The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-08-11
THE MILLIONAIRE PLAN.

1t would be decidedly amusing, if theil
influence with the unthinking were no
fraught with 50 great danger, to lister
to millionaire advisers of the people
One is left in doubt whether to admire
most their unlimited gall or the unanim
ity Of their views. They seem to have
talked the matter over among them.
selves and settled upon a plan that com
pares favorably with the time-worn story
of the white man and the Indian who
while hunting together. killed a turkey
and "a crow. The white man, like the
%milliona'res in the present instance, had
IA plan all his own. He said to his red
brother: "John, take the crow and ] will
take the turkey; or, If you prefer, | will
take the turkey and you may have the
crow"
C. y. Hunting ION, whom an unthlnk-
Ing people, through an unthinking con
gress, made a many-times millionaire,
unblushingly advises that the govern
ment issue S3O0,OOO,O00 gold bonds bear
ing 3 per cent interest in gold. That
these bonds be sold to the national
banks and bankers and the banks be
allowed to issue $500, 100000 in paper, the
government to hold the bonds as secu-
rity for its redemption.
He also advises that national banks
be allowed a par circulation on their old
4 per cent bonds upon which they have
heretofore been permitted to issue only
30 per cent upon the face value.
Now, let us see just how this would
work; ~S30O,OO0,OOO at 3 per cent per an
mum would add 100000 a year to our
interest debt. Can Mr.. Huntington tell
the people what they are to get in re-
turn for 100000 annually paid in in
terest? He would be forced to acknowl-
edge, if the question were squarely put
to him, that they would get moth
ing but the valueless privilege
Of having s3OO,OO0,OOO in National bank
notes added to the circulation instead of
having a like amount issued by the gov
eminent. But the scheme does not stop
even here. 1t contemplates that the
party in power shall be authorized to
divide out among its favorites who
chance to be National bankers at the
least %sl5O,OOO,OO0 of the $500, 100000 re.
ceived for the bonds and that those fav-
orite banks shall be, as in the past, styled
National repositories, and that no inter
est shall be charged said banks for the
use of the peoples money.
If any reader of THE TRIBUNE doubts
there is a deep laid plan now being
worked to bring about this dampable
robbery of a long suffering people let
him read the following extract from one
of thousands of letters which are being
sent out to merchants all over the
United States through the medium of
large Jobbing houses of the east, but in
spired by 80 called finanIiers who grow
rich on the robbery of their fellowmen:
New YORK, July II, 1893.
Dear Sir-Will you use your influence
with your senators and representatives
in congress, personally or by letter, in
favor of prompt repeal (meaning a repeal
of the Sherman law
If this country should determine to use
its great credit to draw gold from
Europe by the sale of its bonds, speciti-
cally payable in gold, the European sup
ply of gold would be seriously depleted.
Does not the best hope of silver pro-
ducers lie in urging the accumulation Of
gold in the L. S. Treasury: X n :.
Signed. The II. b. CLAFLIN COMPANY.
JOHN CLAFLIN, President.
THE TRIBUNE will not accuse Mr.. John
Claflin of wishing to play into the hands
of the gold bugs. Each reader must put
his own construction on Mr.. Clatlin's
letter. We will assert, however, that
Mr.. Claflin is cognizant Of the fact that
great pressure has been brought upon
the present administration to induce it
to issue bonds, and further, Mr.. Clafin
knows that an issue of government bonds,
payable interest and principal in gold,
and that could be used as a basis for the
circulation Of National bank notes to
their par value, would never reach
Europe. Tney would sell at a premium
from start to finish.