The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-12

OF commerce not surpassed by that OF any Euro
pean nation" Our law makers who, if ignor-
ant oil these things, ought to be in some other
Imprisoned for deceiving the people in the in
terest of extortioners and thieves, are silent as
regards history. The usurer spurns open dis
cussion. Mammon usually wins by still hunt.
The church, the press and the colleges, to n
great extent, are subsidized and controlled by
the money power, working in the dark. Our
nation is over a hundred years old, and yet the
people have never known the chief cause OF the
Revolutionary war, simply because the real facts
have been carefully kept in the background.
All our textbooks Jeacn us that the stamp act
tax on tea and taxation without representation
We're the exciting and fundamental reasons for
the colonial ill feeling against the mother coun-
try which finally eliminated in the Declaration
OF Independence and the Revolution. Neverthe-
less 1t is fact in history that the American
colony were goaded to rebellion by poverty and
dispair brought on through English interior
ence and despotism touching the currency ques-
ton.
Listen! Hear what Ben Franklin said, when,
In l776 before committee of the whole house
per OF America toward Great Britain before
1773?" He answered: "The best in the world.
They submitted willingly to the government OF
the crown and all their courts paid obedience to
acts OF parliament Numerous as the people
are IN the several old provinces they cost you
nothing aa in forts eitadels and garrispns or ar,
governed by this country at the expense only OF
a little ink and paper. They were led by a
lhIedu Iney ndQ not only REGARD, out dIisC-
ton for Great Britain, Tor its laws and customs,
us manners, and even fondness Tor Its lash
ions that greatly increased its commerce. Ma
ives OF Great Britain were always treated with
particular regard, and to be an old England
man was of itself a character OF some respect
and gave kind of rank among US.
Remember, up to 1773-the period mentioned
by Franklin-the colonies had a monetary sys-
TEN OF their own under which they had pros
pered without interruption. Edmund Burke
said: Nothing in the history of the world is
David Hume, the Scotch historian, in a letter
TO the French communist, Andre MoIeilet,
written the last year of his life, described this
system as follows:
sin our colony of Pennsylvania the land
itself, which is the chief commodity, Is
coined and passes into circulation. planter
Immediately purchasing land can go
into public Office and receive notes to the
amount OF half the value of his land, which he
employs In all payments, and they circulate
through the colony by convention. To prevent
the public being overwhelmed by this representa-
tive money there are two means employed: first,
the notes issued to any one planter must not ex-
coed certain amount, whatever may be the
value OF the land; second, every planter 10
obliged to pay back into the public office every
year one-tenth of his notes. The whole is, OF
course annihilated in ten years, after which 1T
IS again allowed him to take out notes TO hall
the value of his land
In this way a poor man could take up land
and develop it without becoming prey to
usurers.
How different from the present ''best financial
system-for money sharks-tbe sun ever shone
upon"
But this did not suit British usurers. They
knew then as the vendors OF the "HaZard Secret
Circular did during our late civil war, that
"they who control the currency can control
labor" and virtually dictate terms to the rest
OF mankind. England has always bed her
colonies to feed her lazy and extrayagant
NOBILITY In l7l3 she prohibited the issue OF
Hume says in the letter previously quoted:
'.The British government took away from
America its representative money, commanded
that they should cease to be
legal tender and collected the taxes in silver.
Now, mark the consequences. This contraction
OF the circulating medium paralyzed all the in
dustrial energies of the people. ruin seized upon
these once fiourishing colonies, the most severe
distress was brought home to every interest and
every family, discomfort was urged on to des-
peratlon till at last human nature arose and as
serted its rights. In 1775 the American congress
hrst met in Philadelphia In l776 America be-
came al independent state"
Remember this is not fiction, invented by
"ienatical agitators," but cold history, whose
grim lessons come to us with een-iod force in
tne ught OF our present experience under aeon
dltlon projected upon us without valid reason
or excuse-a condition whose chief sponsor was
that arch traitor John Sherman, whose treason
exceeds that OF Judas Iscariot-fOr Judas re-
turned his price and hanged himself out OF re-
morse, while sherman started national bank
with his, and lived to be an unrepentant
millionaire, United states senator, and standing
candidate for the presidency of the country he
had betrayed and burdened with needless debt.
And the end is not yet venture the predic-
uon-end don't forget it-that John sherman
will not again disgrace the Senate, and further
more, that if he lives ten years longer he will
be Inundated and universally despised and
hated man. Roscoe Conkling-one of the few
men OF the corrupt era who, according
to even his bitterest opponent, George
W; Curtis, 'was absolutely unapproaeh-
able by money'-retired from the Senate
a poor man, aud he never had the name of be-
ing at ali extravaganza John Sherman was not
worth $4,000 when in 1867, in debate In con-
gress, he boldly proclaimed in the teeth OF the
usurers that ANY man who bought bond OF
the government and not willing TO take
his pay IN the same money that he gaye-green-
backS-was an extortioner and y robber." Amen.
When sherman uttered that truth he Yves known
as ''honest John" In 1869 he was the author of
the 'credit Strengthening act" which made
every bond payable in gold.
The result was that, on q salary of 5000
year, his fortune. in little over twenty years,
increased from $4,000 to sl00oo,090-a million
for every thousand. How did he multiply
thousands into millions? And yet Sherman is
now posing for reelection TO the Senate, and is
periodical and chronic candidate for presi-
dent in the face of this record, that most de-
bauched and constituencies or all our party
organs. the New York Tribune, saws: s'Mr.
SherIaan's character has been spotless. Even
by the silver men he has not been accused of
enrlchIng himself through the financial policy
he deemed best for the country" OF course, If
the Tribune refers TO the Financial policy he
deemed best for the country in 1867, we agree
with the proposition. 1t was through the d.
rectly opposite one that he advocated and car
red into effect two years later that the .senrich-
ing was accom- plfshed.
The Cai-ens Alliance, published in Washington
City, gnihcantIy says: "This il the same New
York Tribune that few years ago said thar they
(the national banksl had the'machinery that they
could bring il 10 bear on congress in twenty
four hours SO as TO compel congress to do their
bidding. Was not this machinery brought to
bear upon John that mode him so rich in thirty
years OF pubic lifegn
Verify they all have their reward, but the final