The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-12


of Nineteenth century robbery accord
ing to law, the speaker devoted some
time to the robbers of today and the
subtle methods of fraud and cunning
by which the people were deceived and
subjected to the servitude of debt.
1.-The country-old and most gigantic
weapon used by civilized man TO enslave
man is redemption money and interest
bearing debt" This portion Of the lee
ture was embellished by historical facts
and startling statistics which left no
doubt in the minds of those present that
the subject had received an unusual
amount Of thought and extended re-
search.
The effect Of redemption money by
which the products and industries OF
man were measured and all other money
redeemed was clearly portrayed. The
nation staggering beneath burden OF
Understanding bonded debt and the
fact was as apparent as any wrong III
the history of the race and could be as
clearly proved that the professional
managers of finance had for centuries
conspired TO keep gold as redemption
money and had obtained monopoly
of that metal by wars of conquest,
waged for the purpose of enlarging the
slave system of debt and conquering the
laborer at home and the taxpayer
abroad.
The world wondered why the savage
Turk had been permitted 10 slaughter
Armenia; it was because no European
power dared engege in war without per-
mission Of the gold-owning class. In
the rescue of Armenia no opportunity
was afforded TO increase the value OF
Turkish bond paper, as Turkey and
nearly all the powers of Europe were
dependencies on the gold power. the
slave system of debt would not have
been enlarged, hence let Armenia die.
s'fOut of every ten wars nine could
have been avoided If the government
had refused TO mortgage posterity to
the gold-owning class and had seized
upon the gold to carry on the w$r as it
seized upon it's citizens to wage 1t. The
right of the state or nation to the life
Of it's citizens to defend its honor is I'M
questioned; the right of the safe or ma
ton to the unusued gold Of the coWardly
rich to pay the defenders of their prop
erty and sustain the honor Of the flag
should also be conceded"
Our national debt in its bonded and
unbonded forms was dealt with from
March l, 1866, up to the close of the
year 1895, and the speaker quoted from
the Kansas Chief Justice Judge David
Martin and Americas distinguished
historian, John Clarke Ridpath, to show
that the people had paid on this debt
sum total in interest almost equal to
the principle and yet through change
in the monetary system had paid moth
ing.
The worlds output of gold, Americas
output of gold, our Indebtedness to Eu-
rope, the amount of interest annually
due foreigners were dwelt upon in de-
tail and 1t was clear TO the mind or
every listener that the commercial
strength had been sadly crippled by our
financial folly. while we are compell-
ed TO suffer an annual loss upon real
estate, labor and the leading commodi
ties of the American market, a loss so
great that arithmetic can not hardly
express it, while we are compelled 10
meet the interest upon constantly in
creasing Indebtedness, the answer as to
What Ais Us?' must be apparent to
everyone; not even excepting those
whose cupidity and stupidity have
brought this condition of affairs upon
u.s.
The speaker declared that while the
restoration of our legal and constitu-
tional silver money to its original pro-
portional value with gold. would not
prove panacea for every i'll or usher in
the Millennium il would bring about sew
eral happy results, and proceeded to de-
clare them among which were, that it
would at once revive prosperity by
adding one hundred per cent to the
rdoducts of labor and the release Of
the debtor class from the creditor class.
1t would make the money Of payment
the same as the money of obIga ton and
the money that was good enough for
the American people should be good
enough for the vultures who had come
unbidden 10 our feast to defile that
which they could not bear away.
There are other conditions" said the
speaker, other economic laws, obedi-
ence to which will tend to bring about
mans advancement and aid him in the
struggle of life; but obedience TO econ
omic law will not exempt us from the
penalty OF violated moral law" Here
a graphic picture was presented of the
contrast between the methods of Christ
in making the world through the recon-
struction of the individual, a growth
from within, and the methods of His So
called followers by reconstructing So
ciety and controlling the individual
with a constable. She declared with
Wendell Phillips that law had become a
gigantic farce under the influence Of
wealth, the recognition of the strongest
and that the object Of good law was to
repeal or trample bad laws under foot.
Here a glowing tribute was paid John
| Brown of Kansas, who hurled himself
against the infamous laws Of his time
and taught men that when law becomes
despotism clothed in power, corruption
robed in legality, dishonesty masked in
! ho
point the speaker said, Thank God.
/ that IN our day, a John Brown is not
| lacking; the fearless and brainy editor
| Of the Eagle, Colonel NJ. NJ. Murdoch.
/ who was defying corporate power and
| the intrigues Of state, dare bravely
/ help humanity mold a better future"
/ The legal decision that sent the
/ daughter OF wealth to visit a jail for
/ three hours for numbering in cold blood
| a little hungry black boy for taking a
pear, was dwelt upon with an earnest
/ ness that told Of smouldering hatred on
! injustice. A word painting OF realistic
/ beauty. a peroration of eloquence and
/ intensity closed an unusually instruc-
/ tive lecture of more than one hour and
! thirty minutes duration.
! In closing her address she gave an elo-
/ ouent epitome taken from the pages Of
history showing that the dawn of pros
perity was near; that people were read
/ ing. were thinking, were rejecting and
( would arise in their God given rights
/ and break asunder the bonds and fet-
( tiers OF Old England whose policy had
! brought ruin 10 every land which had
bowed in meek submission TO her die
IS tas.
She declared that II was unworthy
( the victory won al Lexington, sanctifiet
I on every battle field that America
should ask those who had creCified a
| loving savior for permission 70 coin the
silver OF this country. On a gold basis