Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-07-28
Not Allthe Story.


great relish an article from the National
Uatchman under the heading of ''l6 to
is the Ratio Now"
But the IIdtchm0n tells all about the
current coinage of silver dollars under
the Act of June ID, 1898, providing for
IT,, millions a month; how this minimum
has been exceeded until
During the month of June this year there
were coined at the minis of the United States
million silver dollars at the ratio of l6 to l
and the minis are still coming silver dollars
at that ratio
Then it asks
WHY then this republican howl about IL
to |. If IL to / is wrong why ana
president Mckinley sign law authorizing
the coinage of not less than 100000 OF these
dollars per month at that ratio, until all the
silver bullion purchased under the Sherman
law, amounting to about S9O,OW,0O worth, Is
made into com.
The Waterman is riddling n man of
straw
The ratio IL the current instance Is
PROVIDED IOT ny law bC'""''' 'ii' -
is
|. Government metal, and
>. As such it is HD,itcd to the amount
purchased under the authority of the
Sherman Act.
Against this there is no ''howl' and
need be none.
The "howI' is against the popullSuc
pledge in the democratic platform to al
low the owners of silver mines to dump
their metal into the mint i'll ""i'mt"d
quantities, to be coined at tn" c'P"HS" G
he pro,Ir, at the arbitrary ratio of rs to
more than twice its market price, the
government thus guaranteeing to the
merchants of silver an inflated value Tor
their product which, when, i'll the shape
of coin, it falls from the hands OF gov
crnmental favor into the HHProf"ct"d
commerce of the people, will "%f""-
fdurouxIg drop back To its market r"i"",
mrcady less than hoif that predicateo on
the ratio of rs to |.
The JOURNAL believes the govern
mcnt, good and strong as 1t Is, has
neither the right nor the Po""I' to so
favor class.
If it has, it can fix the price of wheat
for the farmer at 81 .60 IA bushcl instead
of IS cents, and it will find i'll the farmer
ii beneficiary of its tender consideration
far more numerous, needy and deserving
than the already lordly owner Of the sill
yer mine.
This is a homely statement Of the case,
made because the lI'mchmon, like all Is
to papers, never tells the whole story.
In this instance there was no diStlnc-
ton whatever drawn between the limited
coinage of gorcrUmrUt silver and the free
and unlimited coinage of mine-owners
silver. 1t fails to see, or it ignores the
fact that rih It's OWU SHrCr, limited to so
millions, and doing its oWU minfjng, the
matter of ratio is not material. Whether
1G to 1 or 81 to |, the result is us broad
as it is long
But with the ''unlimited' amounts of
silver owned by ''citizens Tom, Dick and
Harry" already mined and yet to be
mined, and the mints practically handed
over to those aIniable gentlemen for
'..trcc coinogr,' the attempt at favoring
them also with al arbitrary ratio is one
that no government with any concern
for the welfare of the whole people will
ever make.
Taking their cue from the silver-mine
owners, the gold bug" is maligned and
derided by the Bryanites, but the gold
bug" is the only man who dare answer
with the truth the question-what does
the silver owner expect i'll exchange for
his silver?
The answer is-yoid!
And, i'll possession of the government,
the latter will pay him gold for silver
until the last real dollar has been wrest-
ed from the people and placed in his
pocket.
The owner of the silver mine is the
real gOld-bug.