The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1896-09-02
That "the Laborer Is Worthy Of
His Hire"-Under Silver the
People Made Money;
Under Gold They Have Reach6d
Bottom COnditions-We Must
Have Fair Prices for
DOMESTIC PRODUCTS.

In these opening days Of our presiden-
tial campaign we hear a great deal
about population. The word is used
as glibly as if it were as harmless as
any of the epithets employed for cam
paign purposes One would think, from
the frequent use of the term by those
who advocate the single gold stand
ard, that the people who are favoring
the full reconciliation Of silver by re-
storing it to the free coinage rights
which it always had until they were
surreptitiously destroyed in 1878 were
working TO bring about reputation.
The United States has not dollar of
paper money that is not redeemable in
silver, nor has it ever had dollar of
bonded debt not lawfully payable, by
lis express terms, i'll coin of the weight
and fineness of 1870, when our unit of
money" was the silver dollar and sill
yer, not gold, was the legal standard Of
measure. When we consider the vast
ness Of our debt and the fact that it
must be paid out of the profit of earn
ings on production. those who talk so
freely of reputation are playing with
fire in place crowded with combusti-
bes.
There is real Reputation, funda-
mental reputation, the reputation Of
the divine law that "the laborer is
worthy of his hire" which the people
are now fighting against by trying to
give to the exchange Of products the
help of silver, which will allow some
profit out of which debt can be paid.
There is no other way to pay it. 1t must
be paid that way or not at all. The peo-
pie who are trying to continue the gold
policy, which has already reduced prices
of products to or below cost line, and
which, if kept up, must inevitably de-
stroy our ability to pay our debts, are
working for reputation for funda-
mental reputation, for undermining
the foundation of sound and solvent
conditions. If that is done, then the
superstructure of debt built ON the earn
ings of the people must crumble and
fall.
If we were like England, a country
having insufficient natural wealth to
sustain our people; if we were just
bank and workshop, having to 60 all
over the world for food to supply our
population, for material which their
skill could fashion for mans uses and
which our ships could then distribute
and peddle out; if we owed no debts, but
were the creditor nation of the world
then, as q cold blooded, business propo-
sition, irrespective of fairness or moral
rights, it might be Cuisines" to work
the people of other countries and live
and get rich off the sweat OF the brows
of other people, and in cold blooded,
business way we might push that ad-
vantage to the limit which still per-
mitted our debtors to earn enough over
living expenses to meet interest and
principal ON credits we had granted
them. If we went farther. we should be
destroying the goose that laid our golden
egg. The gold standard people are now
choking their goose mighty tight
But we are great continent, with
over 70, OOO,0 of people, with our
whole land interlaced by rivers, checked
over by crossing railway lines, sur
rounded by seas. Our natural wealth is
only scratched ON the Outcrop. If we
can have fair prices for our domestic
products in our domestic market, we
can carry our debts and win out. II our
increase of production and exchange is
done at constantly lowering prices. which
leave no margin Of profit, we must in
eyitably fail. Twenty-three years Of
gold has brought us to rock bottom con-
ditions. Under silver we made money.
With its help we shall make money
again. Our people cannot afford to fail
They are, therefore, determined ON a
change of financial policy, on policy
suited to our needs as surplus and sell
ing country. which will make solvency
possible. This calls for the help of sill
yer, with full rights Of free coinage at
our mints at its existing ratio of 10 to
1. There is nothing dishonest in that
when the rest of the world uses 1t at
Ib16 10 1. That Wall street still talks
about "63 cent dollars" only proves
that Wall street has not yet got out OF
the elementary class. Bitter experience,
hard school. has given the producers
amore advanced education. York
Daily Financial News.