Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-10-31
A FEW FACTS
FOR FARMERS.
PROSPERITY SINCE 1878.
How the Government Has Be-
friended Silver Increase of
Wages Since 1878.

Mr.. BRYAN and lis associates are fond
of saving that the decentralization Of sill
yer" in 1873 is to blame FOR the low prices
of wheat and agricultural products dur
ing recent years hecause tho purchasing
power of gold has increased, and Of silver
has decreased. They forget that the farm
ers, workingmen and people generally
have enjoyed many years Of prosperity and
high prices since 1873. They also forget
or they neglect to say, that since 1878 our
government has coined more than so times
as many standard silver dollars as had
been coined in the whole previous history
of the country. Here are the exact and
official figures:
From 1898 to 1905 there were coined
1,439, SIT silver dollars. From 1905 to 1886
no silver dollars were coined. From 1886
to 1873 there were coined 1851, f2l dollars
The total coinage of silver dollars from the
foundation Of the government to 1878 WAS
S,031, 23S. From 1879 to 1878 no standard
silver dollars were coined. From 1878 60
June 30, 1896, there were coined 430, $780,
OH silver dollars In addition to the above
IS, 9G5, g24 trade dollars were coined from
1878 to 1888.
In addition to this coinage Of silver dol
lars there were purchased under the Sher-
man act 16S, 674, $50. 53 ounces of sill
yer. OF the whole amount of silver
purchased under this act there still re-
manned uncoined in the treasury ON June
80. 1896, 131, SIS, l99 46 ounces, which
cost s11S. 903, 500 20.
Standard silver dollars are still coined
by the government. Secretary Carlisle
says that from Jan. /, 1896, to Sept 30,
1886, standard silver dollars were coined
to the amount of Sl3,9l2, 512, and that
from Nov /, 1893, the date Of the repeal of
the purchase clause Of the Sherman act to
Sept. 80, 1896, standard silver dollars had
been coined TO tho amount of s17, 800, 491,
or more than twice as much as was coined
during the whole period of our history
prior to 1878, when the so called "crimep
was committed The secretary also says
that the coinage of standard silver dollars
is going on at our minis every day, and
at the rate of about So 600, 600 monthly.
1t appears, therefore, that instead Of be-
ing unfriendly to silver since the year of
its alleged decentralization, the government
has since that year been particularly friend
ly to the coinage of silver.
1t may be further added that there is
more money in circulation in this country
today per head of population than in 1878,
the official figures being S1S.04 in 1878 and
TE@. U0 III OtUoDeT3 IC5D. Ill loDO, JSlOEb
the first greenbacks we're issued the per
capita circulation was only IS, And
the money that is in circulation today
gold, silver and paper moneys all good
money, every dollar being ''as good as
gold. And this also may be said--that
never before in the history of this country
would dollar buy as much of the prod
ucts Of the loom, the factory and the work
shop as it will buy today.
Not only can the workinglnan of this
country now buy with a silver dollar or
any other dollar larger quantity of man
ufactured products than ever before, but
he now receives more dollars for days
labor-or did receive more dollars before
Mr.. Cleveland's last accession TO tho presi-
dency--than he had ever before received
The average wages of American working
men in % industries were GOT per cent
higher in 1891 than in 1860, and the prices
of 1923 commodities, not including rents
have fallen in average of 8. 6 per cent from
1860 to 1891. These are instructive facts
and they go n long way toward disproving
the claim of the silverites that the govern
ment has been unfriendly to silver, that
low prices are the result of the alleged
'.crime of 1873 and that the purchasing
power of the dollar has been lesSened.