People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-01-14
BONDS AND BONDAGE.
q SYSTEM WHICH BURDENS THE
MASSES TO BENEFIT THE FEW.

M
cerned-Insatiable Greed of the Gold
God-Row the Governor Of Guernsey /
Erected Market House.
when Will the bond age cease? Bondsl
lnirty year bonds-some of our high Off |
Gals want to make them 30 year bonds
ana also that they be payable, interest
ana principal, in gold and gold only
mat means that the wealth producers
wall be burdened with a debt for at
least 80 years, with the principal and
interest growing burden, for gold is
constantly appreciating in value lit is
SAD to have increased in value IA per |
cent last year,. We cannot eat gold. |
nor Will it clothe or shelter as. Yet ey-
erythlng we eat or wear or use in any
way is controlled by the gold god. The |
producer Of real wealth, the wealth that
statistics wants and gives us comfort.
must give a constantly increasing meas.
ure to the greed of the gold god. That
Is the reason that dollars are harder To |
get. The farmer gets less for his golden
grain and his blushing fruits, vet these
gifts OF the real God are as good as they
ever were. 1t makes me sick to think If
those thousands Of bushels of potatoes
rotting IN the ground in Minnesota be-
cause the price does not Justify their
digging. Yet those potatoes are as good
as potatoes ever were, and many hun
CRY mouths want them. But the gold
goa does not recognize intrinsic good. |
nes nor human need. Neither does the
RAILROAD monopoly that stands in the
\ way OF these products being marketed |
az a living price to the producer.
Bond the producing forces of the
country, when vast fortunes of millions
and millions beg no national burden.
\ contributing not one penny to the gov
eminent that made those fortunes DOS.
siniel Even atthe death of the present
holders the government inherits no part
OF these fortunes, although it is in sore
need of funds. Other countries inherit
part Of great private fortunes-they
CALI at an inheritance tax, but it is only |
\ rghtful inheritance by the governments. |
as there one physician whe reads this
that does notsee that he is vitallv in
terested? WeWork for the peopel direct |
z H, dor every Class, high and low. Our
support must come from all. No one
can be more interested than the doctor
zknstrlot economic justice to every class.
Mnen the farmer gets fair prices for his
produce, whel the laborer and mechan-
AZ get steady employment and good
wages, when the merchant has a good
trade and fair profits, theE all of these
s gan employtthe doctor when needed and
get the requisite medicine and appli-
ances and pay the doctor. But when the
price OF wheat and cotton goes below
9cst OF production, and potatoes are not
worth digging, when the unemployed |
sroW to vast army, when the mer-
Chant sees the values of his goods 20
tDwn, down, down, through the appre-
lation Of gold and his customers be-
poming less and less ablB to purchase
EfoHi him, when all these things pre-.
lHif, as they have during the last two
three years, the doctor must suffer.
Nh.E though few bondholders gloat
YER more bonds and trusts and monopo-
'es thrive; the masses of the people suf- !
er, and theTank and file Of the medical
Professions suffer with them.
If congress should decide to push the
Nicaragua canal to completion, 1 sup
II lose that wo1ld be the signal for more |
ends. But why? Why net adopt the
agacious course Of the governor of the
Hand OF Guernsey some years ago? |
he story is;a simple one. The island |
rs needed market house, but had not
Nc money which was Thought neces-
ny to build ii. But they had plenty of
.hor and material. The governor h.
Ra rent checks. These we're used to
lay for labor and material, and when
ne market house was eompleted wers
s eeeived in payment of rent / think
Ae building cost $40, 1000. Every year
3 S,000 in rent checks was collected for
: ents. These were burned each year
fith appropriate ceremonies. At the
nd ,Df ten years no ohecks'were out. |
landing. They had the market house,
i 70 debt, and;aA without the usesof gold |
{ r bonds.
The rent checks not only paid for the
lone. etc., and employed the labor for I
pe hnilding, but they circulated as cur |
bnoy. helping ITO give commercial life
the place, and in every way they
ere q rhlessing. If they had been Snter-
i beWing bonds, they would have
cen licked up for the interest, q bur-
IN to the islanders perhaps 10 this day.
shy can't we build the Nicaragua
nal in the same way-by issuing eur
3 ncy receivable for toll as soon as the
nal J opened? Anything but bonds
We now have many kinds Of bonds
& .tioaal bonds, state bonds, county
lnds, city bonds, corporation bonds Of
1 kinds, as railroad bonds, ETC., all
th their ecrroding interest to snppos
iolent classes The bond is conven-
Z device, cowardly method Of put
8 aag Of till some time in the future
hat we should do or pay today and to
irk our duties and place them as a
lrden upon future generations The
,thod is SO easy-it is easy to shirk-
d tempting that this has become an
ye Of bonds-and the result, bond
e. Let US protest against an extension
this policy. c. 2. Taylor il
Jod;caI World.