The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1894-07-13
CAUSE AND THE CURE.


luxuries and even comforts of life, and
their families are arrayed in purple and
fine linen, fare sumptousIy every day and
spend their lives in idleness and travel.
while those who produce wealth exc out
miserable existence in tenement houses
and are denied the privilege of working
for crust and are turned upon the streets
by the million and forced to accept charity,
beg or steal, is proof positive that there is
something radically wrong in our none
tary system.
The very fact that such conditions do
exist is sufficient evidence that the exist
ence of the republic demands reforms,
prompt and effective.
tits indeed strange that there should be
any difference of opinion as to the cause of
the deplorable condition, when everyone is
confronted with the fact that the masses
were more prosperous from 1866 to 1872
than they ever were before or since. Dur
ing these years there was more money in
calculation. Wages and prices of all prop
erty and products have declined in an
exact ratio with the contraction OF the vol
ume of money from 1873 to this hour; nor
should there be any difference of opinion
as to the remedy.
Every one familiar with the history of
the race knows that in every age, plenty of
money in circulation has brought genera
activity in every division of labor, good
wages, property and rapid development,
and that contraction of the volume of
money invariblv produces stagnation in
every division of labor, falling wages and
increasing hard times. 1t produces tramps,
confusion, anarchy and finally revolution.
Such are the plain facts on every page of
the worlds history.
Let us consider what is money. The En-
cyclopedia Britannica, highest authority on
the subject, defines it thus: Money is that
which passes freely from hand to hand
throughout the nation that issues it, in
final discharge of debts and full payment
of commodities, being accepted equally
without reference to the character or credit
of the person who offers it, and without
the intention of the person who receives it
to consume it, enjoy it or apply it to any
o. her use than in turn to tender it to others
in discharge of debts or payment for COM
modities.
This fixes the fact that all money is
purely and exclusively the creature of law.
and that the volume in circulation depends
| wholly upon the law; for law makes and
unmakes it. Our fathers recognized thi,
great principle when they took the power
to coin money away from the states and
give it exclusively to congress, and in
doing so made it obligatory upon congress
to issue sufficient money to enable the peO-
pie to transact their business on cash
basis; also to devise ways and means TO
get it into the hands of the people and keep
it there without fayoritiSm or creating any
monopoly, or permitting others to do it.
For congress to fail to do this is to fail to
Storm a more perfect union, establish jus
tice, secure public tranquility, provide foi
the common defense, promote the genera
welfare and secure the blessings of liberty
to the people, and to their pOsterity," the
very things for which our revolutionary
fathers fought, and that constrained them
to formulate, adopt and ratify the consti-
| tuition of the United States. These are
trnths no one will dare to deny.
To the end that congress might at all
times be in possession of the means t
carry into practice these great and indis-
pensable blessings, the constitution di,
should coin the money out of. because
these patriots learned by sad experience
that there was not, and wonld not be, at all
times sufficient gold or silver bullion OBJ
tainable to supply the demand of a rapidly
increasing population, hence they left that
part of the business in the hands of con-
gress exclusively.
From the formation of the constitution
to this hour there have been two political
parties. They have changed their names
several times, but the same principles have
been advocated upon them upon all occa-
sions. One of these parties, under the lead
of Alexander Hamilton, tried to shape the
government on the same principles, and
substantially after the same form as the
government of England. This party as
serted that the plain people were ineapa
bic of self government; that to establish a
stable government was absolutely neces-
sary to give the rich and we'll born govern
mental prerogatiYes to interest them in
sustaining the government, hence the gov
eminent should charter banks and loan
them its credit at substantially no interest
and let the banks furnish money to the
people.
Opposed to these was another party un-
der the leadership of Thomas jefferson, at
that time called Republicans. They in
sisted that the plain people we're capable
of elf-government: that all power should
remain in the hands of the people: that the
goyernm Mt should not farm out any of lis
prerogahyes to any corporation; that the
government should issue sufficient money
TO supply the demands of the people direct
to the people, and not through corpora
tions: thar all bank paper should be sup
pressed and the circulating medium res
tored to the general government to whom
it belonged; that the government should
do for the whole people those things which
the people cannot best do for themselves.
This party was after wards called the
Democrat, but it tenaciousIy adhered t.
these principles up to 1859. They issued
legal tender treasury notes whenever there
was Insufficient gold and silver bullion OF
coin obsainable to supply the demands Of
the people. Every time they Issued these /
treasury notes prosperity iInn =diately fol /
lowed.
The FederaIist party changed its name
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