The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-03-04
THE WORLD NEEDS MONEY.
silver ~ Well ms Cole. Necessary for
Currenry.

1'he world needs much money, and
will need more of il in the future. A
number OF the prominent nations of the
earth are now practically on a paper
basis. having never been able to obtain
enough metallic money 10 make specie
payments possible. More than two
thousand millions of dollars of gold and
silver are yet necessary to the curren-
cies Of the world before this out-srand-
ing paper can oe taken up. Here alone
is a gulf that will swallow up the pro-
ducts of several Klondikcs.
The world needs vast coinages of gold
and silver TO make good the losses that
are constantly being sustained. Den
tistry alone is using up a large amount
Of the precious metals, both of silver
and gold. In this country it is esti-
mated that gold and silver to the value
of two thousand millions has been used
In the dental business and that most of
this metal has gone into the grave
Yards, and the rest is or the way there.
But the use of gold and silver in the
dental arts is an incident Of civilization.
What about the swarming millions OF
people that are even at this time being
brought under civilization and under
the hand of the dentist. Where civil
cation goes, there the dentist goes with
his supply of gold and silver for his
work. In the savage lands. where the
sun of a new era is even now rising.
stand n billion people. whose mouths
are ready to swallow up tho precious
products of Australia, Peru and Alaska.
New nations are being born and de-
handing that their names be placed on
the scroll of civilized nations. With
their birth m springs up, and
with it comes the demand for curren-
cies that are recognized as such by the
nations of the world. These reach out
their hands and ask for the golden and
silver treasure. Whence shall they be
supplied? When the whole earth has
been placed on a commercial basis the
problem Of the cu%rrencies will indeed
be a ~stupendous one, for The reason that
the earth gives no promise of being able
to supply the money metals in suiii-
cient quantities 10 meet the demands
OF trade. What does the entire worlds
harvest of gold and siler mount to
when scattered among 900, COO peo-
pie? Even If the yearly product were
TO be $500. OO0, goo, the per capita would
be but 20 cents, and this 20 cents would
have to supply currency, dental mate
rial, gold for watches, rings, bracelets,
settings for stones, material for plates
and household utensils, gold leaf. gid
ing, silver knives, forks, cups and Q
thousand other articles of use and lux
ury too numerous TO be recited.
And where is all of this vast supply
to be obtained? The history of the
world shows that countries and CONT
ncnts become exhausted of their pre-
cious metals. With ali the new inven
tions for extracting the metals. are
they finding any new mines in Europe
No; the once rich Europe has been prac
tically exhausted. and the same is true
of The long accessible portions of Asi;
and of Africa-yes, ever Of South Amer
lea and California. Australia even hal
become lukewarm. Only in lands new
ly accessible are rich mines being
opened. The world needs both of it
money metals.
II. r. THURSTON.