If Not Silver, What?Bookwalter, John W. (John Wesley)
History
If Not Silver, What?
Bookwalter, John W. (John Wesley)
Silver question
One answers that it will come from Spanish America. But we have already
shown that all nations from the Rio Grande to Cape Horn have but
$100,000,000 for their 60,000,000 people. The South Americans have but 83
cents apiece. The Mexicans have $4.54. The Central Americans have $2.14.
And the South Americans have $550,000,000 in paper money, to bring which
to par and maintain it there will require at least $300,000,000 more in
silver than they now have. No "dump" from there.
From France, says another. Well, France has $487,000,000 in silver coin,
and some bullion; only $12.94 per capita in coin, and valued at 15-1/2 to
1 of gold. At her ratio an ounce is worth $1.3336; at ours $1.2929. Will
she rob herself of coin, when she has none too much for business, and sell
it to us at a loss of 4 cents on the dollar and freight charges? Germany
has but $215,000,000 in silver coin, less than half as much as France,
though having 13,000,000 more people, and Great Britain has but half as
much as Germany. All the other Europeans together have much less than
these three nations, and used at a higher valuation than ours. How then
can they "dump" any on us?
From India, say a few. Well, India has a deal of silver--$950,000,000,
according to our Director of the Mint. But she has 296,000,000 people, so
it is but $3.21 apiece. And the best evidence that she has not too much is
found in the fact that she is importing more. China has but $2.08 per
capita; Japan has but $4, and is importing heavily; Australia but $1.49,
and the black and brown races still less. In short, all the world outside
of the United States has but $3,444,900,000 in silver coin, or $2.46 per
capita. It is a plain case that there will be no "dump" from the coined
silver.
But the bullion, the old silver, the scrap heap, will they not ship that
to us by billions? Well, how much is there, and where is it? Will the
nobility and gentry of Europe melt down their family plate, the plain
people everywhere their silver ornaments, and the Hindoos their household
gods, to send us the silver? If so, why did they not do it when a cup, a
watch, or a silver god would buy twice as much gold as now? But the
supposition is absurd. The manufactured articles are worth very much more
than the metal in them, to say nothing of the sentimental value. A prize
silver cup, for instance, won in a great race or regatta, could not be
bought for ten times its weight in gold. There remain, then, only the
scrap heap and the stored bullion, and nobody has been able to locate any
great mass of it. Is it reasonable to suppose that moneyed men have been
storing away silver for years, making no profit on it and losing the
interest, and doing it in the face of a falling market? No, the timid may
be reassured; there will be no "dump."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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