The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-10-27
SPEECH OF GEO. e. BoGGs.

Chairman of the Executive OF
the Peoples Party Of the 9th District,
North Carolina at AshevilIe, Recently.
FELLOW CITIzENs:-I appear before
you as a Peoples party man and in
tend to make a Peoples party speech.
Monopoly is the order of the day.
We have more than a hundred trusts
on iron, steel, sugar, oil, coal-in fact
nearly everything ordinarily consumed
by our people. The body polite might
we'll be llkened to q man covered with
leaders, each one voraciously sucking
his life blood
GIANT TWINS.
But there are two giant monOpolies
that might well be called twins so
closely are their interests inter woven,
and 80 great and far-reaching are their
evil influences. / refer to the monop
oily Of money which is the life blood of
civiliz alton and the monopoly Of trans
portation of the control of the great
highways of commerce. By these
t 70 our people have been robbed of
many millions upon millions more than
by all other agencies combined.
THE MONEY QUESTION PARAMOUNT.
In speaking of money, the leading
issue in this contest, if I keep my
promise aud make a Peoples party
speech, I will not make a little two by
four silver speech.
Populists are in favor of the free
coinage of silver mainly because they
realize that so long as the me- )rity Of
people worship the old fetish Of gold
and silver, believing they are money
and the only money in the world, it is
of the utmost Importance TO have as
broad a base as possible for the huge
structure of credit money" that must
be built On them.
PYRAMID ON ITS APEX
at present our financial system is
ike a pyramid on it's apex-a small
foundation Of gold-our only money Of
final pay ment with a huge structure OF
credit built on it. 1t is claimed we
have about 5000 900. 900 of gold. There
is good reason to doubt the correctness
CT this estimate, but let hat pass.
Nearly all of this is locked up in the
vaults Of tie government, ard of banks
and hidden away by individuals. Ole
rarely sees a gold coin.
Is it any wonder that our finances
are 50 easily manipulated by a COM
paratirely few money lords2 Is it
strange that this awkward structure go
often topples over causing ruin and
q saster to our people.
SILVER A GOOD ENTERING WEDGE
I5 is evident that the agitation OF the
silver question has been of great b9ne
fit in irving asunder old party lines
and opening up the whole money ques
ton to earneot investigation and dis
cussicn.
The Importance Of the silver question
has been greatly exaggerated by many
who favor silver and by all who op
pose it.. The heart and soul of this
controversy is not of what material
shall money be made, but who shall
MAKE ISSUE n CONTROL IT.
4 great many people think that il
free coinage is secured all our woes are
at an end, and we will be at once
Landed in a paradise Of prosperity. a
hasty glance at our financial history
will show that this is q great delusion.
From the foundation Of our govern,
ment we have had financial panics fol
lowing each other in frequent C
sion-all of them bringing disaster and
ruin to thousands and loss and in Try
to the masses. The panics Of 1887 and
1857 were
CYCLONES CT DESTRUCTION IN RUIN
I will put on the witness stand two
OF our greatest statesmen in the past.
Calhoun, IN speaking Of the malign in
fdence of the money power as exerter
through the banks said to allow to cor
porations and individuals the control
Of the volume of currency was to
place in their hands the most cruel
engine Of oppression that could be IN
Uented."
Webster said "people wonder why
psn'cs ecu so frequently. lean tell
them why. 1t is to the interests of the
bankers and brokers that they should
occur. 1t is n of the specious meth
DDS by which these despotic and utter,
ly useless knaves rob the producing,
manufacturing and mercantile classes
of their honest earnings. 1t is one of
the chief plans by which this infamous
ring is fastening the chains of slavery on