The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-02-28
CURE EOR HARD ZINES.

An economic locksmith who mo d.
estly masks behind the pseudonym
Antonio. has sent to THE TRIBUNE
a curious key to Business Prosperity
and it is fitting, in this time of com
mercial depression, that we should give
it wide publicity. A good many able
men have been searching for such a
key and some of them, theoretically at
least, have found it, as they fancy; but
''Antonio" is prepared to convince one
and all that they are deluded and de-
ceivel The key which he offers is
comprised in modest pamphlet en-
bodying, as he explains, merely the
outlines of cure, and this small syl-
lsbus can be yet further compressed,
as wo shall endeavor to demonstrate,
into a very few words.
Letting pass "Autonio's" severe char
acterizations of the growing contrast
in this country between automatically
productive wealth, on tbs one hand,
amassed and centralized among the
few; and widespread suffering and
squslor distributed on the other hand
among the impscuuiouS many-wnich
characterizltioGs, whether deserved or
not. are not new nor especially in
structive-we may briefly skaletonize
his specific as the sub5titution, for gold
,and silver, of a money medium consist
.ng of government bills Of credit, sub.
feet to tax Of one per cent. per annum
and based upon improved real estate,
which is the combined product OF ma
ture and labor. This, in our authors
opinion, would prevent the speculative
boarding of gold or silver. do away
with the danger oe sudden efillxas of
coin, aud insure a uniform and whole
some domestic circulation OF money.
conditioned solely upon the activities
of labor itself 1t would, he thinks,
secure the profits of our monetary ex-
changes to the government itself, in.
stead of to private or corporate bank.
ing institutions; wouid DO away utterly
with bondholding cla7s; would prac-
ticaly abolish interest az factor in
commercial activities and would give
10 he individual citizen Il larger Sc
curity in all his business transactions,
than he at present enjoys, or can en-
joy.
1t will thus be seen that Antonio
favors virtually the rationale ltion OF
land. To base a currency upon i'm.
proved real estate it would first be nee
essary for the government to own that
real estate; or at least to practically
control it by some form of mortgage.
This is not quite the economic stride
recently taken by Mr.. BsIlamy, who
wanted the nationaliz ltion not only of
land, but also Of all industry. "Anto-
MO" does not favor the latter course.
He thinks it beat to let all men have the
rewards of their own honest work, in
such varying quantity as corresponds
with their varying diligence and abil-
ity, All he wants is the elimination of
speculation in money or money earn.
ing securities; the abolition of interest
and the adoption of basis of circua-
tion with stable and a steadily
growing value subject to no caprieious
arrestment or initiation by money
lenders and other brokers of finance.
Yet even this, while desire more mod
est than Mr., Bellamy's. is, we fear, one
too capacious for practical gratifea-
tion, And one thing in particular,
against it is that it would practically
cut US off from all foreign trade.