The Labor enquirer., 1886-01-30
INTEREST ON MONEY.
1t Is the Robber OF Labor in All Coun.
tries, and VIII Be Until Socialism
is Established.

For the ENQUIRER. -
Among all the curses which afiict 80
ciety, and naturally growing out of our
class divisions into rich and poor. is in.
terest on money. A man who carries
on business may give as an excuse for
hislarge profits that he renders personal
service, makes good all deteriorations
and losses, and keeps the business in
activity. But the money-lender is an
undisguised robber, Welding no personal
service, making good no losses, but ever
lastingly sucking his victim.
Many wage workers are apt to con-
slider that interest on money is of little
moment to them, as they have no chance
to borrow, and therefore paw no interest.
1t is a great delusion. Labor pays every
dollar of interest that the usurer ollects,
and his fangs are everywhere-on the
farm, the homestead the factory; the
railroad and every business enterprise
that is struggling for existence. And
the mortgage, by which the usurer gets
back all that he lent, with interest, and
the farm or homestead into the bargain,
is the most atroclous instrument of
torture and robbery that the ingenuity
of rascality ever invented.
Most businesses are more or less in
debt constantly, aud there is an annual
outgo for interest, that must come out of
reduced wages or added profits. In
whatever shape it comes, the man who
WORKS has to pay it all. 1t falls from
one mans shoulders to another until it
finally falls on the serf. and he is happy
to think that, among his other burdens,
he at least escapes paying interest.
State, county, township and municipal
debts are constantly piling up by mil
lions, and what is lent to these bor-
rowers p The "money Of the world"
gold ? No, not a dollar Nothing is
lent but the "shinplasters" of the banks,
which they get from government at cost,
and then lend at interest to the business
man an manufacturer, to whom the gov
ernment furnishes no such facilities. F.
Our whole banking system is fraud,
aud a robbery of the community, and
always has been. The bankers have
always professed to lend money" but
they never lent anything but promise
to pay" money. 1t is amazing that any
government ever tolerated these banks,
after it had discovered that its own
credit and currency was better than
that of the banks. And this nation for
years was feeced out of hundreds of mil
lions by state banks, that were always
breaking, and much of the stealings
thereby secured have probably been in
vested in national banks, for lending
shinplasters has been too profitable to
be given up. e. s'@r.'.. .-
The feeble protest that comes up
against the national banks comes from
others than business men and manufac-
turers. They dare not attack the banks,
and strike at the money lender. and so
long as they can shift the interest on
other shoulders they will be dumb ,
A thousand millions q year would be,
low computation for the grabs of the
money lender. Every dollar that circu-
lates has been q loan to somebody, and
bears interest. And interest Is at once
relet at other interest, growing by what
| it feeds on, and compelling people to
borrow in proportion as they are i'm
poyerished. g h grtF
But interest cannot be abolished until
class distinctions disappear, and society
becomes homogeneous whole, with q
government that belongs to all and aids
all We have nothing but upper class
governments, state and national. and
they are all filled with the delusion that
helping the upper" class is benefit to
the ':lower" one. Bring labor and cap
ital into partnership and the money
lender will disappear, J. +. BRAY.
Pontiac, Michigan.