Evening journal., 1897-12-24
LETTERS FROM TIE PEOPLE.
SIMPLIFY THE MONETARY sYs-
TEN

adjustment of our financial laws so as /
to enable the government to relieve |
itself of embarrassment, restore conf |
dence and satisfy all reasonable people. |
1 have read carefully the presidents |
message to the Congress, also Secre- |
tary Cages recommendations, neither |
of which touches the remedy. The |
people want simplicity. We have too |
many kinds of money-which compli- |
cate the question, viz: Greenbaclzs, |
Treasury notes, gold notes, silver GER
tificates, national bank notes, etc, all
issued under acts of Congress at vari-
GUS times and under different circum-
stances, but serve as a means Of COM
plication because some are payable in
gold and others are not. Why not as
soon as can hOnorably be done, reduce
the entire paper money issue of our
government to one simple kind and
every dollar be of equal value? Call in
all other outstanding paper money as
fast as conditions Will permit and re-
place it with this new simple issue.
Let the government issue two kinds of
gold bonds, one to bear 2is per cent.
interest and the other non-interest
bearing bonds. The last mentioned for
the use Of the national banks to secure
the government for money loaned on
them. Let the said banks have full
amount Of their deposit in said bonds
with the secretary of the Treasury,
which would increase our circulation
fifteen per cent, or $225, 100000. Let
the other interest-bearing bonds go to
take up all undesirable money now
outstanding and let these bonds be
payable only at the option Of the gov
ernment, like bank or railroad stocks,
convertible at any time, and make
these new notes to be issued a full
legal tender, with silver and gold for
all sums everywhere. And let all our
import duties be paid in gold, and as
long as our neighbors will not take
anything but gold from us, make them
pay gold for all our produce and eX-
ports, so as to keep up the reserve, so
as to be always ready for them. Let
all the outstanding coin" obligations Of
the government be paid in "coin," one
half gold One-half silver which can
not be objected to hOnorably by the
holders. And restore silver to its
proper legitimate place with gold and
make all full legal tender for all debts
for any and all sums or amounts.
This would simplify the en-
tire monetary system and be Just
and satisfactory. Discrimination and
completely will never bring it to the
people, and our country is too large,
too great. our resources of all kinds so
abundant. our energies and intelli-
gence too we'll known. and the needs
and desires Of all our people should be
fully sufficient for us to take no die
tation from any country in the world.
Let the arrogant William, of Germany,
come. and we will teach him a lesson
that victory never taught him and
Spain also on this financial question of
ours. You say we are in debt. Yes,
we owe all told at home and abroad
about 81. 500 900. 600. And the assessed
value Of the United States is about
s75, 900 600 900, so our Indebtedness Is
| but a trihe when compared to our re-
sources.
The pensions are the second import
ant matter before Congress. The an
nual appropriation for this item has be-
come startling. In the year 1873, thir-
teen years after the close of the war
the annual appropriation for pensions
did not reach S2S,000,00O, and Grant
and Garfield, each great generals and
soldiers in the war, said it should never
reach or exceed $50, ,O00, 900. 1t has been
as high as S165 900 900, and this yeal
| S141 600 900, more than the balance OF
the world pays for this purpose. we
never had at any one time since Column
bus landed 100000 soldiers and ma
| rines all told, and to-day, thirty-twc
| years since the close of the war, April
| 1865, we have on the pension pay-rolls
| at Washington. ID. c., $4,000 person.
drawing pensions and 100000 applica
/ tions on file. To-day there are not liv'
| ing on the globe 300 900 soldiers whC
went through the war, and the $780,
| 100000 spoken of by Grant and Car
| field would give each one of these 300,
600 500 each per year, or 1888 PEI
| month. The present appropriation o
S141 600 900 would give each one OF thes'
800, 600 soldiers now living 94lO PEI
year. or about $40 per month. Now al
I have TO say is this. Grant and Car
field were right and there ought to b'
at least now at this session of Congress
| 500 600 600 reduction in this annua
| pension appropriation. If a cat falls II
the well and climbs out two feet in tn
day and falls back three feet at night
when will she get out Of the we'll? Oh
for a Patrick Henry!
The third important matter befor
| Congress is the Cuban question. Co
lumbus sailed from Spain and Ferdi
nand and Isabella sold their jewelry L
help to fit out the three little ships, AM
we want to be friendly to Spain. Blu
the great W. Il. Gladstone said tn
blackest stain on English history wa
her hands-off policy. and allowing Tur
key to butcher the helpless Armenian
and destroy their property. It i
SPANS unjust arbitrary rule and un
just taxation that caused and nov
stimulates to desperation and dealt
these Cuban outbreaks and insurrec
tions. and her mode of warfare is in
humane and barbarous. This butcher
of the innocent should now be stoppe
in the name Of humanity. Cuba
nearly as large as England. Cuba ha
1854 square miles; England, 50,S9S
Why should she not have her indepen
dence? 1t comes mighty near a viola
ton of the Monroe Doctrine, the con
tinuance of which is detrimental {
our interests as a nation and a stigm
to Christianity. The president shoul
take some decided stand to stop it a