Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-04-15
THE MONEY QUESTION.

First, are we not pledged to cause to
be enacted such laws as will give to
each and every citizen equal rights
Are we not pledged to give special
privileges to none? Then, l ask why
should we set forth to deYise such gi-
gantic class legislation Oh top of the
great curse we already have as to des-
troy the entire freedom of our land?
My brethren, l look at this matter
different from the way you seem to do;
can't help but look at it as | did al
the national banking act, some % years
ago. 1t was giving a certain class of
private citizens full control of our cir
culating medium, and although l was
laughed at, we find in 1890 such to be
the case. We find they have it under
full control. They can use the people
as they see fit.
| will endeavor to explain as briefly
as possible, not wishing to take up too
much space. Now we will suppose we
are to-day working under that plan. and
in each county we have a Sub-treasury
and warehouse. Our land in Kansas
is not as high-priced as our neighbors'
farther east, yet it will produce just as
much grain, and IN some localities
more. Say we could borrow $500 per
acre on our land; or, in other words.
replace the loans which are already on
most of it. That pays off the mortgage
loan, and places that much of circu-
latlng medium at two per cent. We
have our chattel and other Indebtedness
that we cant meet until the crops come
IN. A owes 81 900 and he raises 1,500
bushels Of wheat. 1t is worth rs cents
per bushel; he has his seed and bread
to save, which we will say is 80 bushels.
T. Dfh
and pay off his chattels. He goes to
his creditors and gets stay by paying
One-half. BY doing this he can place
his whole crop, minus his seed and
bread, and take it out of the market.
BY doing this he advances the price I'M
til it pays his entire debt. Who BUYS
this grain? He can't purchase it, for
his money has to go TO satisfy past in
debtedness. Then the man who has
had his interest cut down, takes it, does
he not, and he must have a profit.
Why? Because his money no longer
Yields him one. Then we will say that
brings our wheat to one dollar, and we
are now handling cheaper money.
Well, 81 gives us another good crop,
and have only two per cent. on my
loan to pay. / will deposit this crop.
and perhaps l can realize $1.50 per
bushel out of it, which will pay my loan.
and set me over the fence. By the other
crop, mostly in the hands of specula
tors, it enables him to do it. Then he
says: IF l get crop another year |
will take in that piece of land adjoining
me; don't care if it has advanced $40
per acre; it will keep on advancing. ]
can put the money to no use that it will
bring me so large an income" So says
= IL nd inf
of 10 years your once free land of
America becomes a land of landlords
and tenantry, because we are the great
est bread and meat producing people on
the globe, and to hold our surplus from
consumption for two years. to say moth
ing of the profit that would be gained
on our own consumption. would be
much greater than the ordinary think
er Woulu suppose. 1t would be fair TO
presume that, were we an honest peO-
PIE, and would not take advantage OF
SUCH All act, and would use this sub
treasury only DIS dire necessity, then
would say, let US have 1t, for IL would
De great benefit, as IL would keep a
good supply or food constantly on hand
III case VI urOuIh or shortage in crops;
and see no way w remedy that, only
W place liked price on all the products,
aud That Would set up d bigger howl
than what the national banks and
spectators are doing to-day. Were ii
the nature OF man To be fair and honest,
then you could assume class legislation
without fear. But, as individuals, we
are all dishonest, and you can plainly
see Ill our every day affairs men con-
niving some way by which they can get
around the law. l don't think it was
the intention OF the first trainers of the
national banking law that 1t should be-
come such fraud as it is, but from
that act they passed the Refundlng act,
and the demonstration OF silver, so it
would give them more power to enrich
a few and impoYerlsh the many, so
much 80 that you can plainly see that
they control our elections and our leglS-
lation. Then we haye another kind of
class legislation which Is tax placed
upon the masses of our people, and is
termed protection, which has worked
TO perfection, SO much so that they say
to you, 'tiller of the soil, you can haye
this article for so much, and l will give
you so much for your product. )"
"Well, you say, Il can't live at such a
difference" Well you may say so, be-
cause the one is protected, SO as to eX-
act his per cent, and the other is not.
So it becomes compulsory act with
him to pay it. Readers, have you look
ed up the definition of class legislation?
Let me advance you the definition: 1t
Is Capitalization" 1t means great
wealth and luxuries to few, and labor,
starvation and degradation to the great
est numbers. In other words, it makes
it a disgrace to labor, to earn your bread
by the sweat Of the brow.
| cite you to the class legislation we
have at present for an illustration OF
how the sub-treasury plan would work.
Within ten years the land would all be
owned by few of our wealthy lords,
and they would exact such rents that
the tenants could never become any
thing but serfs. After they would be
come the owners of all the soil, they
would undoubtedly change tactics, and
exact their rent IN money, place your
products on the markets of the world
again, as they have you on the none
tary system. They place the price on
the articles you have to sell. BY cut
ting short your money, the ruling me-
dunn of exchange. of course reduces the
value of all other products, and places
the tiller of the soil in position where
he must borrow at extortionate rates of
interest to meet the deficiency which
his crop failed to do. l think this a
very deep question, and one that needs
deep and investigating thought. Ideem,
in this matter, as in all others. ''honesty
the best policy" Above all things
stick close to that great, grand and
glorious declaration and principles:
Equal rights to all; special privileges
to none''-and to do that we must do
away with all class legislation.
My plan of quick and just relief to
the people would be to pass stay law
tor a term of not less than two, nor
more than three years throughout our
entire land. That would give each and
every creditor a chance to get his mon
ey, as it would give the debtor chance
to meet his obligations. AS it now
stands, the man who is secuEed by
mortgage gets his, and the outside cred
ltor loses his; whereas, if we had stay
placed on the indebtedness, the outside
creditor the one who is not secured