Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-11-18

the republican party is to be commended for
Its triendliness to silver, and ignore the gold
backing We have all along insisted that
under the Goldbug regime silver is nothing
more than token money, and THAI it was
criminal to reduce the unit of the fathers to
so ignominious position: that il was rob
berry, pure and simple, to displace the dollar
nominated in the bond and replace it with
another harder to get "
This idolatry of the ''dollar of the dad
dies' is ever potent plea with the improvi-
dent who, instead of diligent effort TO paw
an honest debt are always looking for some
"easy" way to escape partial or entire liqui-
dation. Has the editor Of the REGISTER or
any of his readers a debt outstanding so
| long overdue that it was made with the con-
dition expressed or implied that it was to. be
paid in money "easy to gets" surely no deb {
of recent years with was contracted with any
idea OF payment in money other than that
now in use.
| The only attempt at frobbery pure and
simple" attempted in recent years in con-
nection with our financial system was the at
| tempt last year to bring about a state of
| things by which debts contracted under
gold standard might be paid by a depreci-
ated coin: in other words an attempt to en-
rich the improvident and careless at the ex-
pense of the thrifty and provident, which is
practically to declare that frugal industry is
criminal and prosperity crime.
AS to the claim that the republican party
| is friendly to silver, it seems to us that it is
amply borne out by the fact that there has
been more silver bullion coined into money
| in single year since the "crime of 1873"
| than had been coined in all the years of the
existence of our government, including the
"days OF the dads" prior to the date Of de-
monitization, and by the further fact that
there is more silver coin in circulation to-
day than ever before, and that this vast vol
| ume OF silver currency, under the protection
of financial system originated and main
| tanned by republicans and indorsed and sup
ported by the best thinkers in the democratic
party, has been maintained at a value, as
| coin, OF more than twice its value as mere
bullion. Besides, the value of silver was
not destroyed by denomination, for that
metal maintained an almost par value with
gold up to a comparatively recent date, and
finally lost its relative value, not because of
demonstration, but by reason of overpro-
duction, in spite of which the silver coin of
the United States, of all the silver in the
world, has been maintained at its former in
trinsic or bullion value. All of which we
think constitutes very firm claim of 'tfriend-
ship for silver" on the part of the republican
party"
Again, Bro. AXE says:
"The Aao0cake editor terms a return to
the original unit "repudiation" on the score
that silver is now worth much less as bull
lion than it was when demonetized, and
bases his objection to the free coinage of sill
yer at l6 TO / solely upon that ground"
While the A3vocake does not base its cob
lection to the free coinage of silver at l6 to
solely upon this ground," still the ground is
good and sufficient. The only honest free
coinage of silver would be that based on the
relative value of silver and gold bullion, and
that would create endless confusion by the
differing weights of the coin required by
fluctuations in the price of silver and the
varying values of the dollars of different
weights so coined.
Finally the REGISTER asks:
"Will he (the editor of the dd0ocake)
then, please frankly answer two questions2
Why was silver demonetized in 1873, and
why does he not advocate its free coinage at
its commercial ratio to gold?'
The latter of these questions is already
answered in our comments on the previous
quotation from the REGISTER, and to the
former we viii as frankly say that we sup
pose silver was demonetized in 1873 be-
cause congress had been derelict in this par
ticular duty heretofore, and felt moved to
''bring forth fruits meet for repentance