The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-10-16
TWO GREAT DEMANDS.
ABOLISH NATIONAL BANKS AND GIVE
US FREE SILVER.

Some Facts Which Show the Justice Of
These P1anks in the Alliance Platform.
Time to BE Up and Doing.
copyright, 1891, by Reform Press News Assoc
citation, New York;
Two specific demands Of the Alliance
are:
The abolition Of national banks.
The free and unlimited coinage of sill
yer.
The Alliance lays as much stress on
these demands as on any other, but the
first named above shrinks from open dis.
cussion in some way, and efforts are
made by the plutocratic press to obscure
it altogether by making a terrific on.
slaught on some other Alliance demands
the subtreasury plan, for instance,
which the plutocratic papers fail to
state is designed to take the place of the
national banking system.
Y Il y
The national banks are like the scrip
tural "fre that is not quenched." 1t
seems they can lever get enough. They
already have privileges that ought to
satisfy the most rapacious gang Of rob.
bers or the most exacting and despotic
monarch. They can deposit $500, 900
worth of bonds with the government
and continue to draw interest on them.
They a issue 100000 of currency on
these bonds, which they can lend at 8
per cent. perhaps more. But If it be
8per cent, they can realize $1,000 per
uoor IN fhio o1,,~,.a,,n1y All 4o %L;o 4l,o
$4,000 per year they receive on their
bonds, and it appears that they get
81 200 per year for the bonds they have
deposited with the government.
\ \ \ \
A bank ~depositing these bonds and is
suing the 500, 900 in currency is charged
only 1 per cent. per year by the govern
ment, or in other words, is charged 5000
per year for the use Of 500, 900. Besides
all this, many of the s'favorite" banks
(Which are usually banks in which some
government otficia lisinterested)ar e given
the use of fabulous sums of government
money for nothing. At one time these
banks held $50, 600, 900 Of government
money which they loaned out to the peo-
pie at stiff rates Of interest, but they did
not pay the government one cent for the
use of this money. These banks have
about fifteen millions of the gov
ernent's money today for which they
are paying nothing, but which they are
lending out and getting interest on.
Now, in the name of justice and rea-
son, ought not~all these especial priv
ileges' satisfy the banks? Well, they
are not satisfied. They seem to want
the earth. Isn't the charge of 5000 per
year small enough for the use of 800, 900
per year? Any reasonable person would
think so, but the rapacity Of the banks
SO completely blinds them that they
can't see it. They don't want to pay
that 5000. They say it is an unconst1tu-
tional tax, and they are going to law
about it, and if the future may be judged
by the past they will win the case.
X n X X
The ground on which the suit is
brought is that the portion Of the bank
ing act charging the / per cent. origi-
mated in the senate. The banks claim
that this tax is levied for The purpose of
raising revenue, and that it is %unconsti-
tutional because the act provides 'sthat
bills for raising revenue shall originate
in the house OF representatives. and
since this charge OF l per cent. originated
in the senate, it is unconstitutional.
Y X
Now, farmers, producers, w~orkingmen
everywhere; you whose brawny arms
and unceasing toll give value to the
bonds which are used by the banks (for
without you the bonds wouldn't be
worth sewer gas, what do you think of
this latest capcr of the money power?
Are you going 10 stand idly and ~listless-
ly by an&.et this power set such control
of you and your public institutions that
it can V be broken? Are You going
to permit the opportunities for robbery
and eXtortion to increase around you?
Do you mean anything by the demand
that the present banking system be abol-
isbed? Can you go to the government
and get the use Of money for nothing or
for I per cent? Wake up, men! Look
around and about you. Read! Think!
Talk! Educate yourself and your neigh
Dor. Forces are being aligned now for q
great struggle against white slavery in
the near future. Are you ready for the
fray? Are you a noble freeman or a con-
Continued on Fourth Fdys.)