The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-08-05
PRIMARY MONEY.
AN OBJECT LESSON ADVANCED Bv
EDITOR STROUSE OF ROCKVILLE.

This Gold standard iniquity Fully venti-
lated aud u Chicago Paper Dumped.
stanley Matthew and william McKin-
PROBATION OF Gold aud How IL Iiobs
aud impovcrish.~.
l might reply in my own paper to tho
following from the Chicago Tribune.
bur IL would only reach a limited mum
Der of readers. | therefore ask The Rec
ord. IN behalf OF the thousands Of silver
voters who are it's regular patrons. TO
place an Indiana country editor upon a
"l6 10 II parity with the editor of the
Chicago Tribune:
The Proposition.
1.-The editor Of tho Rockville (Ind.)
Tribune, u free silver sheet, il moro
courageous than most Of the members
of his party. He puts his dishonest do
signs into print. They do not reveal
theirs. He states that the editor Of The
Tribune bought 100 Mexican dollars for
which he paid $50 in cash and $40 in
advertising, and would be glad to make
n similar deal every day. The only
drawback is the required cash. II Bryan
is elected IL is the purpose OF the writer
To have them coined int United States
legal tender dollars. and if Mt the time
he owes 800 he will liquidate the debt.
and thus, in Il small degree. get back
part OF the loss he has sustained by rea-
son of the single gold standard. II this
remarkably frank editor owes any debts
when Bryan is elected they will be on
account of gold standard dollars bor-
rowed by him. which he has the use Of.
or on account Of goods sold 4 him at a
gold price-a lower price than If to be
paid in deprecated silver. The editor
will have received gold value dollars or
gold value goods. There can be nothing
damaging TO him in either transaction.
But he announces that he does not in
tend to repay the dollars or pay the gold
price for the goods. but to square 10.
counts with 53-cent dollars.
He proposes TO do this because he
wants to 'get even with the gold stand.
ard. which has inflicted upon him some
unexplained loss. Why his creditors
should suffer, who are not responsible
for the existence Of single gold standard.
he does not expl tin. Ii would certainly
be hard on them TO rob them Of half
their dues because of a personal contro.
versy between this editor and the gold
standard. But the editor may defeat
his object by his frankness. 1t is not
likely that he will be able to contract
any new debts between now and Nov. 3.
Nobody will sell goods on credit TO a
man who has declared he is going to re-
pudiate half of the bill. No one will
lend l00-cent dollars TO a man who has
proclaimed that he means 70 pay back
53-cent dollars. II must not be forgot.
ten. however, that the intentions Of
about every free silverite are the same
as those of this Indiana editor. Each
of them expects to be able, In the event
OF organs election. TO pay off 100 cent
debts with 59-cent dollars. That is why
they are going to vote for Bryan"
a Fine Object Lesson
Nothing will better illustrate tho
character Of the money of ultimate pay
now demanded by the advocates
of a gold standard than these same
Mexican dollars unless they should
turn ont to be counterfeit) brought to
Rockville for the purpose Of discredit.
ing American silver dollars. There is
not a single product Of the farmer, upon
whom l am directly dependent. that
has escaped the same force which has
pressed down the Mexican dollar. When
the Mexican dollar emerged from con-
cealment. along with all other specie,
after the war. il would buy just as much
years ago "A Mexican dollar would pay
for exactly the same number Of months
subscription to this county paper as it
does today. Ny predecessor then printed
a smaller paper with much less pen
at 81 IA year than | am now printing for
81. Am I a repudiator when | ask TO
pay in money Of the same purchasing
power? Or is the man who insists that
| shall give up double of my toll, double
of my life. honest?
All reputable authorities agree that
money, to be absolutely honest, should
be such rs would return TO the credi.
tor after "A long term of years money Of
the same purchasing power as was
loaned. II 1t would buy less it would
be an injustice to the creditor. If il
would buy more the debtor must suffer.
In my case the Mexican silver dollar. a.
it now is. without any legal tender pow.
er-with only its bullion value-will re-
turn to the creditor value for value. Let
me prove it: The house and lot in Rock.
vile owned by me cost. in 1885. Is, 900.
There Is AN acre and a half Of ground
one acre of which In sometimes In
wheat. This year ii is in horse weeds"
as the return from no cereal would pay
for pOwing and seed. Back OF the
premises is farming land, so that my
property will fairly illustrate what the
gold standard has done for all town and
farm property. l have kept the house
in good repair, added at least 81 1000 to
the original cost, and today could not
sell II for half its cost.
knock-Down by strouse.
There has been no improved meth.
DDS of building houses, no improved
methods" Of producing land to account
for this shrinkage Of value. I defy any
gold bug editor TO prove that the appre.
citation Of gold has not robbed me. Sup.
pose | had placed a mortgage on the
property to secure it, say. half its cost 7
If forecloseG now the entire Investment