The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-11-05
Money and It's Theft of Freedom.

Thornton saysits a mere instrument of convenience"
Arphtons cyclopedia defines money as an article that performs certain fun
tons without regard to its form or substance
Originally, the substances which acted al money were. 70 eertsin ae,ra
the things most plentiful in any community.
In communities where hunting ws the main industry the skins of ANNA
were used Is money.
In fishing communities, fish and shells
In pastoral countries cattle
In agricultural countries grain.
As communities developed and commerce between them began. substance
somewhat common to all countries substances that were most portable and leas
destructive were resorted to- and precious metals wore naturally chosen by req
son 9' '&s W. quah'ies IS well as for their natural beauty. and were passed.
as the medium of exchange gradually settled upon the precious metals Their
were people who began to realize the advantages of creating artificial incre,se
in the supply by committing fraud in weight and fneness.
In ordert to correct this evil it became necessary to.form them into piece
convenient for handling and to invest them with the title of money the gdvern
ment tesifying, by its stamp on the coin as 20 its weight and fpenqss
Later on asc civilization made further advance, there were those who ryaiz
ed the profits to be made by trading in money. and thew ais, ro,1ire1 t h+ ,nonn
like any other article of necessity increased in isc command over all other com
modites in exactly the sam proportion as the demands hr its use exceeded tbs
supply
Not only did they realize that the money which they dealt in became MOI.
valuable Isl became more scarce, but that, in order to effect the increased OK
changes that come with a constantly increasing population and greater awxity
of products it was absolutely necessary toi increase The media either by boyins
more money OF by using a device of their own a a substitute, and that for them
to issue and control such substitute would, as a machine for power and
profit bes 0 great that a compared with it. the power aaa profit of all other
branches If trade would be as pignies
And dino rlerto increase the needs for this subSitntp bv which ,b aa .ho
power to regulate the life condition ofe every inhatitant Of the community, they
influenced legislation and by law demonetizea one of the metals asrealm money.
That move was, however, to some extent checked by subsequent legislation.
which permitted the government to issue a substitute for money on its w ac.
count, in the shape Of silver dollars or their Representatives, silver certificates
This kind of law, however did not later to the money owners longing for
more profit; it withheld from them market for many millions of their own su,.
sttnhs and to that extent deprived them of profit and additional power that
QUIZ ohef"lss a eaccrued to them So, from the day the law was enacted,
they began o a systematic warfare against the governments privileges, until
e'entuaiS 1Aey procured tHe repeal OF The law thai permitted such issues
But merely to stop such a privilege vas not their whole object They want
to get back to the position they would have occupied had this law not been PASS.
the government has out except gold. thus giving to them unexamplod position
for power and profit Such a course means the utter humiliation If opponuni
ty to all save the money capitalist
1t means the absolute subsection of the producers
1t means retrogesion.
1t means the final collapse Of the United States asa government of the peope
1t means British supremacy and American vassaage
1t means humiliation of opportunity because by making money scarce and
credit plenty the money capitalist forces the producers to utilize their credit
and by interest charges absorb a portion of the products Of tabor.
Then, by contracting those credits he compels the producer to dispose of his
products at forced sale ant consequently at lower prices nd With faliuo 1rirac
it becomes necessary for the producers to apply more labor in order to produce
the quantity that will bring sufficient money to pay the interes, etc
sucha course, if carried to the logical end, mean the gradual absorption of
all independent producers, beginning with the small and weak ana working its
way up through the stronger each grade giving up the struggle as The grasp d
the money power tighens.
Under such conditions the productive capitalist isas unable to withstand the
power of the money capitalist Is are our mountains of rock unable to withstand
the power of blasting explosions
As these conditions become more pronounced, the small producers find noop-
portunities for independent action; and the larger ones fine it necessary to com
bne with others in order to protect themselves from bankruptcy; unit, finally,
we have a sugar trust or an oil trust etc, controlling the entire field.
Or we have u smaller railroads being absorbed by The larger until as Mr.
David A. Wells says in his work on Recent Economic Change" in few wears
the entire railroad system of this country will be owned by a single organization
And when that is 10, the courseh has been run, and the money capitalist who now
owns the bonds, will then own the roads and it, will be the single organization
referred to.
Only a few days ago the New York Central railroad sold &25oUQooo of 81
per cent gold bonds-that are due in 100 years The whole Issue was bought by |,
the j. F. Morgan syndicate
Such is the beginning; what is the end?
We go back two months and read that the Reading Coal and Iron Company,
of Pennsylvania, which a few years ago were valued at 5000 600 900 failed to
meet their payments and We're sold at stgfs sale the entire system being :
bought up for the European bondhoMers by he {. P. Morgan syndicate for ss,
100000
In turn We find the laborers gathering themselves into unions and other
forms of organization, drawn to such a course by the same feeling OF instinct that
governs the productive capitalist; but differing in result.
When the productive capitalist combines with Others, he lessons competition
and decreases the number that are to share in the incomes In
But with labor the very opposite result is met with, for with every eorgani =,
2ation he finds that competition for the chance Of labori is greater and that there i,
are more to share the incomes; and tt for this reason that strikes are becoming +
lesssu successful and it is also by reason of these results that say the monetary v
system of the present means the humiliation of all opportunities to- and the sub il
jugaion of the producers
1t means the less of freedom; because freedom FEVER has nor will lit ever ex- n
list under the rule of a plutocratc minority. a
Freedom and independence are one; but if your affairs are all controlled alb n
solutey by single thing especially when that thing is the servant you ire de
pendent, not independent and being dependent you are not free. To-
1t means the final collapse of the United States as a government of the peo-
Pile; because under such a system, the natural law is Capitalization, and central II
izanon is nigarchy or government by the few-the logical end of oigarchy is 81
v
Are you pleased with the picture? Can't you see into whose hands the h
wealth of our land is concentratingY In article clipped from the Pittsburg Ga o
zete of June 81 an item headed, European Capital Getting a Firm Hold on v
Every Industry" Can't you realize that under this holy monetary system of b
the industries of the land ar being swallowed up by this yellow god whose
temple sin Lombard street England? az
Can't you se that every fresh investment IF English gold in America gives -
HON greater control over us? ~
Can't you see that by reasonof this gold standard and is inevitable compan- CT
on, falling prices that we are sending to England $25nO000oO worth of prod til
acts annually for which we get absolutely nothing m
Cant you understand that interest O money is premium for money and that -
there ca be a premium on any article the demand for its must be greater 9.
than the supply ". in other words, be scarce? hi
Don't you know that labor must pay the premium causei by sch scarcity? b
Don't you know that STEEL iron sugar, OIL whisky and all other trusts, are ar
ormed for the purpose Of raising the price of those articles by regulating pro =.
luction? r..
Don't you know that the men who deal in money are just as shrewd, just as st
patriotic, but Just Is eager for profit as aret the men who deal in iron, steel etc I? b
Don't You know tnatif itis to the interest and profit of those who deal in iron, al
- A1L <hn ~lna I- InhIu rnInpttn aa tn hna rartnr omuI