The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-01-25
rs MODERN PAGANISAI.
GOLD WORSHIP AS PRAcTlcEp
IN AMERICA.
It Is Our God and We Pay Reverent
Homage to Its Wonderful Power
Has the God of Creation Been For
:otten Forever?

The savage African, in the wilds of
his native home, takes a few sticks and
some cloth, and out of these rude ma
terials makes an idol which he calls
Mumbo Jumbo, and before which he
falls prostrate, in devout worship.
Whereat we civilized fools all laugh
at said African, and call him barba-
rian,-as, indeed he is
Nevertheless, it is quite apparent
that while we make no gods out of
sticks and calico, we worship Mumbo
Jumbos, of our own make, Just the
same.
Take for instance the '!Gold Re-
serve" Nature did not produce it: it
has no life, no motion, other than that
which we lunatics give it.
One day it occurred to old John
Sherman that it would be a good
scheme to stack up, in the treasury, a
cool one hundred million dollars in
gold, and keep it there, idle.
Acting upon. this idea, he straight
way created the fund known as the
gold reserve.
Any law for this?
No
ANY necessity for it?
No.
Any popular demand for it?
No.
His excuse was that he wanted
gold reserve out of which he could pay
off the $346, 900, 900 in greenbacks when
presented for redemption.
Was anybody clamoring for the re-
demption of greenbacks?
No.
Was there any law under which any
body had right to go to the treasury
and demand gold for greenabclzs?
No.
Was there any custom or policy
which authorized this setting apart Of
gold to redeem green backs?
No.
and it soon appeared that he had made
us a Mumbo Jumbo which we all wor-.
SHIPPED, and before whose mysterious
power we fell prostrate.
AS long as Sherman was secretary
OF the treasury the gold reserve was
sacred. Congress looked upon it with
awe. The President did it reverance
The newspapers bent to it in speech
less alteration. The politicians rubbed
the skin off their stomachs groveling
before it. The people-the great inert
mass within whom is irresistible might
if they but had courage and co-opera
tion-pa patiently padded their knees,
and likewise knelt in mute submission,
to the yellow god which John Sherman
had condescended to make for them.
When Sherman went out and other
secretaries came in, the spell was al
ready upon the public, and Mumbo
Jumbo reigned by the omnipotent title
Of universal consent.
The gold reserve was national in
stitution-like Washington monument.
It was not to be desecrated. 1t was
to be recognized, supported, defended.
Senators in their speeches alluded to
it as they would to Plymouth Rock or
Mount Vernon. 1t was fixed fact
which nobody disputed and all re.
spected.
congressman referred to it as they
would to Arlington or Bunker Hill.
1t was, in their eyes, consecrated.
Statutes referred to it, in passing, as
they would to West Point or Yellow
stone park, something that was per-
manent, national, and inseparable
from the life of the republic.
There never was law for the gold
reserve, there never was necessity
for it, there never was any antecedent
discussion in regard to it, and there
never was particle of financial sense
in it.
Nobody ever presented greenbacks
for redemption until Mr.. Carlisle made
his famous ruling, under which gold is
paid out for paper money, and bonds
issued to get the gold back again.
The gold reserve was absolutely use
1 less until it became, under Carlisle
ruling, bait to set the bond trap