Discriminating Against Silver

TVe hoar a great deal in these days nlxn-t "dtecriminatioo against silver," and i. favo rit e device of ie Mryan campaigmeff is t-o make franti1 invective against tlia way gold is tveated at tlid miuit, and to demand tliat the metal of wliicli the westeni mining Btates are so fond sliall have equal corasicleration at the hands of the froveriment." Tlii.s talk about "discrimination" is bafcljjt fl-ith people who know ncitliiiisg altout the subject, fo-r it appeals to their natural snse of justice, and they say : ' Why, of conree, silver producers and gold producers should aave equal treatnient. It isn't fair th.ix the government of the -svhole peop'e should help the gold jniner by taki-K hls product for money and' refnso tr gtve the silver miner the same assistt-nce." But, as a matter of fact. tfhe'-e is no discrimination againsrt silver and no favor done to gold by tlhe United States mint, and the ptople who by such argumente aro bioxtglit to favor tree cotnage of silvjr are beinsj made the victlms of falsfchood and delusion. The lasi thiat the free eilver advocate wants is tíqual treatment of iold) and silvev Just ask him to agreeto the coiiwige of both metáis each at their market value and see the 6corn %vith which he will rejecb the proposal. He does not want a hundred cents worth of gold staamped a dollar and( a (Jiundrtï'I centls wortli of silver stompedi a dollar. He wamts a huindred cents' worin of gold stannped a dollar, and fif ty-three cents' worth of ilver stainped a dollar. Hie policy is one of discrimiLation against gold, and hls talk aTx.t equal justice to the metáis is the merest pretence. Ifc BliOiad not be forjrotten that the govertmeitt does absolutely nothing ín the way oí favors tor gom. u il actio-n lias any effect on it, ifc is to keep itas price down by redeeming notes in it instead of niaking its cost doublé to taose who need i.t by inaking payments in silver. X piece oí ffold is worth exactly the name Üiether it is ia a ooin or „ bar. TJie mint takes a disk of t;olá of standard íineneas, weigliiug 2ó 8-10 gTaJtns, and eimply pats on it the Btanip wlLicli certü'ies tliat it has been we:glied and tested and does actually contatn ttoat amount of Kold. That piece of metal is called lï dollar. It was jast as machi in the markets öf the world before the etanipiing, and it -svill be worth just os mocli 'wiien melted down. The mint; does not make money. It coine moaey. Tha;t is, for tbs conveaience of tradio it certifies that a piecei of metal measures up to a conventlonal standard. Suppose the same thing were done wftli sllver. At tlie present time 25 8-10 grains oí standard gold bnlIíqii -nill extíhange for about 778 1-3 graíns oí standard silver bullion tn the markets oí the world. Equal treatmeiic oí sil ver Avould require that the mint RhOTild taie 778 1-3 jjrains oí sllve" and stamp on it the same certifícate whlo h it stamps oí gold. But woólil the Iree sllver advocate be content with thls ? By no means. He asJffl that 412 1-2 grains of silver ghall receive the government certifícate flad be seint abroad bearlng the statement ot the United States that its valué is 100 cents, whenl as a matter of fact its valué is only 53 cents. He asks his country toi make afidavit to a falsehood. But. someTxvdy asks, Tíow is it that 41'2 1-2 grains of silver worth 53 cens is noiv made to pass for a lar ? Simply beoaufse of tlie General fa.it h in the United States goveroment, 5or the same rea-som thnt the (hurk oí a TvoH-known business man will le receivel for a thousand dollars wlien th? Lntrinsic valué of 'he papev eontaininx it is not worth one cent. The silYer coin is not vorth a dcllar, but it represents a dollar. The goYermmemt says it will receive it on oqual terms with. a soldj dollar just as a merchant takes his neighbor's check in place of money. Keitter the Bilrer dollar nor the check is nicney. They are representatlve toke.m taking the place of money. Tli.it is the case with all coins, banknotes and certificates that do not contaiii the actual valué for ■which they pass curremt. Their worth depends on the faith that they ca-ru be exchsnged for the actual valué, and that faith is safely founded only M'hen the actual valué is ia fact behlnd them A. silver dollar coataieing 100 cents' worth of silver would be honest money. To make sucli a coin wcrald bo to trent gold nnd Dilver cxaetly alike. But that Is not öie kind of equal justico asked i'or by those who howl about "discriminar tion agaiDSl BilTer." I