corn and wheat be-
one dollar TO one dollar and forty
cents per bushel in Mexico, in their
currency, which has remained in
value unchanged by legislation.
The assertion about over .produc-
tion is a myth, as the countless
thousands of half.clothed and half.
fed people in the United States
know only too well. The trouble
is in the legislative increase of the
value of the dollar made, in order .hat
those who live by clipping coupons
from government, state, and other
bonds and on the public taxes, may
be twice as rich as formerly without
any additional exertion. They are
twice as rich with the labor of clip
ping only the same number of
coupons"
That is . lucid solution Of the
problem Of our hard times. 1t ex-
plains the "sound money" doctrine
Of the beneficlaris of most yenal
and debauched legislation. The
advocate of the conditions that now
exist loves to indulge in the eu-
phemism of "soand money" He
thinks to beguile the people with a
hypocritical expression. "Sound
money" is the opposite of "honest
money" An honest dollar does
not rob the cotton planter and
wheat grower. Is it not time to
talk about a "sound" bale of cot
ton, "souad" bushel of wheat,
and sound days labor? A bale
of cotton, bushel of wheat, days
toll are worth just as much in their
essential values, their sustanance
and comfort that minister to human
happiness ss ever they were. Leg
islation has changed the value Of
the dollar-dodbled it by demon
etizing the silver half. Such is
sound money, the currency of viii
lainy and wholesale plumber Of the
masses by favored banditti classes.
The people cannot long be deluded
by the shallow hypocticy Of Sound
money" sermons.
The cotton grower Of the South
and the wheat grower Of the West
are about to settle with J. Sherman
and G.. Cleveland and the parties
they do business for, on the basis
Of a sound bale Of cotton and a
sound bushel Of wheat Why not +?
That will only do justice to labor,
through it will be hard on the
"sound dollar" and tho deviltry
back Of it.
The country is flooded with lit
erature intended to fool the people,
make them believe that everything
is all right, aud We have "the best
banking system on earth" that our
currency Is Sound" and the lovely
condition Of affairs now must be
perpetuated Such literature ia
furnished free to country papers,
all ready for the press forms, il
they desire such trash.
The Sound money" people are
Mortified to think Of our money be-
ing degraded by having a ffty.conl
silver dollar in circulation, and they
| are Frustrated at the prospect Of