People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-10-07

have already shown you what Jetter-
son said about State banks. 1t can
not be made a legal tender. 1t
won't pay your tax Fl. fas. 1t will
not pay your grocery bills. 1t is
nothing but due bill, and you will
have to pay eight per cent for the
privilege of using a due bill that
dies the moment it crosses the State
line. Having sold your cotton, your
wheat, your corn, your horses or
mules, and receive this kind of cur
rency in payment, the very first man
you meet has a perfect right to say,
''This is not legal tender, sir, | will
not take it," On the other hand,
under the plan proposed by the Peo-
pies party, money issued on your
land, on your cotton, on your corn
or your wheat, would have the
strength Of forty-four States behind
every dollar. Why should not your
products, deposited with proper GER
titicates, be as good collateral as the
bonds of the national bankers 3?
Voices. Yes, and we will get it,
too; hurrah for Watson. Counter
cries of derision and contempt.
Mr.. Watson. They ask, GLOW
is the laboring man to get this
money? 1t always gives me pleas
ure to answer this or any other fair
question. At the present day you
find it exceedingly difficult to get
money for work or anything else.
Why? Because they have not got
the money. They cannot get sup
plies from the store without paying
a ruinous rate of interest. Why !?
The national bankers have got it all.
Mr.. Cleveland pledged himself that
even the $346,0OO,OO0 going on its
mission of mercy in exchange for
labor and labor's products shall be
burned up and substituted by ma
tional bank currency. These green
backs go to the people without in
terest; the national bank notes will
be issued to you at eight per cent.
Do you see the point?
At this point the applause and
enthusiasm of the Peoples party
men got to fever heat, and there was
corresponding irritation on the other
side. The Democrats on the stand,
and one of them a very prominent
speaker, openly showed acquiescence
and admiration.
Mr.. Watson. Now, is it not true
that you farmers are land poor ?
You have more land than you can
use. It lies out in the fields, fur
rowed and running to decay. You
cannot get money to work it as you
desire. You are cramped in getting
supplies for your leasers for want OF
cash. We propose what? That the
man who owns that land has the
privilege of borrowing money on
that land. The same privilege &C
corded the bondholder or the whisky
man. Thus he will be enabled to
hire and have better control of his
labor. There is no music so sweet
to the laborer as the jingle of the
silver dollars on Saturday night as
he returns to his loved ones.
A colored man. That's SO, boss.
(Cheering.)
Mr.. Watson. We all know that
when there is a good deal of money
in a community we all stand chance
of getting little of it.
Voices. That is the Gods truth.
(Applause,)
Mr.. Watson. We say to the
farmer, cotton is valuable product.
Cotton has value around the world.
We will give you money on equal
terms with the bond holder. equal
rights to alp has been our cry for
four years and it is mine to-day.
(Cheering.)
Under our land loan plank, how
would that work. You buy thirty
or forty acres. You borrow money
at two per cent and improve that on,
say, $500. You go to work, and in
stead of having no interest in it you
begin to love the land. You plow
and cross pillow, gullies are filled up,
flowers bloom about your door, you
and yours will be more happy, more
oontented and better Peoples Party
men. Now, instead of paying a
thousand pounds Of cotton in rent he
pays So interest and he is soon free
from even that little tax. applause
and sneering.)
A voice. How will the laboring
man get it?
Mr.. Watson. How will laboring
man get it? Why, he will work for
it like man. When there is no
money in the country, where or how
will anyone get it? How does the
laboring man get it now? How can
anyone get blood out of a turnip ?
Iaughter.) When the land owner
gets some of that money withou t
getting 1t second hand and paying
usurious interest On it, and thus puts
more money in the community, he
is better able to pay the laboring
man. When the tenant makes his
cotton he gets better prices. Why?
Because there is more money in the
community.
a voice. You know better than