The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1894-12-07
GIVE US GOVERNMENT BANKS.
This Demand Is Destined to Become the
Leading Issue in the Very Near Future.

This Demand Is Destined to lsecOme the
Leading Issue in the Very Near Future.
We move that at the next national
convention the finance plank of the
peoples party platform be made to read
as follows:
Eve demand a national currency,
safe. sound and flexible. consisting of
gold and silver. coined at the ratio of
16 to l. and full legal tender. absolute
paper money. issued direct to the peO-
pie by the general government only, in
payment of current appropriations, in
volume sufficient to properly transact
the business of the country, and dis
tributed and kept in circulation
through the medium of government
banks of deposit. loan and discount"
Who will second the motion?-The
Other Side.
The Wealth Makers seconds the mo-
| ton most heartily. We recognize that
| we must have something to keep
money in circulation. or it will acquire
the power of commanding interest. In
| terest is the tribute we pay to money
monopolists. Interest is what puts a
| drag and periodical stoppage on the
| circulation of the currency. the eX-
change of products and the power to
| keep producing. The mere issue of
money will not save it from the grasp
of land and capital Inonopolists. and
once drawn into their hands it cannot
be put into use again without agree
ing to pay back more than was bor-
rowed. With a government banking
system the people can borrow all the
money they need to use at cost of in
vestigating and caring for securities,
probably not to exceed one per cent. a
year. and all money will be kept in cir
culation all the time.-Lincoln (Neb.
! Wealth Makers.
Shall our paper money be furnished
by the government itself or by banks?
| This is the question which is going to
confront the American people in the
immediate future. The money power
of the nation wants the privilege of is
suing this money. and is using all the
great daily newspapers of the country
to try to convince the people that that
is the only right and proper course.
When the people once get the fact
firmly in their minds that bank note
is debt of the bank on which the
bank draws interest. while they have
to pay interest on their notes, the
whole system of corporatiOn-made and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT money will be
Overthrown.
But it may be asked. what then shall
we do for z paper circulation. the
amount of gold and silver in the coun-
try being utterly inadequate to the
needs of business? The answer is
plain. Whatever profit is to be made
by the exercise of such 4 function OF
sovereignty as the issuing of bills to
circulate as money, let the govern
ment, that is the whole people. make
it. Let the government do the bank
ing business for your profit and
mine, instead of permitting 4 few
rich men to do it for their pri
vate profit. The government can dc
such business. 1t has done it at vari
Gus times in history. There is no more
reason why it should turn it over to in
dividuals than why il should sell the
taxing privilege, or the privilege OF
running courts of Justice. There was
a time when those things were done
by private individuals for private
profit. Yes, even the support of ar
army and navy. has at times been Z
private instead of 4 public matter.
On one point the plutocratic oppo
nents of our currency system are right
There is no sense in the government
doing part of the banking business
of the country. and letting bank cor
poratio do part of it. The govern.
ment should do it all or none. But
why not do it all? The issue of the
greenbacks is one form of banking
The money order system is banking
Let the people vote on these points
and you would find out very soor
whether they wanted to give them up
And then let them vote on the ques
ton whether the government should
do the rest of the banking business
and furnish all our currency. or leave
it to banking corporations to do it
and can you doubt what the result
would be?-Star and Kansan.