The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-01-31

HdVt TcCclVcu Uue following leu
ter:
1910, STH AVE. S., MINNEAPOLIS,
Jan. /, '94.
HON. lGNATIUs DONNELLY,
Hastings, Mimi.
DEAR SIR:-Having listened to
your address, at the peoples party raj
ly at the Lumber Exchange Hall, last
Wednesday evening, and being a
student Of political economy in the
high school here, | take the liberty
OF asking you two questions for my
ston instruction. These questions
were suggested by your remarks.
You said, in effect, that the pres
ent hard times," were caused by the
scarcity OF money, and you recon-
mended the issuance of green
backs to meet the deficiency.
Our text book states that it is uh-
constitutional for congress to decree
that inconvertable paper money be
issued; also that issues of money Of
this character serve to break up uni
formity in the markets. Would not
this last be true, and is the first
statement correct?
You also condemned the decision
of the Supreme Court in the estate
Elevator Case" / believe that the
proposed elevator or elevators would
be greatly beneficial; but unless | am
miSled, the discovery Of which is my
object in questioning you, Il hope
[ shall find that [ am miSled), the
decision that the act is uncOnstitu-
tiOnal is just one. / quote from the
state constitution: "The state shall
never contract any debts for works
Of internal improvement, or be a
party in carrying on such works, ex-
cept in cases where grants of land or
other property shall have been made
to the state, especially dedicated by
the grant to specific purposes, and in
such cases the state shall devote
thereto the avails of such grants,
and may pledge or appropriate the
revenues derived from such works, in
aid Of their completion"
How can you reconcile the prOvis-
ions of the estate Elevator Act" with
this quotation?
II am not intruding upon your
time, please answer and Oblige, q
BURTON H. BOWLER.
Ny young friend is right to ask
questions. Inquiry is the beginning
Of knowledge. But he must not sup
pose that his text books contain all
"the law and the prophets" The
way it goes, publishing house hires
an obscure writer to get up book on
such a subject. He is a pen-hack. He
may not know as much about the
questions treated as a thousand 9TH
er men. AS rule he repeats the er-
rors of his predecessors; and the
young people accept his utterances
as voice from heaven.
The constitution of the United
States puts upon the general govern
ment the duty of coming money.
The biggest fool that ever wrote a
text book will concede that the peo-
pie must have money; that business is
impossible without it; that that
money must be created by the general
governmental any one else tries to
furnish it he goes to jail;-and that
it must hold a reasonable relation to
the population and business Of the
country. To "coin" does not mean to
create the money out Of metal; but
to create it out of anything. While
the greenbacks were not an incon-
vertible money, but money redeem
able in specie, as soon as possible; yet
the U. S. Supreme Court has declared
the power of the nation to issue
greenbacks, and to make them legal
tender, and to reissue, them in time
of peace. But we populists go farth-
er and hold that the material of
which money is to be made need not
necessarily be metallic, any more
than animal or vegeta ble-leather or
paper:-that it is the stamp of the
government. the fiat, which makes it
money" and the legaltender power
which gives it's value. Where legal
tender money, of any material, is ex-
changeable for all the debts and
credits Of the country, as it neces-
sarily must be, it is exchangeable for
all the property of the country; for in
the course Of a few years all property
goes through the alembic of debt;
therefore a legaltender money is
worth as much as all the property of
the country-its land, manufactures,
metals, minerals, crops, houses,
everything;-therefore it is worth as
much as all the property of the world;
since values tend to equalize them
selves on both sides Of the Atlantic
by commercial exchanges; and there
can be no higher standard of earthly
value than the property of the world.
In the second place, the clause of
the constitution which you quote,
says "the state shall never contract
any debts for works of internal i'm
prOvement." The state was not
asked to contract any debt in this
case. The money to build the state
elevator was not to be borrowed by
the state, but was raised by fee
charged for inspecting the wheat of
the farmers, and paid by the farmers;