The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-26
THE PEOPLE MUsT RULE.

Capital and labor are only brought
into conflict through bad financial leg
iSlation.
Such legislation is enacted without
the knowledge of the people who are
most affected thereby.
Ia one of the tariff acts of congress
the omission Of comma reduced the
revenue several hundred thousand dol
lars. Someone knew it. but the mem
berS of congress who voted for the law
did not
The act of February u, 1873. ire
vising and amending the laws relative
to the mint. assay Offices. and coinage
of the United States" demonetiZed sill
ver, but only two or three of the men,
bers Of congress who voted to pass that
law knew it, and it was not until 1873
that congress attempted to undo the
wrong Of 1873.
In 1890 congress again attempted to
restore silver 10 is full monetary pow
er, but the gold men in the senate. led
by John Sherman. gave the country The
Sherman act, instead Of the house bill.
which provided for free coinage as
soon as the market value Of silver
bullion reached its coinage value.
Ia 1898, at the instigation of Presi-
dent Cleveland, the purchasing clause
of the Sherman act was repealed, and
the United States were relegated to the
single gold standard.
Now the people feel and appreciate
the wrong that has been done in de-
priving them of one-half of the money
of ultimate redemption.
They are determined to restore silver
to its full debt-paying power, regard
less of the action of other nations.
Give us free silver. and this good
land of ours. free then in monetary as
in all other matters, with the new life
blood of an increasing currency in its
veins, will enter on new career of
glory and prosperity.
Continue the present regime, and it
is only question Of a few years when
we will be in hopeless vassalage to
England, and our wage earners and
farmers in the condition of those class
es in the Old World.
Keep up the fight, and let the watch
word be free America, free men, free
coinage, alone if need be, but indepen-
dent, at least, among the nations of
earth.
Why are all gold standard advocates
and some professors so busy in trying
to prove that law cannot alter money
and property values unless they really
know that what law did for gold in
1873 to raise its value it can do to re-
store silver to its old place when all
commercial nations agree?
Why did this party, then invoke the
power of law to install gold as king
over all values? Will they now con-
sent that gold shall be stripped of
money functions and put on a par, as
to law, with silver? On their own ver-
sien Of the power of law they should
at once agree to let gold stand its
chances in the commerce of the world
"lIuouI 1CSdl SuptOIt, ulu uHtA tucy
do this they should not decry the
power Of law in making money out Of
the only two commodities which q
wise Providence has given us for that
purpose. What is law anyway? Is it
net in its constitutional, governmental
expression yox pOpuli, that and that
only? What laws the people want in
our country they can get. But did
the people ask congress to make a gold
standard for all outstanding contracts
made on a double standard, or did the
holders Of our war bonds do it? And
has not the effect Of that law been so
felt as to indicate that law has some
power, after all, in controlling valuesS
in money and property? Whoever says
it has not, in the light of history, is
either an idiot or a knave Strong
language BELTS the characterization of
such mental effusions-made in ignor-
ance or to deceive the people If the
demonstration of silver in 1873 was
such a beneficence to the race as is
claimed by these men, why not alter
the worlds calendar and call that the
year of the worlds jubilee of freedom
from the rich mans silver?