The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-10-25
THURSDAY, OCTOBER IS, 1900.
Free Silver.

Four years of unparalleled prosper
ity, yet Democratic orators are declar-
ing that the country is on the verge of
ruin. It is imaginedlby certain credu-
1ous people that the election of W. ].
Bryan and the free coinage of silver
at the ratio of 10 to /, will make the
great American nation munihCent and
all poor people aff1uent. All debts are
to be paid and all purses are to grow
fat, because money, a silver stream,
will flow into the peoples pockets
when the Democrats come into power.
But what foo1ishness is this! Whether
the administration be Republican or
Democratic, Popu1istic or PrOhibitory,
Silver or Gold, or BimetaEstic, no
man will be the richer unless he can
earn something Or may have some
thing to sell that other men want.
Miners of Colorado may dig tons of
silver out of the mine, .andsUnc1e Sam
may receive it into his mint and trans
mute it into coinIwithout cost, until
dollars and dimes are countless as the
stars and abundant as sand grains on
the sea shore, but it will be miners
money not mine or yours; nor will
those miners generously pass it round
among the populations of the States
for free and gratuitous distribution.
IF all the silver were coined there
would be, of course, a greater volume
of silver money in the country than
now, but it would not magnify the
bank account of the agricu1tura1ist, or
mechanic, or merchant unless farmer
and mechanic and merchant had some
thing to give in exchange for this
corn, or skill, or stock; but he could
surrender only what his farm could
produce, or his skill create, or his ware
houses contain, and he could dispose
of his wealth for a silver return only
according as his produce, and mechan-
isms and merchandise were in denaad.
Beyond the demand of the markets
innumerab1e tons of coined silver
would be a useless hoard. 1.-THE b1oated
silverite might be compelled to pay for
work and for goods two dollars where
now he only pays one, double for all he
purchases; the farmer would raise the
prices of wheat and corn; mechanics
and 1aborers would double their de-
mand for wages; the merchant in
crease the prices of his goods a hun
dred per cent; and the toiler who earns
today SIPS ia ten hours, if he were
compelled to pay double for all the
necessaries of life, would be no richer
at the end of given time for receiving
s. so day for his work.
The fact is money boarded is no
rood. 1t IS the money in circulation
that helps. The country needs money
enoagh to carry on it's business, but
little more. The unlimited free coin
age Of silver might result III financial
disaster, and certainly, silver, which
is constantly changing its market
value, would be a miserable money to
do business with, if it were not Sc
cured by a backing of gold which, no
matterhow everything else may f1uc-
tuate, is always and everywhere of the
same value.
We are in an era of real, not inflated
prosperity; the products of the farm,
animal and cereal, are bringing good
prices; labor finds ample opportunity
of service and wages are on an in
creasing scale; our markets, domestic
and foreign, are splendidly patronized;
the coin of the country is neither
limited or too abundant; silver dollars
and paper certificates are worth their
face value in gold; the United States
is lending Mullins of money to the
once credit nations of Europe. Why
overturn all this? Why swap horses
while crossing the stream by giving
over the country to an administration
that would defy silver and tare down
the flag ftom those en1inences where
American heroism has planted it?