The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-09-19
THE NATIONAL BANKS.
Otto Anderson Explains.why the Nstional
Bank Is Curse to the People.

try aS their llGCle lambs. Ihey nave us
fenced in, in pasture called party. The
fence consists OF preiudices, with the
tariff, bloody shirt, sectional hate and
religious bigotry as scare-crows. You
will say the fence iseasily broken through
So it would seem, but before every elec-
ton we are petted, coaxed, duped, drove
and whipped around to bewilder and
confuse US. Trained dogs are turned in
among us to circle around and see to it
that no old buck makes break for the
fence. We are told that the new shep-
herd, selected for us by our masters, will
lead US to new patches Of weeds and
thistles where we win surely thrive if we
only remain contented and stay where
we are. Expensive sheds are erected for
ourpro lection, which. at distance, look
very snug and comfortable. There is
one fact, however, which is very care
fully concealed from the little lambs, and
that is that whenever their heeces are
worth shearing, they are regularly shorn.
Habit becomes second nature. The
lambs get SO used to having their feeces
taken away from them that they don't
seem to mind, but industriously 90 to
picking up what their masters horses have
left in the already too scanty pasture.
But the winter sets in. Fierce winds OF
adversely chill us to the marrow. We
seek protection in the expensive sheds,
but find upon closer investigation they
| are a mirage, a delusion and a snare.
There are holes in every nook and cor
ner large enough for the wolves to enter
and carry away all the increase.
In huddling together for warmth and
shelter from the bitter winds, we find
that not alone are our feeces gone, but
there are large bare spots all over us
where the wool has been torn out by
the roots. The older and wiser sheep
come to the conclusion that the masters
being too avaricious to feed the dogs,
turned them in among the sheep to help
themselves. This being too much, even
for the meek submissiveness ofsheep, the
old bucks made break for the fence
Neither fences, scare-crows. dogs Or
masters were Of any avail. Sheeplike,
the whole flock followed, and we are now
bound for 81 political field where the grass
is growing in great abundance and which
is our heritage.
AS we go along the lane which divides
the old political pastures, the old demo-
cratic rooster struts along, growing
about the fine things which will be ours
if we only come inside his fence Pay nc
attention to him. We can do our own
| Growing. And on the other side is the
poor old republican hen, elucking fran.
tically for us to come back under her
protective wing. Pay no attention to
her. She has long ago ceased to scratch
for you. She has sat on the same dung
hill so long that you have become stun.
ted. The only thing about you that has
grown for everso long is your bills. Leave
her. She is full OF vermin. Like the
children OF Isreal in their wanderings in
the desert, we have certain marks to go
by in order to reach our destination.
We call it a platform or declaration OF
principles, which, if followed, will surely
lead us to the land OF plenty.
First, we demand currency, etc. Now,
I don't pretend to be a fnancier. but as
we hay e no right to distrust the present
order ofthings without tsubstitut ting sonse-
thing better, I'll present my plan for
your consideration. In the first place,
what is money? 1t is commodity. a
medium of exchange; but it is no prime
necessity, like goods clothing, houses, etc.,
having no intrinsic value. What
makes it SO essential in our daily life?
simply the government stamp on it, Sc
curing it's payment on demand and its
legal tender qualities for all debts, public
and private.
Under our present system, the only
way to secure any legal tender, without
exchange for actual wealth, is either to
perform services for our government, or
borrow it from the banks. Now we can
not all work for the government, and
causes over which we have no control
prevent us from producing enough
wealth to exchange for circulating me-
diums with which to liquidate our obli-
cations. Our only resource is to borrow
or draw on the future. We 60 to those
who deal in circulating medium and give
an Internal mortgage, accompanied by
blood-sucking interest bearing note.
What do we egetin return? Weget tpromi-
sorry notes issued by our national banks,
perhaps from all parts of our great
country. Secured by what? By real
wealth? by goods, clothing or houses? Oh,
no! They are secured by bonds-by evi-
dences OF debt. That is not good Sc
curity, you will say. What makes it,
then, what some claim the best system
on earth? The faith the people have in
the stability Of ourgovernment, thefaith
In the guaranty OF payments which our
government stamps on these pieces OF
paper.
If it was not for the faith the people
have in themselves, ia their skill, in
dustry and their great natural resources
those pieces OF paper, secured by no
real wealth or necessity, would not be
worth the labor OF printing.
| We demand the abolishment of the
national banks and that the govern.
ment issue money direct to the produc.
tive industries. But, you ask, how is
that to be done? Why would it not be
a good plan to have a United States
sub-treasury in every county in the
union, that such treasury should issue
currency to the people Of, say Penning
ton county, taking therefor either wealth
or real estate in security, making sucf
treasury notes legal tender for all debts
public or private? Now, would ash
any candid man if a treasury note Sc
cured by Pennington county real estat,
or by wheat or other wealth produced