The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-05-09
From DISTINGUISHED POpulist
Wrfter-The PnternnIistic Gold


/ Mr.. Editor: An article in the Chicago
Herald of April explains that Hon. John
Spooner, eX-congressman and railroad at
torney, and present striker for paternalistic
favor to corporations, as we'll as alder and
abetter to the Northern Pacific den of pub
lie thieves, was the real power behind the
Judicial throne of Judge Jenkins in the re-
cent order for organized labor to get off the
earth. The article is outline of history
connected with the Northern Pacific and is
full of food for reflection The history of
that road as we'll as the other so-called
Pacii1c roads, is valuable to the study of
civilized evolution in the same way that
the history of crime in high places in all
time Is valuable to note the brutality and
corruption of the age told Of. The Pacific
roads are agencies through which such pol
lshed scamps as Cakes Ames and his sue
cessors, to the present day, not only rob the
public of Millions but they prostitute legis-
lat1ve and executive officers of the nation
and their crafty vilainy crawis into the
seat of justice, and the ermine of our
courts is used as a NANCY cur would use a
pabyS bed. This will be true while public
functions (as in ralroadng) are operated
by private corporations. But let me quote
from the Herald's article:
MlLW ACKEE, April S.-The history of
the Northern Pacific railroad is national
scandal from the beginning. 1t opened in
ward the close of the war when DE-
BASED CURRENCY was the cause of al
most INFINITE decentralization, and the most
Migrant proHlgacy marked the appropria-
tons and the financial administration.
l have capitalized the "debased currency"
to draw attention to the fact that the time
TO which he refers GS64-6) the congressman
who were legisating for railroad adventure
ers were also legislating for so-called hon
est money, based on bonds and the ma
tional banking scheme. These congressman
were funding CD the greenbacks, which
meant destroying them, and in their stead
issuing Understanding bonds. In private
transactions, the parties at interest being
poor that transaction would be known as
a fraud. In this way the national debt
was more than doubled, and the ashes of
the so-called ''debased currency became
honest just as soon as an interest -bea r
ing bond, based on gold took its place
When politician of one school is caught
at some vile trick by an equally vile poll
tician or partisan sheet of another school
and the act is aired, the reading world
comes into facts that will enable the his
torian of the future to give dishonor in
stead of honor where dishonor is
due. No nation was ever so vile
~ betrayed, no nation ever more
wantonly imposed upon in financial
legislation than have been this people since
lS62 The result of that legislation is now
coming to head; and every report of the
national banks to the comptroller shows
"nere the matter lays. The press reports
OF April give a summary of bank reports
and quote Mr.. Eckels as saying 1.-The finan-
clal situation, as shown by the banks is
quite encouraging" Yes to the banks: but
how about legitimate business? The show
ing made December 18th last year, and that
of February 2Sth this year. discloses the
fact that national bank currency outstand-
ing was decreased in that seventy-one DAVIS
NJ f1ya I,,,,,I
six thousand (S5, $50 00W dollars the ma tion
having farmed out it's right to the national
banks to issue currency finds the banks
raising prices on money by curtailing it's
supply. Those reports show an increase of
loans In the same time of 81 OOO They
SHOW an increased piling up of money in
the banks of $19,S4,0O0 during the seventy
one days covered by that report Quit
encouraging, indeed. to the banks Is if anv
wonder the CoXeyites are led to believe this
natlon IS paternahstic in it's makeup? And
90 we wonder why times are little dis
couragng to labor and business? More of
US should Join CoXey's army if we don't
Know enough to stay home and learn how
TO vote paternaism to all of us or to none
OF us. Money is made by law and all
merchandise and comforts Of life are made
by labor. That in which the banker deals
is made by law, and the fiat of the nation
IS put On to commodity gold and silver
which it initiates it for his benefit And
that in which the business man deals is
mace by labor, and nine out Of ten business
men allow the demagogues in politics to
fool us into fight on how we shall he
taxed to keep up this financial syster,
which skins business alive Chicago
paper Irlbune) of April !, has an article
headed Hard to Keep Gold'' in which it
says 'The treasury officials saw that a
good deal of the gold which was turned
over from the bond issue has found its way
BACK into the vaults of the banks, and the
reports of the comptroller of the CURRENCY
bear out this statement Yes indeed Ii
would be as easy to put out the fires of
sheol by sweat from labors brow as TO
try to keep a hundred millions of dishon-
est gold dollars in the nations treasury
under our present fiscal system. devised
and managed as it is by such fiscal bunco-
steerers as John Sherman and Carlisle and
their school of property rights. The armv
of Coxyites are simply evolutions of con-
ditions to demonstrate to the business
world that an ''intrinsic'' dollar whether
gold or silver, is dishonest as the claim
of divine right of kings" And few
more bond issues will extend the
financial slave territory and hasten
the date of commercial freedom. The money
lender and protected manufacturers have
tramped to Washington, in Pullman cars
every session of congress for more than 30
years, to buy laws making this nation a
paternal government to them, and at the
expense of the producers. These intellec-
tual brutes in their coming and going,
spent money freely to lubricate the law
makers into action, and the citizens of
Washington welcomed them as a sweet
boon. Now the Coxeyites tramp to Wash
ington, in the mud and dust and with
half baked ideas Of paternalism, but no
money; and they are likely to get I'M
marked graves for their presumption but
over those graves will bloom the plant of
commercial freedom, over the grave of
John Brown bloomed the plant of freedom
to the negro. The dishonest gold dollar
will be demonetZed and sink to it's true
level in the arts and sciences. It's free
coinage value now set upon it by law is
dishonest and cannot be made honest,
unless the government becomes paternal
to all commodities and makes set
value by law which is impossible under
competitive conditions. Corporate national
banking or private banking occupy the same
economic position in the business world as
do chinch bugs in wheat field. The bank
feeds on interest and the control of money
which blights business; the chinch bug
feeds on the tender plant and bIights the
wheat. The merchant who depends on the
exchange Of commodities made by labor
will have to choose between his patron,
the laboring community, and the money
dealing chinch bugs. Which is 1t his in
ia