Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-06-02
REFORMS
Are Demanded by the People,
An intelligent Review ofthe POIit-
caI Situation.

Hon. II. b. Luce, Of nillsboro writes
under date May 20, as follows;
Let me say little about the policy
of union Of those who want reforms
in our government. l heartily ap-
prove such a union, and think Pop
ulists generally favor it. The JOUR-
NAL has published letters from Dem
ocrats, Republicans and Populists, all
expressing strong desire for a "union
of the reform forces" So l take it
that they want to organize new
marty that will advocate reforms.
But what reforms? For new party
must advocate at least one real, pri-
mary reform. An old party needs no
irst-class principles; secondary reform
or no reforms at all-simply old abuses
and the Offices are all it. wants. Now
the Peoples party advocate a reform
on the money question to the extent
that all money shall be absolute
money, and no dollar 10 be redeema-
BILE in any other dollar, and that every
dollar shall be issued by the govern
ment directly to the people and circu-
lated without the aid or agency of
any corporate or private bank. They
also believe that the government
should own the railroad and telegraph
lines: and that there should not be a
monopoly of land. This is plat
form that contains some real first
class reforms. You can see them
with yoTr mouth. The Silver Repub'
llcan party wants money made of gold
and silver at the ratio of 16 30 /, be-
lleves in paper money besides.
The Democratic party wants all
the gold and silver coined into dollars
at the ratio Of 1G to |, and supplement
tary issues OF paper representatives
of dollars redeemable in gold and sill
yer. Now these latter propositions
do not constitute reform. They are
a superstition older than the Pyra-
mids of Egypt. They are like the
play of Hamlet with Hamlet left out.
If one kind of money is made redeem.
able in another it gives the money
power the opportunity to corner the
redeemer and raid the treasury. AS
Senator Benton said, it is method
of enriching the rich mans fields by
the sweat of the poor mans brow.
The PopulIsts are anti-monOpolists.
They want gold and silver money be-
cause our debts are payable in these
methods, besides they want to main
tain this value, since the United
States is the largest producer of them
in the world, but there is not enough
and never has been enough gold and
silver for the monetary needs of the
people, which is proved by the three
billions of paper money in the world.
The money power can corner both
gold and silver rs it always has done,
and starve labor and confiscate prop
erty, as it has ALWAYS done.
But Gold Democrats and Gold Re-
publicans object to absolute paper
money, because it is fiat and has no
intrinsic value. But all money is fiat,
a creature Of law. The supreme
court decided that the greenbacks
were money. And there is no in
trinsic value in money; value is eX-
trlnslc. If value were intrinsic,
inherent, silver had notfallen to 81 to
l. If there were no people, nothing
would have value
The Populist party does not wor-
ship a name, but principles, If a
new party could be organized with a
real tirst.class reform on the money
alone, l believe the mass of our part
would be willing to give up their
name aud join it. The central com.
mittees of all the parties in this
county have declared for union, in
this state at least.
l would add that no reform on the |
money question is worth much that
does not provide for the circulation
Of money, The Republicans credited
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