America 1881: Legend of the West

The next day, Chen Jianqiu rode a black carrot to the venue in the city center.

The members of the so-called Silver Association were mostly a group of western silver mine owners.

Many of them have bloody careers, and they are ruthless people who hang their heads around their necks.

Therefore, the atmosphere of the venue was also very rough.

People who don’t know better think this is a gathering of bandits.

The venue was in a large temporary shed built in the central square.

Now it's smoky and extremely noisy inside.

These big men with pipes in their mouths, those who can stand will never sit down. They have big silver or gold chains hanging around their necks, and the rings on their fingers are shining.

Chen Jianqiu saw someone he knew.

This man's name was Kendall Saber, whom he had met in Tombstone. He was the owner of the hotel where he was staying, and he was also the owner of a silver mine there.

When the man saw Chen Jianqiu looking at him, he felt that the Chinese looked familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

Chen Jianqiu sat down on the chair next to him.

"Sir, have we met somewhere?" Sabo spoke first.

"My surname is Chen. I once stayed in your hotel. As you can see, I also run a silver mine, but not in Arizona." Chen Jianqiu answered while taking out a comic book from his pocket.

"Oh, oh, I remember, is it you?"

Sabo actually didn't even think about it at all, but he knew that this person must have been to his hotel.

Years of hotel experience have made him not as straightforward as a typical Westerner, but rather familiar.

"What is the content of today's meeting? Is it so lively?" Chen Jianqiu looked around.

Saber looked surprised:

"you do not know?"

Chen Jianqiu shook his head: "I don't know, I don't really care."

Saber was even more surprised: "Oh, Mr. Chen, you are really big-hearted. The silver mining business needs to be watched at all times. You know, those so-called managers and miners are not reliable!"

Chen Jianqiu shrugged: "The income from the mine only accounts for a small part of my income, so I don't care too much and just let them do whatever they want."

What he said was true, but in Saber's opinion, it was too shocking.

He caught a glimpse of the two shining golden revolvers on Chen Jianqiu's waist.

Having dealt with precious metals for a long time, he could tell at a glance that this gun was made of pure gold at least on the surface and was exquisitely made.

"Mr. Chen, you really are."

Sabo's attitude became extremely respectful. He was still considering his words, but Chen Jianqiu unexpectedly continued to ask:

"Mr. Saber, you haven't said what exactly this meeting will be about."

"Oh, you said it would happen." Saber calmed down. "The association plans to put pressure on Congress to ask the government to mint silver coins again, or to re-acquire silver."

"Oh?" Chen Jianqiu put down the comic strip he was about to open and showed great interest.

"Yes, there are more and more silver mines now, and their uses are limited. The price has plummeted. If the government doesn't take action, we will all be doomed!"

Saber added.

"Clang clang clang!"

Someone rang the bell that stood across the table in front.

This means the meeting is about to begin.

Chen Jianqiu picked up the comic book again, listening to six lines and observing four frames.

"Members of the association! Dear mine owners, before today's meeting begins, I would like to invite an important guest to spread some knowledge to everyone."

The person standing in front of the stage talking was a man with a big beard.

He is president of the Western Silver Association.

However, the rough guys below were a bit disapproving.

They are not very interested in knowledge.

"I have invited the famous economist, Mr. Milton Friedman. Welcome everyone!" The president made an invitation gesture to the audience.

A middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed pince-nez glasses and a suit walked onto the stage.

His attire seemed a little out of place for the venue, and when he spoke, it was the same:

"Gentlemen, as we all know, gold and silver have always been symbols of wealth and have long been circulated as currency itself."

He took out a one-dollar bill from his pocket.

"We have now replaced them with banknotes, but this does not mean that they have been eliminated. I believe everyone here believes that currencies that cannot be redeemed into gold and silver are worthless."

Chen Jianqiu flipped through the comic strips and listened to the economist's speech.

What he said is the consensus of people in this era.

Paper money was nothing more than notes of exchange for gold and silver.

However, the economist changed the subject:

"But influenced by the elites in New York, our president, Mr. Cleveland, is extremely obsessed with the 'gold standard' system. He believes that only gold can be pegged to the U.S. dollar."

"But this idea is extremely wrong."

"It is dangerous to use only one precious metal as a standard measure of value, because once its supply and demand are affected, the fluctuations in price levels will be catastrophic."

"So, I strongly support the government returning to the bimetallic system! That is to restore the status of silver."

“We hope that the government can purchase an additional 450 million ounces of silver every month, purchase it at the pre-1873 purchase price, and pay with newly issued banknotes. At the same time, these banknotes can also be exchanged for gold or silver at the government. !”

Most of the people below basically didn’t understand Friedman’s speech.

They only understood the last sentence.

Let the government buy up their silver! It’s still a mint acquisition price that’s far higher than the market price!

So the mine owners cheered and whistled to express their support for the economists.

But Chen Jianqiu frowned while looking at the comic strip.

This is a bad idea.

450 million ounces is not a small amount.

The resulting additional currency issuance will have a considerable impact on the market.

The most critical thing is that if this news is put into the market, it will be regarded as an abandonment of the gold standard.

But people's opinions will not change so quickly.

In their view, a U.S. dollar without a gold peg would be no different than waste paper.

Therefore, when the time comes, a run will inevitably occur!

It would be a real disaster if the federal government was pressured into accepting this proposal.

However, based on Chen Jianqiu's understanding of Cleveland and the Democratic Party, they are very likely to accept it.

Democrats are so obsessed with bimetallism that they are on the opposite side of the aisle from Republicans.

Cleveland, who entered the palace for the second time, is now like the man caught between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, carefully weighing the political balance in Congress.

But his poor ability determines that he suffers from both sides, and neither side gets better.

Chen Jianqiu's expression didn't change much, but he had already closed the comic strip on his lap.

Economists have stepped down.

The president returned to the stage.

His speech was much more straightforward and concise:

"Those gold supporters in New York are collaborating with the Europeans to plunder our wealth! Because the center of gold trading is in London! And silver is the hope of the future of the United States!"

“Let the government buy our silver!”

I don't know who shouted from below.

There was a chorus of echoes in the venue, and it became noisy again. Some people even proposed cooperation with the miners. ,

This is really the second greatest miracle in labor-capital relations in this era, besides Chen Jianqiu.

“We can unite with the unions and put pressure on the government!”

"Yes, we are all exploited! We should stand with the workers!"

The faces of the silver mine owners turned red.

Not every one of them has ever been in the mines or worked as a miner, but their expressions now are as if those miners are their brothers.

Only one person behaved unusually calmly.

Chen Jianqiu stood up and put the comic strip into his pocket.

"Ah? Mr. Chen, are you leaving?" Only Sabo noticed that Chen Jianqiu was about to leave.

"Ah."

After Chen Jianqiu nodded, he turned and walked out of the venue.