The herald., 1896-10-31

that extent we are on bimetallic basis.
But If the Republican party shall sue
ceed at the polls this fall and the pres
ent government policy of paying SOW
ernment obligations in gold at the op-
tion of the holders of these obligations
shall be apparently endorsed by the
people at the polls then look out for the
beginning of the fruits of sure enough
single gold standard basis.
The threat of John G.. Carlisle to re-
deem silver certificates and silver dol
lars in gold at the option of the holders
can then be carried out. The doors vii:
then be opened for unlimited raids upon
the. gold reserve in the treasury. That
reserve can then only be maintained by
unlimited issues of government bonds.
These bonds will be made the basis of
such issues of national bank paper as
the banks see fit to make. The green
backs and silver certificates can. and
doubtless will be, called in and retired,
and the business of the country will be
conducted upon paper basis, with the
government assuming all responsibility
for the paper and the banks controlling
the volume of the currency and enjoying
all the profits incident to its issue. Then
will the period be reached which Cleve-
land, Carlisle, Sherman & Co. attempted
to force upon the country by the bank
ing laws which Cleveland recommended
body refused to enact or sanction.
Then will the words of Calhoun, Gar
field. Jefferson and Jackson come to our
minds.
John c. Calhoun has said: THE bank
is the union of the government and the
money power, union far more danger
Gus than that of church and state"
Garfield said: whoever controls the
volume of money in any country is alb
solutely master of all its industries and
its commerce"
And, who, my friends, can imagine for
a moment that our republican institu-
tions will be safe when one set of men
become absolute masters of all the in
dustries and the commerce of this coun-
try? However wise and patriotic those
men might naturally be. the possession
of such vast power would make them
the masters; the masses of the people
would be virtually dependent upon those
masters for permission to exist, and
republic could not long continue under
such conditions Substantial freedom
of action upon the part of the masses OF
the people must exist to secure the con-
tinuation of equality before the law
The words of jefferson also come to
mind He said: Banks are more danger
Gus to the liberties of the people than
standing armies" Again, he said:
Bank paper must be suppressed and
the circulating medium must be restored
to the nation, where 1t belongs"
1t is time. my friends, that we should
say by our votes, as Andrew jackson
said by his outspoken declarations to
the money changers who sought to
throttle the government in his time:
"By the Eternal, we will see which is to
rule, the money power or the people,
| seek not, friends, to stir you up to
hostility against the banks. They are
good and useful institutions in their
proper sphere. and the men who are en-
gagged in the business of conducting ma
tional banks are neither worse nor bet
ter than other classes of citizens. But
do object to committing to their care
that supreme function of government
which transcends in Importance all 9TH
er functions of government, namely. the
function of issuing money That is
what they want. That is what they shall
not have.
There is no question but that one of
the most important issues for which we
are struggling in this controversy is to
prevent the national banks from alb
sorbing that function of government.
National bank notes are money in the
sense of being backed and guaranteed
by the government. and if the single gold
standard shall prevail and national
banks are allowed to have their way,
those notes will soon become the only
kind of money in general circulation and
in use. Let them thus absorb the con-
troll of the currency. and see how quick
ly they will act upon the undoubted
right of the debtor to choose the kind of
money in which he will pay his debts
Ask for gold in any considerable guam
tity of almost any bank in the east now,
and you will be told that the bank will
not pay your check in gold unless you
can show that you owe a mortgage
payable in gold or can give some equally
good reason for wanting that kind Of
money. They exercise the right of pay
ing their obligations in that kind of
money which best suits their own con-
venience. We claim that the govern
ment should exercise the same right, and
should pay it's obligations in gold or sill
Yer coin, at it's own option, and not at
the option of the man who seeks to
raid the treasury for the purpose of fore
ing an issue of government bonds. The
people of the United States are tired of
having men gamble in government Sc
curities and force issues of bonds in
times of peace, and they propose that it
shall stop. In order to stop it, let us
stand by the peoples champion, William
]. Bryan. Let us vote for straight DEM
ocratic or Populist electors, and let us
vote for the sixth amendment to the
constitution of this state. so that in he
next election the women, God bless them,
can, if necessary. help us to vote down
the cohorts of a foreign financial tyran-
nv which socks doroina TO