People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-08-11
A LAW BREAKER.
The Secretary OF the Treasury DeGes
the Law and Aids q Conspiracy.


1t is true his methods were not exactly
in accordance with those that now
prevail in plutocratic circles, but who
can say but that they were equally
honest from moral standpoint? Jesse
James took what did not belong to
him. So do thousands of others under
the guise and protection of law take
whatdoesn't rightfully belong to them.
One is as bad as the other. But Jesse
James was an outlaw. Why was he
an outlaw? What made him an out
law2 His violation of the law. Then
the present secretary of the treasury
is an outlaw. The third section of our,
silver law says:
THE secretary of the treasury shall
coin of the silver bullion purchased
under the provisions of this act as much
as may be necessary to provide for
the redemption of the treasury notes
therein provided for"
Now what does that mean? 1t does
not say he may coin, etc." but he
shall coin as much as is necessary to
redeem the notes paid for the bullion.
But the secretary is not doing it. He
is redeeming those notes in gold that
was provided for another purpose.
The law governing the case does not
make it discretionary with him as to
what these notes shall be redeemed
in. 1t expressly provides that he shall
redeem them in silver dollars coined
out of the bullion purchased with
them. The law is mandatory. He
has no choice in the matter. He is
violating the law when he is paying
these notes in gold. Then he is an
outlaw, and while the outrage he COM
mits is not so shocking to the moral
sense as the bold, blood-curdling acts
OF Jesse James, the consequences of
his outlawry is more serious, more ap-
palling and infinitely worse in its final
results than those of the bold and dar-
ing outlaw, that only occasionally
robbed a bank or a train. AS
a result of the conspiracy Of
Wall street. aided and abetted by the
unlawful acts Of the secretary of the
treasury, twenty-one banks went down
in single day. Jesse James never
robbed that many in his life. The un-
lawful act of the secretary of the
treasury is robbing the poor to benefit
the rich. Jesse James never robbed
the poor. OF the two outlaws the Sec
rotary of the treasury is the worse
He is betraying his trust. He is not
only violating the law but he is violat-
ing his oath of Office. Under the laws
Of the land he is subject to impeach-
ment. But who is going to impeach
him? Partisanism has taken the place
of patriotism, and whatever is done by
the party and in the name of the party
is all right with the bosses.
But Secretary Carlisle is not the
only secretary of the treasury that
ever violated the law, nor is this the
first time that Grover Cleveland was
responsible for it In speech in the
United States senate in 1885, during
Cleveland first administration, and
while Manning was secretary of the
treasury, Senator Beck of Kentucky
said:
"When our treasury officials yielded
to the clamor of the bondholders and
violated the law by admitting their
right to refuse silver received at the
custom house, in payment of the inter-
est or principal of their bonds, they
degraded our standard silver dollar by
depriving it of one of its most i'm
portant functions as a legal tender;
and, now, having captured the execu-
tive branch of the government THAT
was Mr.. Cleyeland), the bondholders
and their attorneys are besieging con-
gress to enforce their demand for gold
alone in the settlement of their claims,
ali law, justice and equity to the con-
trary Notwithstanding, by striking
down the silver of the standard value
of July, 1870, which they then de-
manded and inserted in the face Of
every bond they hold as one of the
coins in which the bonds should be
paid. 1t is hard to do justice to their
audacity In temperate language;
hardly think am equal to the task,
and will not attempt it can, how
ever, get the facts before the people. {"
But If the senator shrank from the
task Of doing justice to the audacity
of the bondholders, he came near stat
ing the truth with regard to the Grim
inal acts of the President and secre-
tary Of the treasury. Speaking of the
vast amount of silver lying Idle in the
treasury and the refusal of the secre-
tary to pay it out he said:
"The thief who steals and squan-
ders an unneeded surplus locked up
in the treasury vaults would infict
less injury to the country and its
business, if the money he stole was
put in circulation. than a secretarv