The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-02-03
Friday, Feb. 3, 1898.
No Road Bonds.

an unusual extent in advancing project
there is grave cause for doubling their
sincerity, and their motive should be closely
scanned. This recent road fever which has
become epidemic among these monopoly
heralds, is case of bonds. Bonds on the
counties ard State is The plan. A new muck
rake is TO he engineered into the hands OF
the money lenders with law behind it 10
gather in an annual assessment Of tax TO add
TO their already bursting Golfers.
We suggest that the farmers on whom
this new system of road taxation is to be
mainly fastened, propose an income tax on
those philanthropists who want to loan their
surplus wealth at per cent, TO be collected
by the Sheriff. This bond scheme concealed
behind good roads is grand conception of
shylock to whet new knife to cut his pound
of flesh from near the farmers heart.
We favor good roads bnt no bonds. Ye
farmers if you know which side of your
bread is buttcred, you will watch the bond
scheme and scotch it wherever it shows it's
head. Insist on an Income tax as per
manent road fund.
1t would be grand good thing TO have
the country gridironed with smooth, hard
roads leading to every town, railroad station
church, school house and post Office in the
land, and it would be a wonderful better
ment to country property of all kinds, but
that road to prosperity must never lead
through bonds, State or National, county or
municipal.
The people of the country by their wealth
creating industry pay for all the improve
ments made in the country, and it Is not
men who do nothing, to loan them their
own money out Of the banks where the
earnegs of that money deposit it, for the
pleasure Of paying interest to those men who
have learned the trick of extracting wealth
from nothing.
Let this road furore 60 on which is being
doomed so indnstriously by the daily papers,
but watch it. There is more than good
roads behind it. The wealth producers all
over the land, and especially the agricul
tural class, are crying out against the
national debt and national bank system, and
the last election which cast not less than
two million votes against them as protest
at the polls, has alarmed the exploiting
class who deal in bonds, banks, options and
futufes-for they are all one close brother
hood-and a new device is to be tried. The
scheme, as far as we are able to divine it by
symptoms that appear on the surface, is to
engage the farming communities in an
extensive plan of country road making by
the general government. AS precedents for
this new federal industry, the improve
ment of rivers and harbors out of the
National Treasury is cited, and grants of
land and guarantee OF bonds TO railroads.
Why not improve country roads in the same
way? Sure enough, why not? But the
money for such improvements never comes
out of the pockets of the dealers at this faro
bank. The people pay all with millions of
interest added. Government bonds are
always exempt from tax and the lenders
gather them in to exploit with in the future.
AS an instance in point we refer 10 the
fact that in the years of 1862 to 1866 these
skillfut fnanciers-manIpulator of money
placed bonded debt on the nation OF
$4,000, 900, 900 with less than $3.50, 900, 900
TO work with. They managed to secure that
immense debt with only this small volume
OF greenbacks in circulation, and they paid
only DC TO 20 cents on the dollar of the
money that paid for it and have been selling
IL back to the government for 81. 20 to 81 so
besides the annual interest On this colos-
sal. structure of credit-bought bonds, the
national bank system was built which has,
according to our best financial statisticians,
soOoped cut of the pockets of productive
Industry .five thousand million dollars. We
believe true estimate would make the sum
much more than that inconceiyable amount.
The nature and magnitude of this scheme
of pinnder are beginning TO slowly dawn
upon the darkened intellect of the general
public, and the inquiry of awakened interest
an this famous system of robbery is making
the promoters nervous, aud with the hope
of averting the impending storm which will
sweep away government debt and with it
the national bank bunco game, an effort is
TO be made to approach The farmer on his
blind side, and bond him by using the road
which passes his own door. By this means
the debt and Interest could be renewed and
perpetuated, and the national banks go Cd
controlling the money Of the nation and
making the United States Treasury their
surplus fund to draw on at pleasure, as they
are and have been doing for the last quarter
of a century.
The improvement of country roads is all
right bnt we warn our friends to be ever on
their guard. The class who are so suddenly
aud unanimously found booming the road
business never work except for themselves
and with a selfish object hidden behind
their assumed public spirited motives. The
nlterior object is to lead the farming inter
ests away from their obvious purpose OF
bursting up the present robber financial
system, and if possible divide their forces
and dissipate the influence of their increas-
ing solidarity.
Even Secretary OF roads is being talked
of as an addition 10 the Cabinet The frsi