The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-07

The fathers thought that they had
made a new departure in government,
when they adopted the Declaration of
independence and when, later, they
framed and adopted the constitution
for the Union. They thought, and fer
vid orators have been ever since de-
claring, that they had shuff1ed off all
the distinctive features of monarchial
governments and established here a
government of freemen by free men.
But we are all largely creations of our
environment. and that is largely made
up of hereditary habits. We break
away from some, as the fathers did
over a century ago, but some cling to
us still, some of the bad ones, and we
wear them unconscious of their
badness and of their bad orr
gin. For one illustration the fathers
accepted, as a proper, right and le-
Ultimate method Of raising revenue,
system that exempts wealth and lays
the whole burden on consumption; an
excellent plan for a monarch, whose
constant endeavor is to get revenue
from the people without their knowing
1t. but very bad one for a republic.
But there is another device of mon
archs which was also Incorporated
into our institutions that is fully as
bad and as utterly defenseless In a
republic as is a system of "plucking
feathers from the geese without their
knowing it," and that is this doctrine
OF legal tender. 1t was fraud in its
inception, has been a fraud ever since
and was, never more one than todav.
1t was the device of monarchs. who
had debased the currency of the realm
to make people take it at a value If
old not have; or it was used to force
loan from the people by making them
take governmental promises to nav
which the government could not re-
deem. Tt never has served any good
purpose and never can, and 1t never
becomes operative that it does not
work mischief and disaster. And still
the good people Of this country. and
none more than those who are now
enoeaVoring to bring about a change
OF our monetary system, insist on re-
tanning this appendage Of kingly and
despotfc power and seem to resard
1t as somehow bound UP with their
liberty. 1t is the obstacle to tha sa++1a
ment OF this coinage question, which
would be instantly settled in favor of
free and unlimited coinage were II
not also proposed that, for debt-nav-
Ing, so cents worth of silver sbo,1a
be worth a dollar. If, like anv other
commodity, it could pay no more debts
than It's market value gave it, it might
be used without limit.
1t is mistake to suppose that an1,
form of money must have the sunnor+
Oh legal tender. A national bank
bill and silver certificate cannot he
used to pay a debt with if the erection
object and yet who ever heard of anv
creditor refusing either? Silver dol
lars and treasury notes of 1890 are not
legal tender in payment of debt
where the contract stipulates for nav
ment in something else. And vet these
coins and paper money perform every
day the functions of money. b,,v
things. pay for them. pay debts. Just
as freely as gold coins do. They are
sustained by the credit Of tbe
government, that is, the faith
Of all people that their equality
with unquestionable money will be
preserved. Let that confidence be i'm
paired. as it was with the greenbaeks
during. and after the war, or strained
by overissues. and men are reluctant
20 take this currency, it falls in
value and then the legal tender he
gins to operate. but only to hurt. It
hurts the creditors first, but one class
caLnot be hurt without all the others
feeling the Injury. The hand is i'm
paired when the foot Is crippled.
Justice Field, In dissenting opinion,