West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-10-22
BIMETALLISM.
Necessary to Restore Peace and Pros
perity In This Country.
How The Gold Standard Makes Money
Dear and Property Cheap.
speeIal contr!butlon for rnE Aners

There are 300. 10000 users of gold
as their unit money. These latter
use silver also, for the most part,
| as subsidiary coin. From Bible
times when Abraham bought the
cave of Macpclah AS burying place
and Peter declared "silver aud gold
have | none," up TO 1916, silver and
gold together were the money of
white people. But in 1916 Eng
land placed her finances on single
gold standard since which time, it
is claimed. the nations of enlight-
enment aud civilization have fol
lowed suit. Our Government, un.
observed at the time by the people,
in 1873 demonetized the silver out
put of it's own and other countries
mines and practically put itsel: on
gold basis. Up to 1873 silver
dollar was worth 100 cents and was
worth premium of 3 per cent. over
gold when it was demonetized. The
money metal of civilization was re
duced one. half by the dropping Of
silver as money coin TO market
able commodity merely. The prop
erty of all civilized people that had
used god and silver both as money
of redemption, was reduced one
half in valuation as measured by
one half of tho former volume of
money. With wonderfully rapid
increase IN inventions and manu-
factures, comforts and conveniences
of civilized life, that would have
demanded along with increase of
population Il larger volume of mon
ey, the money metals of Christen-
dom had to be divorced and the
most useful one reduced to an ordi.
nary commodity. With the de-
monetlzation of silver came the de
monetization of property. The
money valuation of nearly so cents
on the amount of silver required to
coin silver dollar has vanished
from the dollar mass in the market
and has vanished from land and
labor and property other than that
protected and insured in profitable
returns by Government patriotism.
All over the civilized world the
report comes that agriculture and
all closely related Industries are
paralyzed. Business is depressed
Strikes run riot. Humanity surges
like the unrest OF the tides. The
prudent and the most hopeful can
not conceal their fears for the future.
There must be causes for all this
agitation. There are causes. Men
differ but little in their views as to
the causes. Most men believe u
potent cause TO be the diminution
of the money of Christendom.
Labor and the lower classes all over
Europe want silver restored that
they may have some chance to win
bread in the battle of life. The
learned and best educated men Of
Europe and America want the peo.
pIe's money returned to them. BIZ
metallists all agree as to the potency
Of the decentralization Of silver as a
cause Of calamity past and prospec
tive. Thereafter they differ. Some
wish an international conference.
Others feel the clandestine manner
IN which humanity has been wrong.
ed, know that there never was an
international conference called 20
demOnetize silver, and believe that
the United States now have the op.
/ pOrtunity TO open or shut the "gates
Of mercy on mankind" Gold is
doing double duty, is overworked
So is labor that strives TO produce
a double product. The double
product only tends to lower prices.
Gold, in other words, has appre %
ciated in exchange value in relation
to the marketable products OF che
lines of industry not specially favor
ed by discriminating legislation.
All fixed taxes. debts like our ma
tional debt, salaries and the like,
are double in the amount Of labor
required for liquidation. The man
Of wealth whose capital is gold finds
himself, rs prices hourly fall, grad.
ually growing relatively richer with.
out effort, and maye hop like John
| ID. Rockefeller, he thanks God for
giving him his millions. 4 few