Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-10-15

To THE WoEKINGMES OF TuE UNITED
STATES:
1t will only be a few days now before
you will be called upon to exercise the
sovereign power granted you by our
constitution-the right OF suffrage.
Before casting your ballots permit
me. as one of your number. to make a
few pertinent suggestions.
The one great fact that stares US all in
the face is that of the wretChed and
heart-broken condition of millions of
our fellow workmen.
How can the awful suffering of our
people he alleviated is. l1iow. your
greatest concern.
Reflect, then. for 4 moment and rea-
son with yourselves as To whether the
distressing conditions prevailing are the
result of natural or artificial causes.
a natural cause would he the failure
of our soil to yield sufficient food to
sustain our people. Famine would re-
suit and Il financial panic would be u
natural consequence.
An artificial cause would he the fail
ure upon the part Of the people. in the
event Of bounteous harveSis. to get the
grain from the graEaries.
Now, TO obtain our food supplies.
what does modern civilization require
from US: The medium OF exchange
money.
Therefos.. you are directly concerned
as to the volume of money hl circula-
ton. for upon that depends the oppor-
,unity OF exchanging your labor for the
neCessaries and comforts of life.
If the quantity of money be limited
y G iS in IN or ~ g. n
ita. very low state of civilization pre-
walls and human beings are practically
transformed into animals for the bene-
fit of a few individuals called manda-
rims or nohlemen. If the quantity be
greater. as in Mexico. ,r' Snain. or
Italy, or Portugal. higher state Of
civilization prevails and the people are
in 4 much better condition than the
Chinese. If. as in France. a $40 per
capita prevails. we reach a high grade
of civilization and find that nearly 80
00G. 1o0 of human beings can exist COM
fortabIy within that small area of ter
riiory.
Therefore. in my Judgment. whether
in this land of fertility our per capita
of money be 81 or $40 directly concerns
our welfare and determines whether we
are to he free men or slaves.
The following resolution OF the Penn
sylavania Republican convention OF
1895 is in point here:
We. the Republicans of Pennsyl-
vania. in convention assembled. repeat
for the regulation and government of the
national currency the following prin-
ciples of finance. which wese announced
to us at our last state convention.
and which since then have received
Zens:
We favor the EXPANSION Of the cir
cuIating medium of the country until
the same shall amount to $4,000 per
capita of our population.
The farmers. also. through their Ma
tional Alliance. have repeatedly de
manded a circulating medium OF 5000
per capita. to keep pace with our re-
quirements.
If our soil yields us sufficient for
our needs. and representing that yield
is small volume of money. n panic Is
the result and distress is general.
This is an artificial panic and the
gamers under such a state of affairs
are the few who become noblemen or
masters. and the sufferers are the
many who. through long continuation
OF such a system. become slaves.
Now. let me call your attention TO
some figures.
The volume of gold and silver in the
world is estimated at $1,000. 600 900.
about equally divided between the two
metals.
IT. as the gold men fear. America
shall he deluged by n flood Of silver.
let us see wha; that food would amount
In in the event of the fulfillment of
their prophecy.
If the entire worlds stock Of silver
dollars 60, 500. 600 coo, were exchanged
for American labor and prod
ucts. how much would We get? Fifty
dollars per capita. or trific more than
the volume Of money France employs
today-a country possessing about one
tenth Of our area.
Just thing of it, To accomplish such
result we must deplete the treas
uries of every country upon the face
of the Clobe' France must yield 10
US one-half OF its specie wealth and
contract its volume of money CORE
spondinely- Mexico. China and India
must surrender their all. and there
after do business upon some other basis
than a specie one.
Yet. this is the dire prediction OF the
gold standard advocates in TIN. even,
of the United States adopting bimet
allisuI
Do you believe sucl; a result would FOL-
low our return Ia bimetallic policy.
And il you do. would you not be quick
10 vote for financial policy that would
practically give to us one-half the
specie wealth of the world?
Let US examine into our stool, 90
gold. There are no available proofs
that We possess q gold stock Of $3.50
oc9. 900. or $500 per capita. But for
argument sake. VIII admit OF such a
stock on hand
II, as the bankers Of the country
demand. we destroy our greenbacls
and treasury notes. and II. as Secre-
tary Carlisle says. silver doIlars are