Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-04-19
The Cause Of Free Silver.
IRELAND UNDER THE :; cu. ! = !.
me Gold Standard Il Gradually
Starving the People Of the
Unhappy Island. -,

AAe "OAu Standard II Gradually
Starving the People of the
Unhappy. Island. -,
The recent meetings on the subject
OF the overtaxation of Ireland which
nave been held in Dublin and in various
provincial centers, have given clear
proof that Irishmen do not intend to re-
main quietly under the burden of ex-
cesslve taxation, writes A. Gore Cuth.
bert, in the Mississippi Valley Demo-
crat. 80
When parliament meets, it is certain
that our representatives will use their
utmost efforts to induce the govern
ment to recognize our just claims to
some Tightening of this burden. There
as one aspect of this great question
which is often lost sight of. Our only
money now is gold-silver and copper
being merely tokens used to represent
"a certain quantity of gold. Taxes must
be paid in gold or its equivalent in
goods. Irish taxes are paid in agricul-
tural produce, since she is an almost
purely agricultural country, and for
the last rs years, produce has been
fetching lower prices in the market
every year. At the present day SOW
ereign will purchase twice as much
produce as it would have purchased rs
years ago. Every Irishman who pro-
duces and sells anything knows this,
but not many know why the sovereign
has gone up in value. and why the tax
payer has to give two barrels of oats
or potatoes, where formerly he need
only give one, to obtain the money with
which to pay his taxes. The holders of
gold, having done away with the COM
petition of silver as money by closing
the minis to it's free coinage, are now
forcing producers to give more and
more goods every year in exchange for
the gold with which their taxes must
be paid. Anyone who considers this
question for moment will see what a
cruel injustice is imposed by the sim
gle gold money on a producing country
such as Ireland.
Money has almost disappeared from
among the people, and we are resort
ing to the expedient of barter that has
always prevailed among barbarous and
monumental nations. Silver and cop
per constituted the bulk of our circu-
lating medium until they were degrad-
ed to the level of mere token money.
and these have now become so scarce
that it is practically impossible to con-
duct the ordinary transactions of the
day on a cash basis. Credit or barter
are our only alternatives, and those
who have no commercial standing, like
the great mass of the common people
in this unhappy island, r'ust content
themselves with the latter. This places
them at the mercy of the.traders: who
demand even a larger proportion of
their products or labor than the natur-
al Low level of a limited currency justi-
ies. The condition falls with special
weight on our producing and laboring
classes. Of course living is cheaper,
but the standard of exchange has risen
to such heights that the laboring man
can scarcely reach it, and gaunt hunger
stalks where plenty should prevail.
It is but repetition of history. Men
are still living who remember the
wretched condition that prevailed in
the United Kingdom from 1916. the
date of the characterization of silver by
the Liverpool act. until relief came
from the discovery of gold in Australia
and California. Why will governments
curse their people in this way when the
law of finance and its effects on COM
merce are as clear as the light of day?
It cannot be from lack Of knowledge.
for the lessons of history are too plain
to admit of misconstruction. During
the disastrous period that I have just
mentioned, wages sank so low in the
manufacturing districts that they bare
ly suffced with the great bulk of work
ers. especially females for the support
of existence. A serious instruction
broke out in 1920 and 1912, both in
England and Scotland, as we'll as Ire
land, ostensibly for political purposes.
but mainly occasioned by the general
distress among the manufacturing
operatives, as was decisively proved by
their entire extinction : when labor
again received remunerative return.
Farming capital in the agricultural
districts was during this distress every
where grievously abridged-in many
places totally annihilated. Ireland
during the whole period was in state
of smothered insurrection; and for the
last, four years convulsed the country
by the fierce demand for the repeal of
the union. which was only prevented
from breaking out into open rebellion
by the continued presence in the island
of 10000 armed men, between the reg
'ular forces and armed police.
What was it that made this effect?
It was the contraction of the currency,
which was unnecessarily made to- &C
company the resumption of cash pay
ments by the bill Of 1919. History
again repeats itself in the oppression
and hardship of the poor. caused by
the scramble for gold consequent upon