Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-05-19
TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 10, 1896
WHO OWNS THIS COUNTRY?

j. Sterling Morton, who has just
made his initial visit TO New Mexico,
delivered an address in New York, re-
Gently. Among other things, he said: =
Tle owners and proprletors of this coun-
try demand for it gold monometallism
with a subsidiary silver coinage) to con-
serve its prosperity and its credit. And if
each of those owners and proprietors will
be conscientious enough, brave enough and
wise enough in his sphere of influence, to
rise from partyism and prejudice to patri-
otism and deliberate judgment, he will so
declare himself.
"The owners and proprietors of
this country may be the true designa-
ton for those who are demanding gold
recommendation it may be that the cap
italists and the bankers do own this
country, and that they have proprie-
tary rights, but it CRATES a little upon
American citizenship to be referred to
by a public official as mere chattels.
But there is altogether too much of
truth in the expression. Under a false
economic system, the wealth of this
nation has rapidly centralized in the
hands of the few, and these "owners
and proprietors of this country are
demanding that the masses shall be
compelled 10 pay the money which
they have been obliged to borrow in a
purchasing power which is being aug
mented at every revolution of the sun.
There are, however, some people,
still animated by the spirit which gave
to the world the declaration of inde-
pe%ndence, who are not demanding gold
recommendation, and the number is
growing with each passing day, be-
cause the masses are beginning to
discover that this policy demanded by
"the owners ard the p%roprietors" Of
this country is intended to reduce
them 10 a condition of serfdom little
better than that of Russia. There can
be no doubt Of it; this republic can.
not survive the conditions which the
unpatrIotic money changers are at
tempting to force upon the people, and
the attitude of such time-serving
sycophants as Mr.. Morton simply
shows the arrogance and degradation
which must come when these ssowners
and proprietors" have fastened upon
the people an Indebtedness which can
not hope to be l~iquidated.
A single gold standard in the United
States means a doubling OF every dol
lar of Indebtedness, producing a con-
dition which must result 10 the
practical e~nslavement OF the people.
This language is o Incorporate; we
are surrounded by conditions which
ought to arouse every honest and patri-
otto man to action, and yet We see men
who ought to know something of pub
lie policy men who are occupying po-
sitions once filed by statesmen, placid
ly assuring the people that what they
want is a larger volume Of indebted
ness and less money with which to pay
it; that in order to prevent gold leav-
ing us, we should increase the output
of interest bearing bonds and retire,
not alone u demand obligations, but
the silver which we have coined, and
is worth as much, ounce for /
ounce. in the nnrehase Of the nrna.e.si L
Of toll in any market OF the world as it :
in 1878. Yes, there are ewspa ,
pers, claiming to- be republican news {
papers, which are proposing to read s
out of the party the brave men who are '
for human rights and for hu- =
nan liberties, and who are demanding .
hat the people shall have a right to I
pay their debts in the same purchasing $
which vas represented In their Z
!.
We thank Mr.. Morton, the turnkey 4
If the Cleveland regime, for this ex- r
we thank him for the declar- 7
that ''owners and proprietors Of !,
his country demand gold monometal-
IL ought 10 call the attention b