The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1896-06-19
THINK F0R Y0URgELF.

is generally employed in the further
anoe of selfish ends. The deplorable
condition in which these common PEG
pie find themselves to-day is brought
on to a large extent by letting moneyed
men have a monopoly on the thinking
business in finance.
The financial question is as simple as
any other economic problem, and there
would be no misunderstanding in the
matter had the people not been misled
by the cunningly constructed sophis-
tries and dogmas of these same bankers
and capitalists who gain from legisla-
ton creating conditions adverse to the
public good.
Money is a creation Of civilization
and civilization means law. Before
mankind banded together for common
defense and formed governments there
was no need of money, the exchange of
property being conducted by barter
With governments came taxes for their
maintenance, and the idea of money as
amedium of exchange followed. Money
has no real value only as a convenience
10 exchanging the products Of one man
for those Of another. From the scarcity
of gold and silver and adaptability OF
the to metals, the early governments
established the two as money material,
thus giving them a value that other
wise would not have existed. In other
words, by giving the two metals use
they became commodities.
Money must be bought, and its price
is as much controlled by supply and
demand as is that of wheat, corn, beef
pork, iron or copper. If the demand
exceeds the supply, the price of money
advances, and it takes more products
of labor to purchase a dollar than when
the supply is equal to the demand
When money is scarce, prices of com
modities, measured in money, decrease
when money is plenty, prices of com
modities, measured in money, increase
While there is not, and never will be
a perfect monetary standard, one that
never fuctuates, it is proven beyond g
doubt by past experience that the bi
metallic standard comes very near per
lection and is the golden mean between
the debtor and the creditor. Should g
too great demand be put upon the one
metal, the other takes its place and
prevents those commissions of industry
so common to the workings of the GOLD
standard, which are called panics anc
which are brought on by a scarcity Of
money and a consequent fall in the
price of all commodities.
There is just about enough gold and
silver in the world to furnish material
for money, but the leading nations Of
the world having demonetized silver
an excessive and unnatural demand
for gold has been created that has
caused its price to advance in the last
quarter of a century at least 100 pei
cent as compared with commodities
With all the leading nations using gold
as the sole money metal, a mad scram-
BILE has resulted in which the products
of one country are pitted against the
products of other countries, each coun-
try offering more, alternately, for the
precious metal, until the cost line has
been reached. But still there is no
prospect of the disastrous bidding
ceasing in this devils auction. room
while gold must be had and products
can buy it. Ruin everywhere, yet the
higher goes the bids for gold.
This is the condition the producer
finds confronting him, while the CAPT
talist and banker, who have been think
ing for the people and prOfting from
this condition, tell the people the gold
standard is all right and with a perpet
ual bond issuing policy the country i;
bound to prosper; that portion of the
public who are beginning to think and
reason for themselves know better
They know, just as well as the banker
and capitalist, that the only escape
the common people have from 5eggsry
and hopeless toll lies in the creation o.
more money through the remOnetizs-
ton of silver, and the inevitable rise il
prices that will follow.
1t doesn't take a banker or capitalist
or scholar to reason cut the matter
It is just a question Of basing Chi
entire wealth of the world, its debts, it,
credits, its business and its progress
upon less than four billions dollars o
gold. The people have taken the bank
srs' advice in ths.past and behold the
Fesult It is time for the common PEG
pie to think for themselves and &C
accordingly.