The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-29

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admitted that every dollar obtained by the peo.
pie by way of issuing legal tender should b
distributed to all people, share and share alike
At this stage of our argument il Is well for us IA
bear two cardinal principles in mind. First.
All the people went security for the colla,
second-That the money was not raised for thu
purpose of conducting q war o. supressinv
revolution; 10 check disease or relieve extrema
suffering: all of which would be beneficial TO Al,
people alike, but the money was raised for IN,
sole purpose of increasing the crcula,ipc
medium and thus enabling the people TO obtain
commodity tmoneyl at a low rate of interest
1t therefore follows that the contentious herein
made that all people should have a ike opnor.
tunity to obtain money from the government Al
q low rate OF interest is right and Just
This brings us to the point OF distribution.
The Omaha platform demands q "iust, eoui,.
BILE and sufficient distribution to the people on
. tax not to exceed per cent per annum TO n,
provided as set forth in the sub-tgeasury plan OF
the Farmers Alliance or a better system" Tia
sub-treasury plan means the loaning OF money
to the farmer by the government at per cent
interest, on his non -perishable products in
order to enable him to hold his products un,ip
such time that he may obtain what he con,
siders fair price for them. The better system
means the loauing to the farmer of money hv
the government at the same rate of interest an !
to loan money to the farmer on his products
for land has value only in so far as Ii can pro
duce. So far, so good. But next comes TIA
laborer and says to the government al, too
went security for the legal tender that you have
issued /, too, want a loan from you" But thu
government will say to the laborer, "What se.
curity have you to offer for the moneyY, tn
this the laborer win reply, Product I am
healthy physically and mentally / can pro-
duce at the lowest calculation, allowing for re.
ligious and secular holidays, and enforced idle.
ness owing to climatic and economic condl.
lions, $50 days labor annually. Figuring al q
low average wage of 81 80 per day, have pro.
ductive valuation of SOS per aunum. want
loan of 50 per cent OF my product" But, SAYS
the government, "Supposing you will NOT
work." To this the laborer replies by asking OF I
the government like question:: "Suppossns
the farmer won producer" Again the govern.
ment asks of the laborer, "What do you want
money fors' "Why," answers the laborer ITO
speculate. If have got money I can wait I'm.
I'll get such price for my labor a. in my
Judgment is just But IL have not must
work for such a price as that great tyrant, capi.
tai, Dictates" Thus we find the laborer having .
the same claim to the borrowing of money from
the government rs has the farmer.
But General Weaver will say ''good and we'll ("
ave have no objection to the laborer obtaining /
loan from the government You cannot accuse |
our platform every ismf Have we not promised
to cure every evil?" Thus we find the farmer
and laborer provided for with plenty of money
to maintain his independence. Next comes the
mechanic. He says to the governments: "My
claim is much stronger than either the farm.
er's or the laborer's You loan the farmer
money upon land that you gave him. You loau
money TO the laborer upon muscles that nature
gave him. want you to loan me money upon
skill that acquired after patiently submitting !
for five long years to all the deprivations and
humiliations of an apprentice. My productive
value Ii greater than that OF the laborer ]. too,
wish to be placed in a position where capital
cannot dictate to me the terms for which shall
sell my skill submit, I have as much right,
IT not more. TO government loan than either
the farmer or the laborer."N
And we, too, must submit that in comparison
to the farmer and laborer the claim OF the me. F.
chanic Is the strongest But the professional |
man comes next, and he exclaims: ~ have NOT |
only muscles, years OF hard study and patient |
toll to offer as security, but also actual money
that invested in obtaining my education.
have books and instruments. l have e. much |
need for money as any OF those mentioned. |,
too, wish to be independent Please, Mr. Gov.
eminent, give your press another few turns, %
that and my fellow professionals may obtain |
OF legal tender" IL would be folly to continue |
aud enumerate the various persons that would |
have equally as strong . claim upon the gov
eminent for money as has the farmer Nor can
the widest Imagination tell US to what extent .
such system of paternalism would lead. SUI.
foe it to say shat calm consideration must con.
vince every true Peoples party adhersnt that |
the sub-treasusy scheme or any other mode Of
government loaning money to the citizen would |
inevitably lead society into chaotic state from
which it would take centuries to extricate ITSELF
1t might, however, be said to me-and with
reasonit 10 easy to tear down, but 1t Ia hard to
build up. 1t 10 all we'll enough for you to show
that the remedy that We suggest 10 inefficient
but since you admit that grievance exists |
some other remedy is certainly necessary. Whas
do you propose? propose to you, my earnest |
but much-deceived Peoples party friend. the |
most simple remedy ever devised by men,
remedy that Is not new and untried, but q
remedy that has been adopted by fully one-f!th |
of the people of the United States and BY many
people Of other countries after centuries OF ex.
perience, and that is: keep your organization
out of politics."
am perfectly aware that this remedy will mot
suggest itself very favorably to him who ID in
your ranks for the purpose of getting ONCE or to
him who Is there for the prime object of making
money, nor TO him who is in your midst today
taking the most active part in your proceedings
and only biding the opportune moment to
throw bombshell in your midst and sell you
out, make the politician believe that be can
turn you over to either one party or the other
like band of sheep. To all of those my remedy
will DO repulsive. Nor do believe that anyone
gifted with eyes that see, ears that hear and
brains that think will deny that you have such
black sheep In your ranks, and plenty OF them
at that. But to you, the ones to whom l an
principally addressing myself, you who are IN
the ranks OF the Peoples party with the sole Oh.
ject OF improving existing conditions. say. b
guided by the experience of the trades unionfst
See how many beneficial laws he has acquired
in the last few years without plungng into
politics
My advice to you is: Hold your farmers and
industrial alliance together. First ascertain
what 10 ailing you, or, better still. whether you
are ailing at ALL II 10 more than likely that
many Of your woes are only imaginative,
and you can easily get rid of them by imagining
them cured. By that time all the riff-ran thas
is now sucking the Iife's blood from your organ.
ization will have left you; they will seek pas.
lures new AMI perhaps organize another polif-
ical party. You will go through the sams
purifying process as trades unions did. Having
ascertained the nature OF yonr aiment, quietly
conclude upon a reasonable remedy. One that
will not destroy in its attempt tocure. Give
due consideration to reciprocity that viii open
a market for your product; TO protection thas
will give good wages to the mechanic and 10
borer. and thus enable him to buy your poui-
try, eggs and garden truck-products whose
price Ia not regulated by the worlds market In
London or Paris. but depends solely upon
home consumption. Give due attention to the
checking OF the power and greed OF monopo'y
Remember, however, ssst evils that have eaten
themselves into the social system In the coufss
of a century cannot be removed In one or two
years. And then go to both political parties
and say: I'VE, the Farmers Alliance, demand
the enactment of reasonable laws that win bet
III H.. IL. In