Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1897-05-29
Reason for Discomfort.


We appeal, says the Silver Knight.
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. Ii
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 n
remedy by which the prosperous times
of other days can be restored Is ii 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-
cal 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 Roadway in the world,
it would show that money is scarce and
hard to obtain. II they ascertained
that they could not get rs 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 a 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 penitentiary 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 not
money enough. to look to the govern
ment, and the government alone, for
relief Some people contend that the
government has no right or power to
make or create money except out OF the
commodity gold. The gold Of the world
Is held by the governments and banks
of Europe and New York, and they say
we must look to Europe for relief, and
that if Europe will not let our govern
money the government is not to blame,
because it cannot make money out Of
anything else. If that be so. and If the
oddities are right, there is no remedy
and ruin is inevitable
But is it true? Is gold the only mon
ey which the government has power to
create and furnish the people? II that
be so, when did it become true that the
sovereign power of the government to
create money by law was confined to
the commodity gold? 1t was decided by
all the judges of England 300 years
ago, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth,
that whatever the royal prerogative de-
clared to be money was real money,
and would perform all the functions of
money, no matter upon what material
the sovereign stamp of the government
was placed, signifying the sovereign
will that it should be money. That de-
cisiOn has never been overruled set
aside, or modified in the slightest de-
gree, and is to this day the law of
England.
The Supreme Court of the United
States, in the legal tender cases, fol-
lowed that leading case in England
which is known as the "miXed money
case" and decided that the Govern
ment of the United States can issue
full legal tender money, printed on pa
per, without either gold or silver. The
Constitution expressly authorizes Con-
gress to coin silver into money as we'll
as gold and this was done until 1873,
when the bill demonetizing silver was
struggled through Congress. Is it pos
sible that the act of Congress which
demonetized silver has deprived the