The herald., 1896-09-06

lection that will ever protect the work.
ingmen of this country Is protection
against the pauper labor of Europe, be-
, cause for every benefit received by our
laboring men by the enactment of any
tariff laws, there will be corresponding
loss by the importation of cheap labor
from Europe by the Carnegies, HannaS
and Hobarts. 1t Is not more protection
for the rich manufacturers that we want
to bring prosperity to our suffering peo-
ple it is not for want of confidence in
our currency; what we want is more
money-a greater circulation per capita
We want the money of the constitu-
ton restored to it's former place.
THE MONEY QUESTION
During our great fratricidal war there
was a certain class Of national para
sites hanging on to the government and
sucking out it's life blood. Army follow
ers, army contractors, spectators and
a great unmber of others were bowling
loyalty and patriotism for revenue only.
Upon the close Of the great struggle
these human vultures found themselves
in possession Of millions and millions
of deprecated money, which they had
accumulated through the misfortunes
juncture who raised the cry of honest
money-duty of government to meet all
of it's obligations in the best money in
the world, etc.-and by keeping up this
howl of false loyalty and pretended
patriotism, and by denouncing all op-
position as disloyal and reputation,
they succeeded in fooling the people
long enough to get the notorious fund
ing act passed, by which they converted
their 50-cent greenback dollars into
government bonds, payable in gold and
silver at one hundred cents on the dol
lar, thus doubling up their ill-gotten
wealth and laying the, foundation for
this p1OpeyHd ariStOcracV which has
come so near wiping out the very prin-
ciples upon which this republic was
founded. The result Of this funding
bill and the resumption of specie pay
ment reduced our circulation from S67
per capita in 1866 to about $22 per capita
in 1873, and it was estimated by exeprts
at that date that one-half of the circu-
lating medium was boarded away, leav-
ing only an actual circulation of about
$11 per capita. This contraction of the
currency brought on the great panic of
1873, and wiped out the homes and liv-
ing Of 25,000,0O0 of our people, leaving
men, women and children helpless,
homeless and destitute, while the human
vulture fattened and fiourished upon
the prostrate forms Of his helpless vic
Tins. And yet the people submitted
without revolt, and saw their homes
swept away. In the city of Chicago,
where I happened to be at the time,
more than three-fourths of all the homes
changed hands under foreclosure of
mortgages and otherwise for less than
one-third of their cost, and these great
wrongs were all perpetrated in the
name Of an honest dollar.
Money. like all other commodities. Is
governed by supply and demand. And
If, by legislation or otherwise. YOU cut
off one-half the supply, you double the
value of the other half. And no one
understands this better than the great
money powers, who do not hesitate to
bring about by any kind Of questionable
methods a contraction Of the circula-
ton for their own selfish ends. The
ink was hardly dry upon the gold and
silver bonds which the government
turned over to these money sharks, un-
til they commenced a crusade against
one-half Of the little supply of money
which the people had left after resumpt-
By an act of fraudulent legislation the
silver dollar which was worth at the
time per cent premium over gold, was
cut down to SO cents on the dollar
If by an act of legislation, silver
could be reduced to half value, cannot
the government in a similar manner re-
store it to its former value? Is it not
bad rule that will not work both ways?
THE REMEDY
Let the government adopt free COIN
age of silver at the ratio Of 16 to /, with
such prudent legislation as may be
necessary for its safeguard-make it re-
ceivable in payment of all government
dues. all import duties and debts public
and private, on the same footing with
gold-pay With It the Interest on our