Some Common-sense Finance

The Journal has no politics. It aever has had any politics, and if we thoiight that the coming campaign was one of politics we should take no part u it. Some years ago. however, the .Tonrnal took a positive stand for sonnd money, believing that free silver would result in the ruin of the business interests. It was the only lumber trade paper tbat had paid any attention to sound money, and it has the satisfaction of knowing that sonie of oor articles attracted much attention. The present campaign seems to be based on an argument that everybody in the East is a gold bug and that everybody South and West is hard up. pnd that in consequence thereof everybody East is happy and everybody West and South is unhappy, and that the way to even things up is to hare free silver, which. some way or other, is going to be divided among the crowd. so all wül have money, and, as it would seem by tlieir argument, perfect happiness. To a man who has no money there are several ways to get it, namely: Beg it. Steal it. fe) Borro w t. (d) Secure it by gift. (e) Trade something for it. If we are to beg it, we might just as well do the best we can. Therefore. a dollar based on a gold Standard is better than a 10 to 1 silver dollar, which tuday is worth about 53 cents intrinsically. If we are to steal it. we want the best. A thief who would steal a silver dollar in preference to a gold dollar would be acquitted ob the ground that he was inBa ne. If we borow it we want that kind of money which will go furthest, for so we can get along with a smaller loan. Therefore a gold dollar i better to borrow than a 16 to 1 silver dollar. If we are to secure it by gift, certainly we should not deprecíate that whieh we are about to receive. This brings us to (e), which ii the way most money is obtained. A pertinent question for each of us to ask at this time is, what have I got to trade for money which I war.t? It may be labor, it may be a horse or cow, it may be lumber of shingles. it may be a sawmill. At tbe present time we can trade any of the above. and get a gold dollar for everi dollar's worth of value that may bc agreed upon between buyer and seller. We can get a dollar which is worta dollar anywhere and everywhere. Xow, your labor or horse or cow or lumber or machinery will be worth just as much, or nearly as mueh. neit year as it is this; hut if we have free coinage at 16 to 1 will tbe dollar which you get in trade be worth as much as the dollar you can pet now? What will that be worth? Can you teil? It may be worth 53 cents or more or less; one day this, one day that, but can any one teil? These are all pertinent questions, and, when carefully considered, must guide us in voting at the nest election, in November, and do not lose sight of the fact that if all the silver in the world is coined into money, you cannot get a cent of it except by a, b, c, d or c above