State Contention—Gold as a Standard, Etc. 209 
Table of comparative prices of staple commodities in the market of 
San Francisco , Chicago, and New York, February , 1876. 
Articles. 
San Francisco. 
Chicago. 
New York. 
Price of ordi¬ 
nary quan¬ 
tity. 
Proportional 
price. 
J 
Price of ordi¬ 
nary quan¬ 
tity. 
Proportional 
price. 
Price of ordi¬ 
nary quan¬ 
tity. 
Proportional 
price. 
Ten. 
pound. 
.59 
.59 
.68 
.68 
.68 
.68 
Outs. 
bushel. 
.7750 
.7750 
.32 
.32 
.45 
.45 
Potatoes. 
.76 
1.52 
.30 
.60 
.50 
1.00 
Candles. 
pound. 
.13 
.91 
.16 
1.12 
.24 
1.68 
Coffee. 
.22 
1.10 
.22 
1.10 
.22 
1.10 
Butter. 
...do.. 
.34 
1.02 
.23 
.69 
.25 
.75 
Sugar.. 
...do.. 
.12 
1.20 
. 1175 
1.1750 
. 107 f 
1.0750 
Flour . 
.barrel 
5.77 
1.1540 
4.75 
.95 
5.25 
1.05 
Cheese. 
pound. 
.16 
1.12 
.12 
.84 
.12 
.84 
Pig-iron. 
34.00 
1.1330 
28.00 
.9330 
22.00 
.7330 
Eggs.. 
.dozen. 
.60 
1.32 
.15 
.30 
.16 
.32 
Nails. 
3.70 
.9250 
4.00 
. 1.00 
3.75 
.9620 
Haras. 
pound. 
.17 
1.02 
.1150 
.69 
.14 
.84 
Beef. 
. barrel. 
10.00 
1.00 
9.50 
.95 
12.00 
1.20 
Pork. 
20.00 
1.00 
21.50 
1.0750 
20.00 
1.00 
Pepper. 
pound. 
.15 
.90 
.20 
1.20 
.18 
1.08 
Cotton-cloth, And 
gn, vd. 
.1350 
.1450 
.1050 
.7350 
.1050 
.7350 
Prints.\ 
.0750 
1.05 
.0750 
1.05 
.0650 
.91 
Brown sheetings. 
.12 
1.08 
.0950 
.8550 
.0950 
.8550 
19.6420 
16.2630 
17.26 
Note. —More than half of the above articles are among the exports lrorn California. 
It will be seen at once by the foregoing table that our govern- 
% 
ment paper dollar has in NewYork nearly 14 per cent, more pur¬ 
chasing power than a gold dollar has in San Francisco, and that in 
Chicago it has over 20 per cent. more. This, too, when the gold 
dollar has 35 per cent, more purchasing power there now than it 
had one year ago. 
It is now tolerably evident not only that gold has a very unstable 
and fluctuating value, rendering it unfit to be regarded as a stan¬ 
dard of value, but that it is often more fluctuating and uncertain in 
its character than is our national paper currency at its worst estate. 
What I mean by its worst estate, is this: Our national currency, 
14- A 
