Natchitoches populist., 1898-07-15
WHO WILL ANSWER?
A VERY PERTINENT LOT OF
QUESTIONS.
Puncturing the Theories That Sustain the
Present Chaotic Financial, Industrial
and Political Systems-The PopuIiss
Demands

S~>FNN ANAANS "A(h ASpANoShI1blfS dSOhtob
demand that an amendment be made
to the state constitution, providing
that all laws which are passed by state
or municipal legislative bodies shall
be subject to rejection by direct vote
OF the people before they are enforced?
If the people are not qualified to de-
eide as to what laws shall govern
them, are they then capable of choos-
ing as to who shall be elected as
agents to make their law?
II municipal government can own
and control its streets, sewers, fire de-
partments, jails, parks. squares, school
houses, and other public buildings,
from which it receives no revenue, but
which involve expense, why should 1t
not own and control other public ne
cessities in the interests Of the people,
from which large profits are derived.
such as gas, electric light, telephones
and street railways?
If public utilities under private fran.
chises. given away by the peoples
agents to private corporations, will
pay profit on a capitalization of
double their outlay, why cannot the
public own and make a profit out Of
them based on the actual cost?
II all true wealth is the product of
labor, and money is the creation of
law, medium with which to repre-
sent value and make exchanges-the
people themselves being the source OF
all powerfully should they create by
legislation one kind Of money with
which to redeem another kind, and
further, why should it be restricted to
such an extent that for every dollar
used by the people, debt OF like
amount for interest must be contract
ed about every fifteen years?
II coin money depends upon It's In
trinsic value, instead of law. why is
the legalized silver dollar OF 4121s
grains worth par when the trade dol
lar Of 420 grains of silver is worth
only its bullion price, about so cents?
Why will the standard silver dollar
buy at the present price of silver two
and one-quarter times the silver con-
tanned in the same dollar? And fur.
ther, why is the ten-dollar eagle OF 210
grains standard gold, coined under the
law of 1892, only worth as money the
same as the gold eagle Of 25S grains
coined under the law of 1894?
If the governnlent-the peoples
the only power within it's own domain
that can issue legal-tender money, why
should it go out of the banking busi-
ness call in it's own non-interest-
bearing money, to be replaced with
the interest-bearlng currency of pri
vate corporations, whose creation and
backing rest solely on the credit and
support of that very authority which
they are now seeking to usurp?
If the government should go out of
the banking business" would 1t not
also have to 60 out OF the govern
ment business" as it is a conceded fact
that the power that controls the issu-
ing and distribution Of money in any
country controls the people?
II it Is the sovereign right Of gov.
ernments to coin and issue their own
money-and our country is greater in
wealth and resources than any nation
of Europe why should we consult
them as to what kind Of money we
shall use, when they adopt and con-
duct their own financial policies with
out asking our consent or advice?
If for many years peace has blessed
our country, the land given up its un-
stinted treasures-and onr natural
resources and productive forces, as q
nation, are greater than ever known
in any age for the sustenance and
blessing of niankind-why should la
Dor be unemployed and the great mass
of the American people be In inan-
cial distress, actually suffering for the
necessaries Of life? Is providence re-
sponsible for these conditions, or,
rather, the class and vicious legisla-
tion In the interest OF organized
wealth and private monopolies, which
are now controlling the resources of
the nation to such an extent that now
less than / per cent Of the people own
three-fourths Of the wealth of the
country? For years it has been evi-
dent to any school boy In finance that
Il but one financial law had been
passed in the interest Of the people.
furnishing an adequate supply of leg
al-tender money with which to meet
the demands of business, labor would
be employed at remuneratiye wages.
consumption of commodities would in
crease and general prosperity be given
to the nation.
II there is no demand for silver. as
the goldbugs try to make us believe.
why was the most OF our product, As
100000 ounces. shipped to Europe In
1897, to be coined into money at the
rate Of s1.32 per ounce, for which we
only received abolt 81 cents per oruces