The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-02-18
of justice has never penetrated the
realm of finance. Might is then
the only right.

Va JuStAC0 udo uOV0A POu0s1 0S0A VA0
realm of finance. Might is then
the only right.
The idea of justice is not spon-
taneously developed within the hu-
man breast, but is imposed from
without. The child believes that
whatever he can lay hands upon is
his; and men are but children
grown old. The sense Of justice
Of another right as the equal ones
own-results from opposition and
successful resistance. The weaker
party has no rights which the
stronger is bound to respect; but let
the weaker become strong enough
for successful resistance and his
rights instantly appear. The right
of the English people to the British
Isles is unquestioned, but their
predecessors being weaker, had no
right. So with the Indian owners
of our Western plains, the inability
to successfully defend vitiated on
otherwise perfect title.
The element and even the idea of
justice is absent from the realm of
finance, simply because the creditor
has always had his own way. His
title to all that he could grasp has
never been questioned with power.
The debtor has never successfully
asserted his ri ights and consequent
ly has none.
The creditor class, small as it is,
has always controlled the finance
of all governments; has had the
army, the press and public opinion
at its back. This is as true to-day
as it ever was. If the debtor ap-
peals for an increased supply of
debt-paying money, the epithet of
repudiator is hurled at him from
all sides. Does the creditor class
actually accomplish a contraction
of the debt-paying medium, the act
is upheld by all the power of the
state; the press, both religious and
secular, is either silent or defends
the act, and the church even utters
not word of protest. This total
absence of the idea of justice is
paralleled in the labor world. Life,
liberty and the pursuit, with any
hope Of capturing happiness and
dependent upon employment; and
when the state permits private mo-
nopoly Of all opportunity, self
employment for the mass is out of
the question.
Employment is the prime condi-
ton Of existence. The state abol-
ishes self-employment and provides
no substitute. The man who cannot
find work because his labor cannot
at the moment be profitable to an
other, is expected to starve with his
family in quiet; he has no rights.
If he does not quietly starve, he
becomes criminal.
The right of labor TO employment
liberty to create wealth and sub
sist upon it-waits until demanded
with power; then even the church
will recognize it, and the press will
defend.
Just so with the debtor class
when it demands with power that
supply of debt-paying money shall
be equal to the legitimate demand,
the Justice of the claim will in
stantly appear.
In a state of slavery the slave
man has no right which his fellow
man is bound to respect. In the
state, where private monopoly of all
natural opportunity is sanctioned
by law, labor has no rights. So
long as the domain of finance is the
exclusive possession of the creditor
class, debtors will have no rights.
The spectacle of q world full of
debtors, held in abject subjection
by a small class of creditors, would
be amazing did we not remember
the short time since the world was
full of human bondmen, who trem-
bled at the nod of a handful of
masters. The creditor class abso-
lutely depends upon, its creditors
for its luxury, its ease and its COM
forts. Once let the borrowers learn
their power, and they will not only
make better terms for themselves,
but will humble the pride of their
masters.
The gold basis is the perfect de-
velopment of the creditors idea of
natural opportunity.
No other money will yield the
creditor so much of gain as gold ;
and the idea that debtors have
rights having never entered the
creditors mind, it follows that the
nation is on a gold basis, and will
not lack the utmost effort of the
creditor class to keep it there. The
question Of justice to the debtor
class is of infinite moment to the
mass of mankind. The establish
ment of justice in the realm of
finance will not come of itself; it
waits upon the intelligent, organ
lied, determined resistance to cred
itor tyranny by the debtor class;
and with this will vanish the gold
basis. E. NJ. BURcHARD.
~ 1.1.- >C Al. sr~o~ r,,~