Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1895-10-04
payable in gold, and l demand thu
gold in payment.

UNCLE SAM-Beg pardon, sir, but
those notes are simply promises to
pay, the same as your note or any
other PERSONS note. They are pay
able in legal tender-money, and
silver dollars are full legal tender
for all debts, public and private.
You present these notes for pay
ment; | tender you payment in law
full money. If you don't choose to
accept that, your claim is satisfied
and you can never present these
notes for payment again. | shall
have to stamp them all Cancelled"
GAMBLER-But what do you sup
pose I'd do with thirty dray loads
of silver? l have no place to store it
aud don't want it.
UNCLE SAN-Oh, well, we are
always ready to accommodate our
citizens. You can leave the silver
in our vaults and | will give you
certificates that it is there; and you
can use these certificates just the
same as the silver. When you want
To pay a man something, you can
give him some OF these certificates,
and he can come here and get the
silver whenever he wants it.
GAMBLER-But | want this gold
for export.
UNCLE SAM-Oh, you want gold
bullion? You know gold always
goes abroad as bullion, the same as
corn or pork or potatoes. Well, if
that is what you want, you have
come to the wrong place. ] am
running government, not supply
house. ] would advise you to go
to the general markets and get what
you want; or, if you want to reach
"frst handss," go to the owners of
the gold mines.
GAMBLER-But if / do that, gold
will go to premium and the coun-
try will be ruined.
UNCLE SAM-Ohl you mean that
you will go out and pay more for
gold than it is worth. Well, really,
sir, if you are fool enough to do
that, l don't see any reason why |
should interpose, nor can | see how.
such folly on your part could ruin
anybody but yourself.
GAMBLER-But it will ruin your
credit and make it impossible for
you to borrow money.
UNCLE SAM really don't see
how my credit can be injured. You
come here with my notes and ] offer
to redeem them on the spot, without
notice. A man who does that gen.
orally has pretty good credit and
can borrow all the money he wants
And as for borrowing money, even
if the present deficiency in revenue
should continue, l would have sur
plus enough on hand to do away
with the necessity for borrowing for
many years to come. Long before
my present surplus can be exhaust
ed, | can adjust my revenues to
meet my expenses, and ! prefer do
ing business on a cash basis, any
how.
GAMBLER-But don't you see that
if you allow gold to go to a premium
that you will have to go out and buy |
gold at high price with which to
pay your bonds, which we fellows
hold?
UNCLE SAN-NeitheI you nor any
one else holds any of my bonds
which are payable in gold, and if
you fellows run up the price of gold,
| shall simply pay the bonds off in
silver dollars. have right smart
chunk of silver on hand which l
can coin for that purpose.
49,
That would settle the matter and
settle it for all time, but then that
would do away with the whole
business of the gold gambler. and
remove the excuse for retiring the
greenbacks and treasury notes.
But we may be sure that this plan
will not be adopted by the present
d.