Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-10-29
PRODUCTION OF
MONEY METALS.
Its Increase a Boon to
Mankind.
Why There Is No Fear of
Initiation.
Unscrupulous Attempt to
Destroy Silver.
Real Enemies of the Public
Welfare.

muCn TO say or the increased DrOduC-
ton of silver, taking the mint statistics
of given years as evidences Of the fact.
They say nothing of the increased pro-
duction of gold, but the fact is that the
gold production during the last ten
years exceeds that of silver. But neither
fact is of any consequence in the discus
sion. The supply of the precious metals
differs from the supply of farm prod
ucts and manufactured goods. Wheat
and corn are consumed, cotton and
woolen goods are made into clothing
and worn out. Every commodity is per-
ishable but the precious metals. These
have been accommodating during all the
ages of the worlds history and they
are not consumed or destroyed. The in
crease or decrease of the production of
either has therefore no such effect upon
the supply as does a short crop or an
overproduction of the things which we
consume from year to year. The worlds
total supply of the two metals is not in
creasing as rapidly as the demand for
it, based upon the increase of popula-
tion and business of the civilized ma
tions.
The money power is always strug
CLING to make money dear by decreas-
ing the quantity. In the fifties it want
ed to demOnetize gold because of the
increased production in California and
Australia. But England, not given to
change, adhered to the gold standard,
believing that gold production would
not be permanently increased. For near
ly 80 years this same power has strug-
gled to abolish the use of silver as mon
ey and uses the same arguments that
were formerly used for the demonetiza-
tion of gold.
All the great authorities on the sci
ence of money have maintained that the
two metals together give more stable
measure of value than either one of
them alone. When one falls short, the
other usually increases. The worlds
experience is that when any single great
nation keeps its mints open to the free
and unlimited coinage of both metals
on equal terms at "A given ratio neither
the action of other nations nor the vari-
ations between the relative productions
of the two metals will seriously affect
that ratio. France maintained the pari-
ty between silver and gold at ratio of
1OR to l for 10 years-from 1903 until
1873. This was not affected by the
adoption of the silver standard in all
the German states and i'll Austria in
1867, nor by the adhesion by Great
Britain to the gold standard, adopted
by her in 1916. The silver coinage in
the United States during all that period
was very limited, because of the incon-
siderable production of silver, and
therefore had but little effect upon the
question.
Gold and silver have always been
preferred over all other materials for
money, because the amount of them is
limited to natures yield. Neither of
these metals can be manufactured. They
are produced i'll varying quantities, and
the variance is unimportant relatively
to the accumulations of the ages. There
is no more danger of initiation from the
overproduction of gold and silver than
there is of the overflow of Lake Superb
or from heavy falls Of rain.
1t requires vast amount of both
w 6hppi1 iIIt lOT blG
arts and manufactures 1t was the ex-
pressed opinion a few years ago of Mr.
Gitfen, the statistician of the British
board of trade-himself an uncompro-
missing gold monometallist-that the
supply of gold was being entirely con-
sumed III the arts and that none of it as
being added to the worlds supply OF
coin.
The struggle of the gold monometal.
lists to destroy silver has produced un-
paralleled distress throughout the world,
although their battle is but partially
won. To V hat lower deep mankind
would be doomed by their final success
will never be known if our nation, the
strongest, richest and most populous i'll
the world, shall turn the tide of battle
i'll the present presidential campaign.
The increased production of either of
the precious metals has always proved
boon to mankind and has been follow.
ed by an uplifting of civilization. But
money lenders have always seen in it
an injury to themselves in proportion to
the benefit it cOnfers upon mankind. A
man who will willfully menace the pub
lie peace for private purposes deserves
the epithet Of anarchist. We know of
no element in this country so deserv-
ing to be classed as anarchists as those
who seek to put burdens upon the peo-
pie which they cannot and will not
bear, and thus undertake to enslave the
people, who have too much of the spirit
of independence to allow themselves to
be enslaved Cincinnati Enquirer
An income tax may have been un-
constitutional, but 1t was right. And
when Mr.. Bryan is elected president
1t will be made constitutional as well
as right. The constitution Is sacred,
but the welfare of the people is more
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