The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-02-21
LET THERE BE LIGHT"

u u NAOAOs NOS IN ~ LSHOy "NO
spoken when darkness was upon the
face of the deep" And we are told
"there was light. and God saw the
light, that it was good" N~otwithstand
ing we are told that to the great Au-
thor, Father and Founder of the Uni
verse, the darkness and the light are
both alike" We are also told of man,
the frail worm of His creation, that
che loves darkness rather than light
because his deeds are evil" These
predatory remarks occur to us as we
attempt to write on the banking ques
ton.
At the opening of the present session
of our General Assembly, more
money, " the cry" n says, of the
Alliance" and of the Democratic
party" and another, of all tie PEG
pie" seemed to have made an impress
sion upon some of Legislators and
others for a short time, Senator Sher
rill introduced a bill to authorize or
establish State banks OF issue, State
bonds to be deposited with the State
Treasurer as collateral for the full
amounts of issue, and the State to be
come responsible for redemption Of
such issue.
The press of the dominant party
thought Senator Sherrilrs bill, which
was understood to have been drawn by
State Treasurer Tate, was the very
acme Of perfection. One paper said:
While there may be other plans, the
one proposed by Mr.. Sheriff. is the
only feasible one" eve quote from
memory.) Ard there was re ioicing all
along the line. We published the text
of the bill md gave only an intima
ton of what we thought OF it. We
asked oilers to speak either for or
against, ard opened our columns JO
the people. We have had many ON
municatious, but not one favoring the
scheme proposed At first many of
our exchanges were disposed to treat
us cOntemptuOUsly and nee us out Of
our position, saying that We had mo
irfueuce over this legislature" etc.
We find that a proposition in which
some OF these editors cOuld see a
glimmering ray of hope that they
might get a finger in the Doodle bag
through the contract for State print
ing, has appeared ID them q matter Of
more vital importance for some weeks,
and the question Of more money for
the people" has 4 Wiuiled into compar
alive insiguiGcance.
It may be that hi8Iulla along the line,
and this skirmishing IN other directions
Is because they loaded too heavily aJd
exhausted their ammunition on the
first round and are preparing to take
the people by surprise, and with one
desperate charge with all their forces
in the closing hours Of the present SEES
sion, surprise and capture the Who'll
body. We have known such things to
be done. Men who love darkness
rather than light because their deeds
are evil are accustomed to work in
this way.
Several bills have been intro6 uced
by Numbers Of both houses. They have
all been referred to The appropriate
committee. So far as we have been
able to learn they are all about alike.
Some wish power granted to deposit
railroad, city, town, county, and other
bonds with the State Treasurer as col
lateral for their full market value at
the time Of such deposit. The session
is drawing on towards it's close. This
question has reached the ears of u
people. They suppose the committee
will frame a bill e~mbsdying the best
ideas contained in the numerous bills
referred to them. And they think this
bill should be printed and each mum
Der at least provided with a copy as
early as possible that it may be studied
in all its bearings before it is finally
acted upon.
We are, we repeat, opposed to any
State banks of issue. We are opposed
to national banks Of issue also. We
believe the National Government al lone
should issue every dollar Of money or
anything that is to be used as money
in the United States, and that every
cent Of 1t should be a legal teuder for
aIldeUts, public or private. inevery foot
of territory over which the stars and
stripes float. We believe the States
have surrendered all their powers to
issue money, or bills Of credit, to the
United States, and that the govern
ment cannot constitutionaIly delegate
this right or power away or farm it out
to individuals, associations or corpora