The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1896-10-01
BOB INGERSOLL
Used the Following Language Few Years
Ago in Denver.

Used the Following Language Few Years
Ago in Denver.
I said / would say one or two words
tonight on such vulgar things as gold
and silver. | am as satisfied as | am
that I live, that the few--the few who
control the debts, the currency, the
money of the world-have combined,
either consciously, or unconsciously
to make the debtor pay more than the
creditor has right to ask.
The tendency has always been in this
world to put the burdens on those least
able to bear them. In barbarian coun-
tries the women have to do the work
simply because they are the weaker
that is all. And the others, being the
stronger, do not expend their strength
in working, but expend their strength
in making the weaker do their work.
This is precisely the same in our civ
ilized society today. Between the rich
and the poor, if the burden is to be
borne in this country it is borne always
by the poor-always.
They are the first to suffer. Let the
blast of war blow in this country, who
goes to the war Who goes to the front !?
The millionaires Not one. Who goes :?
The great presidents of corporations I?
The bankers ? The men who preside
over great vaults of gold? Not much !
The poor go, because nine times out OF
ten the poorer the man is the more pa
triotic. The poor bear the burdens of
this country and of this world.
Only few years ago our money was
gold and silver-money that had been
the money of man for thousands of
years Our silver was demonetized and
gold made the standard.
There is no man in the United States
with ingenuity enough to account for
the demonetizatization of silver in 1878.
There is not one. We need altogether
more money than we have. How much
have we got /? Four or five hundred
millions of silver four or FIVE or six in
gold-six hundred millions, maybe, al
together. Let me show you.
Last year the farmers of America
raised, of corn, wheat and oats, over
81 900. 00O, 900 worth, and got the money.
Sixteen hundred million dollars just in
corn, wheat and oats-over $500, 600, 900
in corn, over $500, 900, 600 in wheat
Just think of it Sixteen hundred mil
lion dollars, not counting beef or pork
or petroleum or cotton, or any of the
manufactured articles of this country.
We need twice as much money per
capita to do the business of this country
than is needed to DO the business of
any other country. There is always
somebody that is crazy for fear there
will be more currency, want just all
the money we caH get.
Silver is good raough for me. All /
want of none, !, 10 pay my debts. Yes,
sir and I want the law to compel the
other fellow to take what l take. Thai
is good enough for me.
Now, they talk about hard times.
Well, we never had money enough, as
a matter of fact. But in good times
every prosperous man initiates the cur.
rency. He goes down to the grocer and
says, 81 want $5 worth of tea, or coffee
or sugar charge it." He had inflated
the currency So. He buys horse from
q neighbor and gives him note fol
$tO0. He has established letter o.
credit and inflated the currency tina
much. When prosperous, every man
mouth is mint, just coming money.
Then we have good times. Then the
bankers get together, and the money
you deposit, they loan it-your money
not theirs. They NEVER loan out thei
own. Then comes panic. Then yol
go to the grocer and say, charge it,
and he says hewon't. Then there come
what is called hard times, There is q
much money as before, but there neve
r was enough money and do think tn
less money the more misery. In thi
country as in every other money is tn
medium Of exchange.
q I believe that every ounce of silve
! that is dug under the American fla
should be coined free under the Ameri
E can flag. In my country they are most
ly on the other side. They are wit
: the bankers, with the rich fellows
They oct together and say We wan