The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-08-23
THE SUPREME ISSUE.

or held office, patriot who puts coun-
try above party, and the possessor of
a large income and the owner of good
property.in private conversation with
a friend a few days ago said:
II have given some study to the
money question and have come to
believe in the single gold standard
If that were the only question in
volved in this campaign | might
vote against Bryan, but, as | look
at it, the question to be decided
by this election transcends any
difference about gold or silver. The
real issue before the people is:
Are the people or the money syn
dicates to rule the Republic? /
have watched the gradual exciu-
sion of the popular voice from gov
eminent and it's substitution by
syndicate of rich men until l
tremble for the Republics future.
Mr.. Bryan stands pledged to put
an end to government by mOnopO-
lies, trusts and syndicates, and
bring us back to a government by
and of the people. This pressing
need, as vital as the perpetuation
of free government, is paramount
stands for continuation of pre-
sent financial methods, to wit: a
dependence by government on
money kings. | believe a cOntin-
uance of such dependence will ut
terly destroy the faith of the people
in free government, and win jeop-
ardize the life of the Republic /
shall vote for the rule of the peo-
pie. If they err, they will correct
their errors. Government by syn
dicate is blight, curse, precuT-
sor Of anarchy, the father of com
munism, and the destroyer of lib
erty."
This modest gentleman, who never
supposed his words would be quoted,
has graphically portrayed the present
political struggle. 1t is not one of
poverty against wealth; it is not one
of those who have against those who
have not; it is not a raid against prop
erty, against banks, against corpora
tions as such. The effort to so misrep-
resent the uprising against government
by bank syndicates into a communis-
tic struggle fulfils the prediction of
Mr.. Lincoln, who said: "As a result
of the war corporations have been
enthroned, and an era of corruption in
high places will follow, and the money
power of the country will endeavor
to prolong its reign by working upon
the prejudices of the people until all
wealth is aggregated and the Repub-
lie destroyed" His closing words are
like the views of the gentleman whom
we have quoted: 81 feel at this moment
more anxiety for the safety of my
country than ever before even in the
midst of war;
Every appropriated observer has
seen all the power of government used,
not for the protection of the rights of
the people, but for the enrichment of
the bondholders and gold spectators.
Little by little the money syndicate has
obtained control The first act of the
conspiracy, according to Mr.. Carlisle,
was to demonetize silver with out pub
lie discussion, thereby "to destroy by
legislation, and otherwise, from three
seventies to one half of the metallic
money of the world" This Mr. Car
Isle called, 'The most gigantic crime
of this or any other age" He predic-
ted what has come to pass: "The con-
ultimately entail more misery upon
the human race than all the wars, pest
licences and famines that ever occurred
in the history of the world
The second step was to make govern
ment obligations that were payable in
any money, payable Sin coin" Next to
secure from a plant Secretary Of the
Treasury a ruling that all ''coin" obi
CATIONS should be paid in gold" thus
giving the option belonging to the tax
payers to the bondholders. Step by
step has the money syndicate moved to
obtain successive advantages, until the
gold reserve, maintained without au-
thority of law, is made the agency by
which they raid the Treasury and
force the issue of bonds, increasing
the public debt with no advantage to
the government but to the great profit
of the gold speculators.W When the seig-
niorage act was presented to the Presi-
dent, he told Representative Mcmillan
that if he signed it the money kings
would precipitate a panic. Since then,
on three occasions, they have held the
threat of panic over the President,
and his Secretary of the Treasury, and
compelled them to issue 1852, 900, 900
of bonds, and in one instance, made a
bargain that put a profit of $20,000,00O
in their own pockets in return for "pro-
tecting the gold reserve" Lately
these very men have, at their own ex-
pense, obtained gold and voluntarily
deposited it in the Treasury, and thus
shown that their former acts were
nothing more than the "hold-ups' of
the highway robber. Now they main
tain the gold reserve without pay, and
yesterday Secretary Carlisle offered
the country the humiliating sight of
going to New York to confer with
Mr.. j. Pierpont Morgan and his assoc
ciates, who have periodically main
tanned the credit of the Government"
to quote a subsidized paper.
There is not an intelligent voter in
America that does not know that Nor
gan e. Co. hold the Government at
their mercy; that they coerce even the
President into issuing unnecessary
bonds, thus robbing the people for
their own private benefit; that they
have compelled Mr. Carlisle to give up
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