Money: Speech of Hon. John P. Jones, of Nevada, on the Free Coinage of Silver; in the United States Senate, May 12 and 13, 1890Jones, John P. (John Percival)
History
Money: Speech of Hon. John P. Jones, of Nevada, on the Free Coinage of Silver; in the United States Senate, May 12 and 13, 1890
Jones, John P. (John Percival)
Silver question -- Speeches in Congress
Among the witnesses before the committee were John Stuart Mill, Lord
Overstone, and many other men distinguished in the world of letters and
finance. I am informed by the Librarian of Congress that there is but
one copy of the work in the United States. It would be well worth while
for Congress to order a number of copies of it printed, for there is no
work with which I am acquainted that contains so much practical
information as to the working of the single gold standard. According to
the testimony taken before that committee, the experience of Great
Britain since 1819 shows that gold alone, even when re-enforced by paper
money convertible exclusively into gold, instead of being a beneficent
instrument of valuation, has proved a cruel instrument of injustice.
A brief consideration of the causes which affect the movement of gold
will not be out of place in this connection.
RATIONALE OF THE MOVEMENT OF GOLD.
Why is it that gold leaves country and goes to another? For one reason
only--the advantage of its owner. Whenever he can make a profit by
sending it out, the gold goes; and the period when that profit can be
made is indicated when the prices of goods that are internationally
dealt in are either rising in the country which it leaves or falling in
the country to which it goes. It is only to pay for importable goods
that gold ever leaves the country in which the owner resides. Being an
international money, and receivable everywhere at its full face value,
gold loses nothing by transfer; hence it is sent wherever it will for
the time being have the greatest purchasing power.
Whenever the general range of prices in this country of commodities
internationally dealt in becomes than higher than the general range of
the same commodities abroad, it is manifest that then gold can used to
advantage by purchasing those articles abroad and selling them here. If
the gold that goes out goes from stock that has been hoarded here, the
outflow has no immediate or direct effect upon prices in this country,
although, by increasing or "inflating" the volume of money abroad it
assists in raising prices there, and thus tends to secure for our
exported products a better price in the foreign market. But if the gold
goes from the amount that is in active circulation here, and if the void
created by this outflow is not filled with other forms of money, such as
silver, or paper, it results in a reduction of the volume of money in
actual use in this country, while at the same time increasing the volume
of money abroad.
This increase in the foreign money stock causes a rise of prices abroad,
while the corresponding reduction of our currency causes a proportionate
fall of prices here, hence there is a constant tendency to an
equilibrium of prices of all articles of international commerce.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account