The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-12-09
The Currency Question.


only every article of merchandise and
produce known 10 the temperate zone.
but the money to energize that trade.
and supply that stock Of money with
out depicting our own volume of metal
lie money?
Silver money has not only been the
chosen money Of the eastern world. but
il has always. and is TO this day, the
money OF the masses Of all nations.
Gold is not a general circulating me-
dium, never has been and never can be-
The largest part Of il is sacked and
boxed up and is transferred from treas
ury to treasury and vault TO vault. used
almost entirely as a commercial coun-
ter and by money spectators, who use
| it in connection with their bank cred
its TO shrink and expand the currency
and create panics and booms alternate
| ~ in trade. Silver money cannot be
handled ard controlled in that way.
1t goes out among the people and re-
| spends TO the demands of legitimate
| trade
What the United States stands most
in need Of at this time, and especially
al this particular juncture of affairs, is
E. system of finance conspicuously Amer
lean. We have the money metals in
large quantities in our own mountains
TO draw upon.
| We have the national power and
wealth that will sustain any requisite
amount Of paper money to transact all
of our home business and stand up at
par with gold at the start, and eventu-
ally demand a premium on gold. If kept
entirely under control Of the govern
ment and excluded from interference
by buneo-steering bankers.
With n government legal tender cur
| rency, and government banks for the
accommodation of the people, where
their deposits would always be safe
it would be but short period till gold
and silver would almost cease 10 be
used by the people in their business.
except the latter as change for frac-
tions of dollar.
There is a most potent and powerful
reason for such result. The currency
issued by the government is the peo-
pies money, because the government,
our government is the peoples govern
ment. The people have the same con-
fdence in their government and their
money issued by il as they have in them
selves This is not SO TO a great extent
in monarchies. There the government
belongs to a class separated from the
people. There they are the subjects
and have little love for their governing
masters. Here the people are the gov
eminent, and every issue of govern.
. ment currency has proven that the peo.
pie treasured it as highly as gold and
silver money. The greenbacks which
have stood the test Cor more than 81
years. with the combined money pow
ers of Europe and at home battling fol
their destruction. show how highly tho
people treasure their government
money.
With a national currency of full
legal tender. with open minis sustain.
ing the bullion value of the metals
with their coin value. If foreign nations
desired and valued coin above every
thing else we had TO part with they
could exchange products for it, but the
metals could never be worth more than
the legal tender paper of the govern
ment for satisfying the demands OF
debt. interest and taxes.
II our silver and gold flowed to other
nations they would increase the worlds
stock OF money, raise prices, and with
a rise in the products of labor, the la
borer would rise in his manhood and
place civilization on higher plane
throughout the civilized world. The
iron throne of debt with its chains OF
slavery hanging about il would begin
TO topple and the man would ere long
be lifted above the dollar by having the
shackles of debt broken which now
bind him down.
With purely American financial sys-
tenn all these blessings are not only pos
sible but certain. The money power
of the world would be shorn of half
its strength. and the American nation
and people would be exalted through.
cut the entire world, and what Is oil
infinitely more importance. they would
be exalted in their own esteem, worth
and manhood.-E. L. Ewing. in Silver
knight-Watchman.