The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-09-20
The Abuse of Gold.

"What are the commercial, mauufac-
turing and agricultural prospects to-day !?
| The money handlers control the situation
throughout lhe world The struggle for
gold continues A crisis in consequence
is threatened. Russia, Germany, France
and England are absorbing all they can.
Last week $1,000, 900 in gold went into
the Bank of England. Since July I, $Io,-
ooo, 900 in gold have been drawn from the
U. S. Treasury"
The above extract appeared in a gold
bug daily recently. The greatest injury
inflicted on the human race is by the
abuse of gold, which is wholly unsuited
for money in our present high state of
civilization. The proper use for gold is
in the arts: dentistry. jewelry, ornamental
ton. Confined to its proper sphere gold
is a blessing to the race. Taken out of
that sphere partially, and placed in
another wholly foreign to its nature gold
is proving the greatest curse of modern
times.
The spectacle of the great European
nations, prompted by jealousy and appre-
hension of danger from each other, gath
ering all the gold in the world and lock-
ing it up from use, should cause thought
full people to pause and reflect. Let this
policy go on among the great rival
nations of Europe and soon they will
begin to offer premiums, if they are not
already, to secure the worlds gold, to be
locked up and prevent it being used as
money.
The proper function of money is inter-
fered with by boarding it. The object of
money is the exchange of products, their
disti ibution ir almost infntisimal guam
titles for the personal use of the people.
No invention or system ever devised
can accomplish this except money.
Products cannot be exchanged by barter
ing one for another, except by slow, la.
borious methods and in comparatively
large quantities. Gold cannot be used for
this purpose and other substances and
methods have to be used.
Properly used money is vehicle of ex-
change, and it has no other proper func-
ton. Every government should make
| its own legal tender money for the use of
its own people, by which they could con-
duct their internal trade. Trade between
people of different nations is the ex-
change of surplus goods or products,
which exchanges should balance each
othar Ho,u&,,aroo racao,h1ac or oucuvarc
to the trade carried on by merchants
among people of city, town or neigh
borhood, the traders making profit by
collecting and distributing or selling a
variety of goods or merchandise.
The scheme of gold money is founded
on producing an artificial scarcity of
money, and compelling all persons en-
gagged in both producing and distributing
products to borrow money in order to
enable them to transact their business.
By making gold primary" money all
other kinds of money, debts, credits and
every transaction in business become
subservient to it. There not being one
cent of gold money to one hundred cents
required for the purpose of transacting
business, the artful schemers who study
the pawn broker business gather the gold
in their possession and lock it up. Hold
ing obligations or debts on the workers in
the human hive they demand their in
terests and payments of all obligations in
primary" money. Having this primary
money in their control they are enabled
to drive hard bargain with their behold
ing, helpless customers. When this sys-
tenn is established every dealer in money
and interest taker can and does make
use of the advantage. The people become
prey to the banks which they create
just as plant becomes prey to the par
asite it nourishes. By the gold 'prim-
ary" money scheme, money is made
scarce, because gold is scarce. Being
made primary" money by edict of law
or power the banking class have gained,
all money of whatever kind, other than
gold, is made subservient to it, as the peo-
pie of monarchy are made the subjects
of the king to tax and rule with rod of
iron if he so determine. This is the ma
ture and practice of the gold system. 1t
is monarchy in the realm of money,
exacting tax from all who come within
sway of the golden sceptre. Liberty i'll
our financial system means the overthrow
of gold as surely as the liberties of these
colonies meant the overthrow of King
Georges rule.