The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-07-03
THE ALLIANCE.
DIR. Fish and Gen. Baker EXer-
else their El0quence BE.
fore the Farmers.
The Purchase OF Binding Irvine Ar
ranged For-The Resolutions.

ternoon, including members OF the
Farmers Alliance and Knights Of La
bor The afternoon was mainly oc-
cupied with speech-making, though
some business was transacted after
wards.
The credentials committee recon-
commended that the representatives
of labor organizations be admitted
without credentials. The report was
accepted.
The members Of alliances of other
counties were also admitted, as well
as all farmers alliance men and mem
berS of labor organizations.
Other delegates came in after the
report. as follows: S. May, Decoria:
J. T. May, Bunker Hill alliance.
Secretary F. NJ. Currier read the
minutes of the last meeting.
DR.. Fish was called upon for
speech. and came forward and was
introduced. He said that the great
fort which you are to capture in the
future is the finance question. Yet
there are other issues, of which the
wheat and transportation questions
are of more than usual local interest
to you. Then there is the land ques-
tiOn. There are 100000 evicLed farm
erS, and the bleaching bones of those
who Tell on the Des Moines, and the
children of those who have been tilch-
ed Of their lands by the railroad mo-
nOpOlieS. and are left to wander home
less orphans appealing for a change
Of the laws. There are 225,000. 600
acres which are a bed of roses to rail-
roads and bed of thOrnS to you. You
know, we Farmers Alliance people
are set Of cranks, who feed on lot
Of shin-plaSter money faiacieS! But
luckily we are not all politicians. My
mechanic lives better than you do.
You are supporting me and millions
Of others as well: some better than
you support me. If | am crank, ]
am not ignorant of commercial do
lngs. When young l managed the
commercial page Of an immense daily
paper, and bought and sold the entire
wheat product of these three states
IN Week-On paper-When | didn't
know a wheat kernel from a green
squash. The great cry raised by our
critics is that of flat money" What
is fat money? The only fat money
l know Of is the national hank bill,
back of which is no property and
which does not promise redemption
in gold. 1t is not legal payment of
debt. You eyicted farmer, with the
tears yet wet on your cheeks and
those of your fair wife, go up to your
magnificent court house, built by
bonded debt upon YOUR shoulders, and
offer this money to the sheriff to pay
your debt and he can refuse it. A
bond is but the wind that blows across
the free and open prairies. The ma
tiOnal bank law is so defective that
the bank cannot rest its credit on re-
al estate The national bank curren-
cy is really issued by Shylock himself,
and brings interest back with it when
it goes to fill the hole made by its is
Suance. These plutOcratS make their
riches out of you, who must fill that
hole. As everybody must pay back
more than he receives, and if all
debts were paid, the last to pay would
not have solitary dollar with which
TO pay, even if 81 200, 100000 were is
sued in currency. When they tell
you that fiat money ruined the Ar
gentine Republic, tell them that it
was the national bank bills that did
it. They had TO keep issuing bills to
keep up the interest. The issue Of
national bank currency is so degraded
in the eyes of all plutocratS that it is
not legal tender. The national gov
eminent says that the greenbackS
shall be good to pay debts between
men and men, but not for the men to
pay their debts to the government.
The government has issued three
kinds Of fat money-greenbacks
treasury notes Ito pay all debts and
they were always at premium), and
silver or gold certificates. Nine men
out Of ten prefer silver to gold, yet
the secretary of the treasury said but
yesterday that silver coinage had been
stopped. because he could not get
rid of it. The greenbacks are saw
dust, rag-baby, fiat, and the pluto
Gratis have grown rich through it..
The speaker denied that it is not prof
liable to issue currency. The Chemi-
cal National Bank, of New York, has
a capital Of 100000, and each 500 of
its stock is worth $3.50 It's surplus
of profits is Sc, 100000. The deposits
are S26. 100000 There is hundreds of
millions of dollars in New York and
Philadelphia waiting for chance for
investment. Talk of farmers driving
capital out of the State, when Silken
clothed ladies are actually starving
in the East because they cannot loan
their money, If | do not speak the
absolute truth, may God palsy my
tongue and paralyze my arm. Ii the
government wished, it could issue
currency upon its public buildings:
for instance, upon its 81. 100000 build
ing at St. Paul it could issue $500. 000
1t could as well issue upon the secu-
rity of real estate. Seven times in
the history Of the world this has been
tried with success.
The speaker next attempted to re-
flute the generally accepted idea that
gold is the standard money value.
Then he went back to Babylon, Rome.
Alexandria and other ancient cities
to show that the degradation OF
public conscience has existed since the
time sof Adam. You farmers must
look to it that a Calicula's horse is
not elected to the presidency. He
then took up the immigration Ques-
ton. In all the great waves of emil
grafton. the rich have soon owned the
incoming boards. You must watch
your interests, laboring men. You
l,o ,,f in.