The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-04-21

opportunities dlsregarded, their en-
treaties ignored, and they were inso-
lently admonished to keep out of
politics." to " live closer and work
harder"
They asked for the free and unlimited
coinage of silver. Democrats In n
Alliance, and Republicans in the ALI
ance, simply asked their party friends
in Congress to redeem the pledge
which both these parties had made be-
fore the world in their platforms, and
in the most solemn manner We know
the result. At the dictation of Wall
and Lombard streets, men OF both
parties stultifed themselves and their
parties before the world and defeated
this Just measure. The people asked
that national banks be abolished and
gambling in futures be prohibited, by
issuing money direct to the people at a
cheap rate of interest and in sufficient
volume to meet the demands Of the
legitimate business of the country.
They formulated and presented a plan
by which thismight be done. Promptly
it was met with the assertion that 1.-The
government has no power under the
Constitution to loan money" and
therefore our bill was unconstitutional.
It was asserted that it was "classlegis-
lation," and that the bill was "imprac-
ticable." Glass legislation" Why,
our statutory records are crowded
with class legislation in favor of all
classes, except the agriculturists. I'm
practicableI' If true, whose duty was it
to correct it? Unconstitutional !"
If true, whose duty was it to frame a
bill that wouldb be constitutional? What
are the duties of modern congressman?
Are they to be confined continually
and forever to the manipulation of
party schemes by which to gain party
supremacy and to the neglect of the
great interests of the country? 1t is
perfectly constitutional to loan our
money to banks, corporations, expo
sitions and whiskey rings, but it is un-
constitutional to. loan it to the wealth
producers of the land. When Wall
street, through it's heartless gambling
on the brain, and Drawn, and sweat,
and muscle of honest labor, becomes
entangled in the meshes of it's own
wicked devising, it has only to look to
our Secretary of the Treasury and say:
"Help us, Cassius, or we sink" and
Immediately that official flies to it's re-
lief on electric wing and pOurs into it's
lap so, 900, 900 of the peoples gold.
Butitwould be grossly unconstitutional
to come, in response to the piteous ap-
peaIs from eight millions of panic
stricken homes all over the land, and
provide relief. 1t is perfectly consti-
t%utiOnal, in order to get $3.50, 600, 900
from the vaults to the banks, to pay
thereon $12, 900, 900 in advanced inter
est, $50, 700, 900 in premiums, and in
order to get into the pockets of the
people to charge an additional 10 per
cent. of $751; 900, 900. Perfectly consti-
tutional to pay to spectators and
m~onopolists $50, OOO, 900 in premiums
and interest, to put $3.50, OOO, 900 in cir
culation, but it would be shamefully
unconstitutional to adopt our plan of a
direct issue to the people of this $3.50,
900, 900 at 2 per cent, at a cost of only
So, 600, 900, and which would go into
our treasury to diminish taxation from
other sources and thus save in the one
transaction the sum of $57, 100, 600.
But no bill could be framed that would
not be rejected by politicians as Uncon-
stitutional if it provided for an ade-
quate amount of circulation at a low
rate of interest. Money must not be
issued to the people at a cheap rate, as
that would always be "unconstitu-
tional," and therein lies the objection
to the Sub-Treasury plan with poll
ticians.
On questions of finance, on legisla.
ton for the relief of the people, there
is a higher court in this country than
ever our supreme judiciary. 1t sits
enthroned in Wall street, reveling in
the strength of its iH-gotten power, and
levies tribute at will on the industrial
energies of the people.
In the coming contest between labor
and capital, FINANCIAL REFORM must
and will be the slogan and rallying cry
of the people. They want gold robbed
of it's power to Cypress. They demand
that silver shall be restored to all the
rights in coinage and to all the qualities
of legal tender which gold possesses.
They demand that the circulating
medium of the country shall be issued