Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-02-24
SOMETHING HE OVERLOOKED.
Bryan's H:t and MISS Description of
Mexican Einnnces.

In the article praising Mexico, her
alleged marvellous prosperity and her
silver monetary standard, Mr.. William
Jennings Bryan neglected, as he usual
~ does, to bring out the vital and mate
rial points of the questions which he
discussed.
Mr.. Bryan spent two or three weeks
in Mexico, bought a sombrero trimmed
with silver, and then came back fully
equipped to tell us all about the affairs
of our neighboring republic and ready
to prove, to his own satisfaction at
least. that this country ought to adopt
the financial system from which Mex
leo has been for some time trying to
escape.
Mr.. Bryan is a political comet which
has passed its perihelion, and is disap-
pearing in the depths of obscurity,
whence it emerged some IS months
ago. 1t occasionally still emits case
Gus explosion, however, which calls for
comment on the part of the astrono-
mers who have watched il with interest
as it careened madly across the politi-
cal firmameut. The letter on Mexico
is the latest of these Bryanite ex-
plosons, and, following the usual Gus
tom, few observations on the phenom-
enon are presumably in order.
Ever since Mr.. Bryan picked up the
silver question as a supposedly con-
venient method of landing himself in
the white house he has argued that
the free and unlimited coinage of silver
would give to this country a greater
volume of money; that is, a larger per
capita circulation. Now, if the free
coinage of silver is conducive TO a
greater per capita circulation than the
United States possesses, we would nat
urally suppose that Mexico, which con-
forms to Mr. Bryan's loftiest ideals of
a proper financial policy. would have a
larger per capita circulation than this
country. Let us see. Consulting the
facts and figures in relation to the
amount of money in each country, we
discover the per capita of each nation
TO be as follows:
Per
In gold capita.
United States. ...... 50 50
In silver
United States. s......................... S =
Mexico........ -....- .....'.........-' ~
United States. .................. s. 90
MeXico.'.. .....'.. ...''.'.'...-..''.' o.
Total money -
United States................ ....'...S24 O3
Me&ico......... ................. Al
Evidently there is cog loose in Mr..
Bryan's logic again. Instead of having,
thanks to the free coinage of silver, a
greater amount of money per capita
than the United States, Mexico has
only about one-third as much money
per capita as this country possesses.
Besides, every dollar of United States
money, under the gold standard, is
worth twice as much as Mexican dol
lar. So that, if we take purchasing
power into consideration, we find that
our $24.03 per capita is worth S4S.06 in
Mexican money, as against an $s.41
per capita in Mexico.
If it is a good thing to have large
circulation, then free silver, as shown
by the experience of Mexico, does not
supply that benefit, nor does the free
and unlimited coinage of silver in Mex
leo add one penny of value to the sill
yer when it is coined. After that metal
is minted it is worth no more or less,
under free and unlimited coinage in
Mexico, than it was worth as bullion.
The free ard unlimited coinage of sill
yer never did make so cents worth of
silver worth 100 cents, and never will,
Mr.. Bryan to the contrary notwith-
standing.
While Mr.. Bryan is sounding the
praises of MeXico's financial system
that country is striving to abandon it,
and in few years we will see our
southern neighbor take its rightful
place among the progressive gold
standard nations of the world.-Cin-
.innati Commercial Tribune.