Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-03-25
ToWnes Six Questions.

hlc>omc questions OF such men a. Mr..
T"wn", We copy the leading editorial
"i the Ongoni,tn al the 18th inst.
Ii anyh"dy can see wherein the
" tangled >kcin of >uhtlrtics" has been
unravclcd ly the big goldhug editor,
or can show that he has thrown Il
single scintilla OF light upon the sub
Jet he SO valiantlE ru>he> forth to
turn the >carch-light OF wisdom upon,
we would like very much for them to
show it.
The reply, it will b. observed, is SIM
ply statement OF dull platitudeS, to-
tally irrelevant to the queries and
which would have appeared just As
opposite ii appended to his accidcncy's
arhorday proclamation.
Here Is the article entire:
The Oreyonian has received letter in
which the writer states that Mr.. Towne.
of Minnesota in the course of his speech
the other night, propounded six ques-
tons which he thought the Greg oman
ought to answer. Our correspondent
favors lis with a copy of the questions.
Here they are:
l. Are you In favor of the dollar of great pnr-
,. Are you glad that in 1897 certain American
farmers receive higher price than usual IN
| many years for their wheat:
3. If you answer No. , afirmaivcly. explain
TO yonr readers why you are glad that your dollar
in 1897 had less purchasing power in wheat than
| usual
| 4. If it was a good thing that the farmer got u
high price for his wheat, would 1t not have been
! also good thing for all other producers TO re-
ceive higher prices for their prodIctEf A.
5. Fit would have been good thing Tor the
farmer to receive higher prices, would ii not have
| been also good thing for all other producers TO
| receive higher prices for their products!
&. Explain TO your readers how there can be a
general rise in the average level of prices without
| u corresponding increase i'll the quantity of
material that is. money, in which prices are
measured.
In this sort of sophistical stuff do the
advocates of free silver coinage and base
| money in general evermore entangle
themselves. Such questions are not to
| be answered Gates Orically. They form
merely tangled skein of subtleties, over
which, since all the principles of money
and markets are disregarded, disputation
might be continued without end.
What are the real facts, patent to &C.
knowledge and common sense? The
worlds standard for measure of values
| is gold. A few countries, insignificant in
commerce and industry, beggarly, bank
rupt countries, use silver as their stand
ard or measure of values. We can do the
same thing, if we want to, But we have
not wanted to, and probably shall not.
In common with all the nations that
amount to anything in industry, in COM
merce and civilization. the U nited States
bases its money on gold. and uses gold
. - l.ls
quantities of this material can be created
by the fiat of government, but there is
continual augmentation of the quantity
by mining; but it is merely childish 10
complain that there is not more gold or
more rapid production of gold. Since
gold is the universal measure of COM
| mOdities in commerce, it makes prices for
the whole world, including prices of all
the important commodities in silver
counties. But prices vary according to
local circumstances, as scarcity or abun-
dance of various commodities may occur
in one country or another. 1t would be
an act of supreme Stiffness in any cOun.
try to try to control these conditions of
production, exchange and values by
changing the measure of values. Gold is
the standard measure of commerce.; gov
eminent can't make more gold, nor create
money out of nothing; and, If it CHANGES
the standard to silver, 1t takes an
with the cost of exchange.
Such are the facts. No tumble of ques-
tons strung together in a series, con.
ceived in disregard of the facts and
principles that underlie the movements
of commerce and govern its exchanges,
than fOOlishness. After every excursion
the debate comes back to this: Are we
to exchange gold. the universal measure,
for silver, a limited, inferior and unstable
measure? Gold will remain our standard,
or silver will be our standard. We can
continue with the gold countries. or Join
the silver countries. That is the end OF
every argument.
1t is useless to split hairs or make
puzzles over fool interrogatories.
This course of the Oregonian re-
minds lis of the advice given by re-
nowned Judge, once OH time, to an
applicant for admission to the bar,
which was, in substance, as follows:
" If you have case that is supported
strongly by the evidence, but has little
hold OH the law, talk to the evidence !;
if it has law on its side and is deficient
in evidence, place your reliance mainly
on the law; if it has neither law nor
evidence to support it, talk all around
the subject and confuse the jury"
That is just what the Webfoot paper
is continually doing-throwing dust
in the eyes of the public.