The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1897-05-29
Reason for Discomfort.

We appeal. says the Silver Knight,
to every family in which there are sons
and daughters to inquire the reason
why there are not as good opportunities
for the young people to marry and live
in comfortable homes as there were
when the old people were young. There
must be some reason for this. Is 1t
because the young people have become
worthless, or is it because times are
harder than they used to be? Ii the
former, the race is degenerating. which
would be indeed deplorable; If the lat
ter, we must inquire what has made |
times hard and what is the remedy. If |
times are really hard, and there is no |
remedy. and they must continue to |
grow harder and harder, the dark ages |
are again approaching. If there be |
remedy by which the prosperous times |
of other days can be restored, is it not
the first duty of every good man and
woman to study the cause of hard
times and help to apply the remedy?
If every one would make it his spe-
cial business to inquire what is the
difficulty in his own case and find out
what is lacking to give him command
of the necessaries and comforts of life,
the work would be begun. If it should
turn out that nearly everybody should
come to the same conclusion. there
would be a general understanding as
to what is the matter.
Suppose they should come to the con-
clusion that they found it difficult to
obtain profitable employment and to
save enough money to provide good
living and make headway In the world,
it would show that money is scarce and
hard to obtain. II they ascertained
that they could not get as much money
for their labor and services as they for
merly did, it would prove that there are
too many laborers and too much prop
erty or not enough money. If the for
mer, the remedy would be severe one.
1t would be necessary to reduce the
number of laborers and diminish pro-
duction. Such an operation would be
like cutting off a boys legs when they
became too long for his pantaloons, in
stead of lengthening the garment.
On the other hand, if there is not
money enough, what is the remedy for
that? Is it with the people or with
their government? The government of
every Independent nation has the SOW
ereign power to create money. All gov
ernments are so jealous of that power
that If private individuals attempt to
interfere with it by creating money
the government holds them guilty of
crime, and, on conviction, sends them
to the pententiary. The government
makes laws for the collection of debts
and also makes laws declaring in what
money debts shall be paid. We are
therefore compelled, when there is no
money enough, to look to the govern
ment, and the government alone, fol
relief. Some people contend that the
government has no right or power t.
make or create money except out of thu
commodity gold The gold of the worl'
is held by the governments and bank
of Europe and New York, and they sa.
we must look to Europe for relief, ant
that If Europe will not let our govern
ment have gold with which to max
money the government is not to blame
anything else. If that be so, and il til
oddities are right, there is no remed
and ruin is inevitable.
But is it true? Is gold the only mon
ey which the government has power I
create and furnish the people? If tina
be so, when did it become true that til
sovereign power of the government
create money by law was confined
the commodity gold? 1t was decided b
all the judges of England 300 year
ago, in the reign of Queen Elizabetl
that whatever the royal prerogative d.
clared to be money was real none
and would perform all the functions
money, no matter upon what materi
the sovereign stamp of the governmel
was placed, signifying the sovereia
will that it should be money. That d
cisiOn has never been overruled, s
aside, or modified in the slightest d
gree, and is to this day the law
England.
The Supreme Court of the Unite
States. in the legal tender cases, fl
lowed that leading case in EngiaI
which is known as the mixed mon,
case" and decided that the Cover
ment of the United States can ISIS
full legal tender money, printed on p
per, without either gold or silver. T.
Constitution expressly authorizes Co
gress to coin silver into money as W.
as gold, and this was done until 49,
when the bill demOnetizing silver W