The Daily Texarkanian., 1897-09-13
THE REAL CAUSE.

The Washington Post is an inde-
pendent paper with gold bug pre-
dilections, but it seems to be dis
gusted with the sap headed argu-
ments of its brethren. Listen at
the following;
We are having just now another
taste Of monometallist style OF
logic. We have it in various publ
cations setting forth the facts and
the details of the great fall in the
price of silver bullion, According
to all this silver is on the down
grade and will soon cease to rank
among the precious metels, and so
we are told, with a gravity too
beautiful to be described in words,
that silver has seen its best days
and that the advocates Of free coin
age may as well abandon their fond
dreams forever
1t reminds us Of the lively cam
paign of 1896. It recalls all the ig-
norance and stupidity of that new
er-to be. forgotten episode. We hear
once more the strldent bray Of
Bynum and Cochran and the fran
tic imprecations of the New York
Sun, Silver Is even more worthless
than it was ten months ago, they
tell us. Then "the dollar was
worth but 80 cents now it is
"worth only 43 cents" And all the
wiseacres and the parrots and the
owls are prating, echolng and look
ing wise until one begins to ques-
the wisdom of a providence that
let's such things continue. Silver
is depreciating every day " SCREENS
one miracle Of human intelligence.
"The silver dollar Is losing its pur-
chasing power" yells another.
The whole collection Of the mono
metalllst chorus proceeds to bay
the moon until the welkIn fairly
rings,
One hesitates to interiect into
this mate hullabaloo even 50 much
as a suggestion Of common sense
and reason 1t seems a wicked
waste of time to ask these red
faced yelpers why silver has depre'
elated In the market, and whether,
If gold were subjected to the same
process, II would not lose It's com
mercial value In like ratio, lntrin-
slcallY the proposition Is simple
enough, The mInts Of the civilized
nations are closed to silver the same
mints are open to gold, In this
way the thing that makes money
Of any metal Is bestowed on gold
aud withheld from silver, In this
way gold acquires a fictitious and
artificial value, andsilyer Is reduced
to the standard Of ils essential use
fulness, In the same way, were
the process reversed were the
mInts closed to gold aud opened
Wide to sIyer-gold would depreel-
ate and silver become more yalua'
Bile, Yet the monometallist ora
tors and editors the paragraphers
aud the headline enthusiasts, 20
ahead upon their lpsensate and yo'
eifer0us way as though reason had
vanished from the earth and the
people had nothing left save elob
Der, guah and poppyeoak
II seems TO us the most logical
result imaginable that silver, berelt
Of its money attribute, should de-
preeIate In the market, Like gold,
II has but a limited adaptabllty &c
the use Of mankind, II cannot be
applied to any practical purpose
1t Ia not susceptible Of conversion
into implements of husbandry, int
machinery, into tools, etc, 1t Ia
ht only for ornament, or for coins
age into money Robbed by legls
latlon Of Its latter quality III
range Of uselulnessIs sadly narrow
ed We do not ask the monometal
list ehrIekefs what would become
OF gold under like circumstances
II would be cruel They do mol
lunM