The Louisiana populist. [volume] (Natchitoches, Natchitoches Parish, La.) 1894-1898, 1894-08-31

precious to them and their families
by the dangers they faced in pro
curing them. But while these plans
for plunder were being laid by
King George, the colonists were
busy in clearing lands, building
homes, schools and churches, and
their anticipated happiness in a
free country, all their own, only be-
guiled them into a lethergy that
prevented all apprehensions of evil
from the King, of then the most
powerful country in the world.
Yet, during the apathy that was
the result of this happiness and
hopefulness, there was looming up
from behind the political horizon
of this infant country, the darkest
of those clouds that always pOrtend
terrible epoch for that nation
over which they hover. When
those sturdy yeomen awOke to Il
full realization of their condition,
they found that their supposed
friend was their enemy, and had
well laid his plaus to despoil them
of their labOrs by the ruthless hand
of oppression, unjust tdrdtiOn).
They then began to plead in tone
of humble supplication to be ex-
empted from this oppressive bur
den, but alas all in vain. Young
America was getting taste of lib
erty, it must be subdued. Those
old patriots then fOr the first time
saw that there was something for
them to do, the dark and murky
cloud that lowered over and threat
ened their liberty, was momentum
ly growing in darkness and density,
and the terrific thunder it portend-
ed was to settle the freedom or
English domination of America.
All questions of tyranny being set
tied alone by the sword or ballot,
and our American heroes having
no ballot, there was but the one
course to pursue, and they were
not long in deciding to fight, (hOn
or be to their names). AS a result
the declaration of American indie
pendence was made on the 4th day
July, 1776, and was the first and
grandest paper of that nature ever
originated. This brings us to a
period in our history that opens a
bloody war of seven years, in which
the weak contended for right
against the strong, contending for
spoils and might. God, as always,
was with the right, and 1T won.
We will, for the purpose of this
discussion leave the intervening
time TO the investigations of our
readers, and take leap down the
pathway of time to period that
finds this country in the throes of
another civil war, the generalities
of which it is not our purpose to
discuss here, nor now. But we will
notice such features as may be con-
nected with our subject, i. e. the
necessity for, and the rise and
progress of the Peoples Party.
When a country has to pay, main
tain and equip great army, a vast
amount of money is of necessity
required, and during the last war,
as in all others, gold and silver hid
out or was boarded by money
kings with the view of forcing
heavy interest from the govern
ment for its use. This, of course,
was attempted with Abraham Lin
coin, who cut the matter short
by instructing Congress to issue
legal tender United States treasury
notes, Tor greenbacks) which Con-
gress did to the amount of about
one billion, eight hundred million
dollars. This money carried the
United States safely through the
war, and was left in circulation af-
ter the war, when there was about
thirty million inhabitants. 1t was
performing the functions of money
that of exchanging the title of pro-
duce from one man to another by