The herald., 1896-10-25


wall of opposition, made up of the su-
perintendents of the reservoirs and their
friends who had filled their own bitches
and hundreds upon hundreds who
thought the managers "ought to know
best" and other hundreds who believed
the soil was worn out, or that the wheels
DID need greasing, and still others who
feared they could not live without dis
titled water.
And the managers argued: "Why,
you simpletons, you have more water
today than you ever had before, and it's
all distilled and as good as ours" But
II we have plenty of water, why don't
the wheels go around?" "Oh, that's be-
cause we have not turned on the full
force of the water; there will be plenty
of water when we once set 1t flowing,
but we can't do it at present because
the pipes and bitches are all clogged
up with the dust you've been raising
over this silly matter of your own reser-
voir and the connecting pipe and the
rubbish that blows in through that open
gate. We don't want your common spring
water mixed up with our distilled water,
and If you insist upon opening up the
sources of supply to your own reservoir
and putting in that ridiculous pipe we
shall simply draw our distilled water
off in bottles and you will not have
drop of distilled water to drink or to
bathe in, or to run your mills and fac
tories with. Our neighbors across the
sea will get it all, and what will you do
without any distilled water?" And the
people cried: Spring water will quench
our thirst and make us clean and start
our industries, and your distilled water
has not done that for twenty years. We
want the water system put back where
it was before. We want it in such shape
that you can't turn it. off and on at
your own sweet will while our property
is going to ruin and thousands of us are
dying of thirst. We want the dreadful
knell of that bell stopped, for we know
now what it is and why it rings. VIII
you open the reservoir"
Then with a loud, defiant roar.
Like waves upon a rock-girt shore,
Rang back the answer
Neverrnore.
In the money history of the United
States we find paralleled the history OF
the water supply of the City OF Free
dom. The two reservoirs with their
connecting pipe exactly representing
the system of bimetallism. as establish
ed by the founders of this republic The
shutting off of the water supply and the
removal of the connecting pipe is what
occurred when silver was demonetized.
In the blight upon the gardens and
the stopping of the wheels and looms
we have seen portrayed the blight upon
our agricultural pursuits and the stag
nation of our mercantile and manufac-
turing interests. The bell of solemn
warning represents the steady fall of
general prices, and the demand OF the
people for the restoration of the reservoir
is the demand being made today for the
restoration of silver to it's old place be-
side gold, the connecting pipe being it's
,,oa unlimited loyal tender at the
ratio of 16 to 1. In the prophet and mod
ern miracle our revered martyred presi-
dent. whose act in issuing greenbacks
to fill the ranks of the cowardly desert
ers, silver and gold, erected an enduring
monument to his wisdom, courage and
loyalty. The crisis which we face today
he foresaw, as is indicated by letter
written to a friend in Illinois shortly be-
fore the close of the war wherein he
said: "Yes, we may all congratulate
ourselves that this cruel war is nearing
it's close. 1t has cost a vast amount of
treasure and blood. The best blood of the
flower ofAmerican youth has been freely
offered upon our country's altar that
the nation might live. 1t has been indeed
trying hour for the republic; but
see in the near future crisis approach
ing that unnerves me and causes me to
tremble for the safety of my country.
AS a result of the war, corporations
have been enthroned and an era of cor
ruption in high places will follow. and
the money power Of the country will en-
deavor to prolong it's reign by working
upon the prejudices of the people until
all wealth is aggregated in few hands,
and the republic is destroyed. I feel at
this moment more anxiety for the safety
of my country than ever before even
in the midst of war. God grant that my
suspicious may prove groundless."
The refusal to consider the money
question as being in any way connected
with the depression of business, and the
artifice and skill exhibited in lodging
the question would be laughable were it
not a matter of such vital Importance to
the entire nation. A similar reluctance
was shown in England in 1921 when there
was a currency" or money question
there. 1t arose in this way: Toward the
end of the last century England went
to war with France. After a little the
fear arose that an invasion of England
would be attempted by Boneparte. Then
everybody who had any silver or gold
began to hoard il, not knowing what was
going to happen. AS the country could
not go on without money the govern
ment issued one and two pound notes
for daily use and these notes came to be
the principle money in use and contin
ued to be down to 1919, when alaw was
passed to do away with them. The notes
being all stopped it became necessary
to pay the farmer for his produce in
silver or gold (hard cash it was called.)
What was the result? Hard cash not
being as plentiful as gold had been,
down came the price of produce, and ag-
ricultural suffering began. And not
withstanding corn laws were put on to
stop any wheat from going in from
abroad when the price was below los
per bushel, yet by 1922 the price had
gone down to about half that sum. a
dreadful time of suffering ensued. Farm
ers were ruined wholesale, trade in the
towns became terribly bad. Thousands
of men in the villages and towns had to
stand about idle because they could not
get work. Wages went down to starva-
ton point and many an unfortunate
man who was willing to work but could
not get it to do, became tempted to steal
or break the machines which he thought
were taking the bread out of his mouth.
or to set fire to property in revenge.*
Reference is made to this period by a
member of the British parliament in a
prize essay on Bimetallism, published
October 9th, 1894, in the leading agri-
cultural journal of Great Britain, where
in he says: "In reading not long since
about the great agricultural distress
which began in England soon after 1915,
story: A committee of the house of
commons was sitting to inquire into the
cause of the distress. Among other
witnesses whom it called to give evil
dence was a Mr.. Atwood, banker in