Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-01
WHAT WILL THE PEOPLE OO2

adopted TIE following resolution.
Resolved. The executive council of the
| American Bankers Association, assem-
bled at the meeting in New York city, de-
| clare unequivocally in favor of the main
| tcnance of the existing gold standard of
| value and recommend 10 all the bankers
| and to the customers of all banks the ex
ercise of all their influence as citizens
| in their various States 10 select delegates
| 10 the political conventions of both the
| great parties who will declare unequivo-
| cally in favor of the maintenance of the
existing gold standard of value"
There is Il lesson in this declaration
| that ought not to be lost on the people.
| The banks declare that the single gold
standard now exists in this country.
| They feel that it is 10 their pecuniary
| advantage that it should continue to
| exist. Theg know that it has doubled
| the value of the commodity in which
| they deal-mOney. They know that it
| has doubled the value of debts and in
| terest. They feel that in this way it
| has enlarged their profits and increas
ed their power. Consequently they be-
lieve that it ought to be maintained,
and they do not hesitate to say so.
They do not beat about the bush.
| They do not prate about parity and
the ''debt-paying power of the dollar,
for they know that the debt-paying
power of the dollar remains precisely
what il was twenty years ago, while
its purchasing power has been doubled.
| They do not dodge, nor evade. nor try
TO deceive anybody. They know that
the single gold standard now exists.
and that ii gives them tremendous
advantage in many ways. and they dc
not hesitate to declare that it ought TO
be maintained They do not hesitate
| TO avow their purpose to inaugurate
a campaign of their own in order that
the single gold standard shall be main
| tanned.
Now. this is business. There is an
| openness. IL holiness about the declara-
ton of the associated banks that ought
TO attract the admiration of all honest
| men. Why cannot the people whose
interests are hurt and whose prosper
| ity is destroyed by the single gold stand
ard be as open and as bold in express
ing their views as the banks are? If
| the people-the merchants. the business
men, the manufacturers and the farm
ers-the producers of the country-are
handicapped by timid and time-serv-
ing politicians. it is their own fault.
They have only TO rise in their might.
| give expression TO their desires. and
| the politicians who now seem TO be
timid and hesitating will be as bold as
lions. But one thing remains and
| that is for the people themselves to
stand rs united. as harmonious. and as
| bold. in favor of their own interests
as the banks do for theirs
| 1t is useless TO criticiSe the banks for
their attitude. They think the gold
standard is best for their interests, and
it is-at least temporarily. We are of
the opinion that the banks outside of
the big money centers of the East will
find that what the gold standard is
putting in mt one end it is pinching off
| at the other. We think that eventual
| ly they will be hurt more than they
| are helped. But that is neither here
nor there. Temporarily the gold stand
| ard is enlarging their profits and gains,
and they are in favor of it purely as
| matter of business.
There are more than ten thousand
voters to every bank i'm the country.
| Consequently the remedy of the people
| is 10 90 to the polls and vote down the
gold standard and restore prosperity to
the country by remonetiZing silver.
| This will not hurt any banker. but will
promote the interests of all. The gold
| standard helps only those who deal in
| mOney-the money Understand hurts
all who produce or deal i'm other com
modities. for the process by which
| money. debts, taxes and the rates of
| loans and discounts have been doubled
[ in value. has taken away half the val
tie of the products of factory and farm
the products of human labOr-reduc-
| ed the demand for goods and cut down
| profits i'm all lines of business and mer-
camille pursuits.
These interests, instead of cOncen-
trating their opposition to the gold
standard in criticism of the attitude of
the banks, should boldly and unitedly
| take issue with the money power and
| declare i'm favor of the restoration of
| silver TO its old place as part of the
redemption money of the country.
Never has the money power been as
| bold and confident as il is now. Never
before has it had the courage to de-
clare its program and make public it's
purposes to contract the currency of
the people Why cannot the people.
whose most vital interests are con
| cerned, be as bold and as confident as
the money power and the banks? Has
the ruin already wrought by the gold
standard paralyzcd them? Have they
already fitted their necks to the yoke of
the money power? Let us hope not
They have been deceived. but there
is no reason why they should be de-
cciyed now.
The money power has published its
program to the world, and has an
| nOunced that it will make campaign
to maintain the gold standard. Now