The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1916-05-26
How About silver?

Neither the great eastern press nor
the congress of the United States dare
to do anything which would look like
a movement for the reconciliation
of silver, neither would they dare re-
fuse should those interest-grabbers
put out statement some morning
because Of the mighty European war
debt and the necessity which will
follow the war to provide the people
with at least basis of metallic mon
ey on which to do business, when all
the gold shall have gravitated to the
different treasures of the several
states; in their judgment it is time
for reconciliation.
Watching the upward tendency of
silver, one can not put aside the sus-
picion thot those interest-gatherers
have already reached that conclusion
and are loading up with silver they
can buy in order to see it restored
to its old place soon. 1t is clear that
were this true they would realize an
advance on all the silver they possess
ed of something like 60 per cent
| But there is stronger motive than
that of gigantic stock deal to urge
them to do that thing
When the war closes. on what are
the people of Europe to do business
in order to make enough money to
pay the interest on their debts? They
can hardly do it on paper promises to
pay. After our great war closed it re-
quired fourteen years for our country
TO recover strength tn resume specie
payments At that time the resources
of our country were hardly touched,
and we had an empire of rich fields
and mines. (
Europe will have to depend upon the
genius of her people to SO handle
their knowledge and their machinery
as to make for themselves a living
and beyond that to pay their debts
With that knowledge, that machinery
and all the genius they can bring to
bear. they will need some money to
lubricate the wheels of their indus
tries. Where is it coming from?
| II there was a commodity that could
by a simple edict become as good as
gold and almost as abundant. would
it not be hailed as godsend?
There is such a commodity with
every attribute of gold except density.
that stood every test required in
money for centuries until recognition
was withdrawn from it. and which
would again be just as stable as gold
were that legal restoration to be re-
sorted to. Does anyone doubt this
A simple experiment would decide it
Our country contains 100.000.000 of
people. One dollar per capita would
not be too much change for them to
carry in their pockets. would it?
! Well. let congress authorize one
twelfth of that amount of fine silver
to be bought monthly for year and
coined into fractional coin and put
into general circulation. No one
would suffer from that. would they
In addition. let the law contain another
clause that If during the year silver
should advance to one dollar per
ounce and remain at that figure for
three months, it should be fully re-
monetized with gold. at that ratio
Does anyone doubt that with that law
on the books silver would be at par
within six months? Does anyone
doubt that England would be glad, or
that France and Germany would joy.
fully accept It? That it would help
our trade relations with Spanish Am
erica and China. or that it would put
our exchanges with the orient on a
settled basis at once? ]. p. Morgan
a few years ago decided that there
was not metallic money enough in
the world for the worlds business.
What now. with the one hundred bill
lion of debts added since ?-Exchange.
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