Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-08-01
Is There Money Enough?

hO h1ohOy htOh SOOo Adto SAkOoio
ton in this country is the money which
is earned by the American working
man. Deprive the workingman OF the
opportunity to earn money and you de-
stroy the money circulation of the
country. And that is precisely what
Democratic free trade legislation has
done, and yet some people are foolish
enough to think that there is not
enough money in the country TO en-
ploy the laborer. -Republicdn Paper.
We are no apologist for Democratic
legislation, free trade or otherwise,
but we are one of those who are fool
ish enough to think that there is not
enough money in the country in circu-
faiion to employ the laborer." Under
the present Republican and Democratic
financial system there is no money in
this country but gold coin. and there
Is very little of that. 1t is very seldom
seen in business, and toe government
felt compelled to bride, with ten mill
lion dollars profit, European bankers
to allow hundred million to remain
in the United States treasury. Every
thing else that is used as money is
mere representative of money, a token,
to be redeemed in gold, and conse-
queotly of the value of gold, which is
made more and more valuable all the
time by the increased power given it
as the only so-called basic money.
OF course, the talk about free trade
legislation is mere babble. There has
been no free trade legislation in this
country. The so-called Wilson bill
which succeeded the Mckinley law
was simply monstrosity evolved from
the sugar trust and various manufac-
uring combines and it made so little
change in matters affecting labor that
had the writer of the above paragraph
been asleep when the one went out
and the other came in. he would never
have known the difference without be-
ing told.
But. ..deprive the workingman of
the opportunity to earn money and
you destroy the money circulation of
the country" 1t would be little
more correct to say ''you prevent the
circulation of money throughout the
country" With this amendment we
accept that proposition, and the work
ingman has been deprived of the OPP
portunity to earn money. How? Not
by free trade legislation for there has
been none; the Mckinley law had more
free trade in it than has the Brice-Go
man-Wilson law.
To find out why the workingman is
deprived of the opportunity to earn
money, let US make the actual test
seek the opportunity TO earn money,
and learn why you can't find it. Seek
a job in the country among the farm
ers. You are told that there is plenty
of work, but no money to employ labor.
Go to the merchant for a clerkship.
He would be glad, very glad. to add
another clerk to his business, but his
trade will not justify it. Why is his
trade less active than it once was?
The people, his customers, have no
money with which to buy. Go into
the mine for work there. The demand
for the product is so light that those
already employed are on short time
and low wages. Why the light de-
mand? There is not enough money
in circulation to stimulate business.
Go into the factory, the foundry and
the shop. Here appears the first faint
streak of light of returning prosperity;
in these there is light demand for
labor and slight increase of wages.
Here is where that s'free trade legis-
lation" would strike its worst blow,
isn't it? But this has had nothing to
do with it one way or another. The
gold power, the Rothschilds, have been
bought off with bride of United States
bonds at profit of ten millions. and
they have given the business interests
a. brief respite; the banks, thesarbiters
of the nations destiny, have slightly
increased their circulation by usurious
loans, and a faint stimulation is felt in
the pulse-beat of trade.
Still, in every department of indus
try we find it the same, plenty of work
needed to be done, but no money to
pay for it. But go to the banks and
money centers-plenty of money to-
kens, corporation credits, to be had as
gilt-edge loans, but no takers. Why?
Have men lost their industry and en-
terprise? No. They have learned by
bitter experience that money is too
dear to be invested in labor or in bust
ness dependent upon labor. Do not
refer me to low rates of interest. The
rates does not measure the value of
money in investments, the profit does
that; and with money more than any
thing else, and constantly increasing
in value as it has done, and must con-
tinue to do, with the gold standard, no
man of business prudence dares invest
money in labor or its products-he can