The Butler weekly times., 1897-09-09

cause too far, ard threaten the de-
struction of the S1,5J6,0O0,000 of
coined silver held by India, Mexico,
the South Amer ican States, China,
France aud Austria, to cay nothing
OF the six hundred and odd millions
in the United States.
The question is asked by the New
World, an uncompro missing gold or
gar:
What is to become OF the COM
meics OF the silver countries-Eng
lands best customers-if their mon
ey is to be wiped out! Mexico has
already put stop to foreign trade
for: this cause. Must not all the
other silver countries do the like if
the decline continues"
If the morev leaders of the
world persist in their efforts TO force
the gold standard upon this coun
try" says the Cincinnati Enquirer,
"they may prove more than they de.
sire to If half the metallic basis
for our paper circulation can be dis
pensed with many will argue that
the whole can be dispensed with"
If the people of this country are
forced to choose betwetn n the small
paper circulation tina. can be sus.
tanned ON the narrow basis of gold,
or larger and sufficient circulation
of paper. based upon the constitu-
tional power of the government to
issue legal tender notes at its own
pleasure, it is entirely possible that
they may choose the latter. But 20
such alternative Will be presented
A victory for Independent bmetal
lism is near at hand. 1t will bring
with it no influx of silver from other
countries. On the contrary we shall
continue to export from fcrty to
fifty millions of silver every year
across the Atlantic, as we de now.
The silver coirs of Europe are
worth B per cent more on the dollar
where ther now are than they would
be in the melting pots at our mints
at the ratio Of Is to /, and therefore
they will not come to this country
for coinage. The silver plate and
ornaments and idols in the old
world are worth more than their
weight in silver dollars, and they
will not come here for coinage.
There is no silver bullion on sale in
the entire Eastern hemisphere.
With free silver coinage, the only
addition made ia our stock of money
would only be the addition neces-
sary to meet the increase in the pop
ulation and business of the country.
From 1878 to 1898, period of ff-
teen years, there was added in lver
to our volume of money in round
numbers six hundred millions of dol
lars, an increase of forty millions
year, and we have the testimony of
the Hon. Thomas Bracket Reed,
given during the discussions of the
last campaign, that never was the
country in condition of greater or
more solid prosperity than during
those fifteen years, President Ben
jamin Harrison, In his message of
December, 1891, testified that the
upward tendency of trade with
which the country was then being
blessed, was due to the increased
purchases of silver under the Sher
man act (4,000,000 of ounces every
montb), and not to the Mckinley
tariff law. These are fs cts, and facts
are stubborn things. To restore the
good times so glowinsly described
by Reed and Harrison. We must re
store the causes which, according to
MIR Harrison, produces them. While
forty millions year in silver money
was being issued from our mints,
did anybody ever hear about any
trouble in maintaining the parity
between the coins of the two
metals?
There is no international money
and never was. Every nation makes
its own coins. No other nation can
fix the value of their coins for them.
The laws of trade, we are often told.
can not be changed by legislation.