Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-07-10


People Have Been Tmpoverishe,
The Logic Of Bimetallism-Ike
suits of Falling Prices-SOme
thing of Great Interest to Farm
ers and Wage.Earmers.
w. II. Harvey, the famous autho
OF Coins Financial School," latel
addressed an audience of several thou
sand people at Greenville, Ohio. Th
meeting was held under the auspices O
the silver organization, "The Patriots O
America" an order established by MI
Harvey, and which has grown in
short time to formidable proportions.
1t embraces many of the unswerabl
arguments in favor OF an equality o
the white metal with gold, and thi
number of the STANDARD should b,
filed away for reference when con
fronted by the sophistries of the gold
! bug.
Mr.. CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLE
MEN, AND MEMBERS OF THE ORDER OF
THE PATRIOTS OF AMERICA: | have
come to your county TO speak here to.
day to encourage your unseliish citi-
zens who have raised the standard oI
an order intended to regulate the civic
nOnItrnt nf tba a,,l 10 fraa
government from the control OF all
selfish organizations.
When great questions have pressed
themselves upon the United States
the people of Ohio have been true to
the traditions of Jefferson and Lin
coin. When questions affecting the
liberties OF the people and the exist
ence OF the republic have demanded
y verdict, the people of Ohio have
spoken intelligently on the side Of hui
manity.
Individual sel6shness crystalized
into laws has been the cause of the
downfall of all republics. When the
people of republic, by example and
training, become worshipers of Nam.
mon, all laws are made and construed
for the accumulation and protection
of property interests, and the princi-
Piles OF humanity are neglected. 1t is
the crucial period in the history of a
republic. In the history of the world
no people Of a republic have ever cue
cessfully met and overthrown the
spirit of seltishness. In the history OF
popular governments, selfishness has
manipulated the law-making power
and absorbed the property of the peo-
pie into the hands of the few. Then
came distress and riots and the claim
that the republic was failure, and
then came monarchy.
The reason why this is possible is
because the people, as a rule, do not
understand how laws affect civiliza-
ton. Let me illustrate what / mean
in simple way: Under the feudal
land laws of Europe, the right was
given the land owner to settle his land
on the oldest son. to descend indefi'
nitely from oldest son to oldest SON
1t was called the law of " entail" I'm.
der that law, less than one per cent. oil
the people became owners of the land
and SO per cent. of the people became
tenants, among whom our forefathers
were numbered. They, our forefathers
fled from these nations, where they
had protested in vain against these
laws, and provided in our constitution
against estates entail.
In this instance, it can be readily
seen how law nodded the civilization
OF those people.
For, there is no such thing as an
advanced or an advancing civilization
when the masses of the people are
tenants and not the owners of homes
And, while we can understand how a
law, in that instance, nodded civiliza-
ton, the people as a whole living un.
der it did not understand its effect on
their civilization, and protected and
defended it. The landlords influence
extended to his butler, his household
servants, his favored tenants, his at
torney, merchant and others who Ca
tered to his wealth and gave undue
importance to his opinions.
SPIRIT OF MAMMONIsM.
1t is a spirit of mammonism thai
causes us to worship wealth and the
opinion of those who possess wealth
The men of wealth are the best bust
ness men we have, but the least capa
BILE OF understanding the principles
upon which republic is founded.
The men to whom refer wish laws
that encourage unbridled selfishness
Such men in time become the ene'
mics of a republic. Their opinions
are not the opinions that the masses
of the people should follow.
We are living under laws that are
making their impress upon our civili
cation; that, if further permitted, viii
result as fatally to our republic and to
human happiness, as have the feuda
laws OF Europe and any that have
overthrown the republics of the past
We have learned, however, in this
republic, what the people of other re-
publics discovered too late to save
their free institutions-that selfish In
terests may capture not only individ'