The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-16


the most stupendous crime that has
been committed in the annals of civil
ization. Unless government of the
people, by the people and for the peo-
pie has perished from the EARTH surely
the present boldly avowed scheme not
only To continue but to increase these
evils. will not be permitted. In addi-
ton TO its purpose Of more thoroughly
establishing the gold standard, the plan
or the administration is to retire the
paper money Of the government. to issue
gold bonds and To increase the power
OF the privileges and profits of national
banks.
THE retirement of the government
paper money must reduce the volume Of
circulation, and while the secretary adj
mits that the contraction of the cur
fency would be more ruinous i'm two
years than interest on like amount of
bonds for 40 years would be- he calmly
informs us that the national banks will
probably issue a sufficient amount of
money 10 prevent this enormous suffer-
| ing. The national banks are not to be
| required to redeem their notes in gold
but 1t Is arranged that the national gov
| ernment shall do so on demand and
| after doing so The government must be
| content TO have national banks reim-
purse II in any kind of legal tender
money at the option of the banks We
are frankly told that lawful money will
] he made relatively scarcer than ii il
j now, and that IL Is intended that under
the operation of the bin il will be easier
to get gold than lawful money. prac-
tically all the money in the hands of
! the people now, as the secretary dis
| tlnctly admits, is.in silver. chiefly in the
| form OF silver certificates, so that the
| avoWed purpose of the bill is to make it
hereafter more difficult to get than gold
i Ihe monetary commission, selected
! by the executive committee, selected by
/ gelf~r0DGfifnfPH Atia
| ton, which assembled for the expressed
| purpose for the establishment Of the
| gold standard. have also made a report
| and promulgated a bill. the provisions
OF which are SO strikingly like the propo-
sltionS OF the secretary Of the treasury
in all material particulars, as to suggest
that they We're compared and harmon
lzeu before either was given to the pub
lie. This report and bill are somewhat
bolder in the assertion of the purposes
entertained than is even the proposition
OF Mr., Gage. These distinctly propose
that silver dollars shall not hereafter be
coined' that standard silver dollars shall
be redeemed in gold that the silver
bullion on hand at present shall he
Soid, ana suggest that silver dollars
may also be melted down and sold as
bullion. We are assured that the notes
OF the banks cannot fail to be safe
because being based upon all the re-
sources of the banks issuing them. they
are based upon the whole business of
the country.
Certainly no bank will become liable
Tor the notes issued by another bank
over which 1t has no control or SUPER
vision; hence, this scheme must con-
template the establishment of some
central bank authority, having the alb
solute control Of the issue of all paper
money-a great bank trust pool or syn-
dlcate with powers such as no man
has ever before had the audaefty To
suggest. This committee has called
upon commercial bodies all over the
country to indorse their report Thus
the people are put upon full notice of
what Is intended. and of the means of
IT'S accomplishment. Considering this
is it any wonder that the Spectator. one
OF the great English newspapers.
should say, as II did some months |
ago Being audacious beyond all old |
world experience, the great capitalists |
or America are determined 10 capture |
free opinion and to prevent criticism |
They snbstdize pulpits. they buy the I
press. they seat their well-paid attor- |
neys in the United States senate. and |
at length they stretch their hands over
the colleges, which II is easy to capture
by examples of generosity. Thus their
design is 10 prevent any effective ac- t
tion which shall in any way weaken
their authority or undermine their
opinion Their object cannot be mere
wealth making, for they already enjoy
wealth beyond the dreams of ayaricp. |
Apparently their intention Is To convert
the united states into a powerful dig
arehy and then to extend the sway of
that nllgarehy over other lands 1t IL
reserved for "the free West To dis
miss from academic services tried and
competent teachers al The bid of mil
lionaires who will not hear one single
criticism or questioning Of the Justice
- 5sNFy . -
character and tendency Of the trusts
they have built UP at the expense of
the people. The divine right of kings
Is 10 be succeeded by the divine right
of millionares. who are TO run every
thing. including the American senate
ana the conscience and intellect of uni
Nersity professors. Ii is none of our
duty 10 say how the American people
shall deal with the portentous growth
of that money power which overshad-
oWs the institutions of the republic.
but We think that the rich men of
America are revealing such a deadly
plot against all genuine public freedom
that unless we are mistaken, the onen-
Ing years Of the new century will Wit
ness an outburst in the West which
will amaze the civilized world.
In view Of the great principles in
HolVed and of the danger so close at
hand. We urge the people everywhere
To arouse themselves and at once Ia
take steps to save themselves and their
children from the fetters now being
openly forged To bind them In recent
years there have been number OF in
stances If congressional districts whose
advocates of gold and monopoly were
largely ontnumbered by their oppo-
aents and nevertheless hv d failure H.
unite and act together friends Of the
gold standard have been successful
fhus as the result af n personal or par
-tsan Wrangie. the cause of truth and
Justice has been oVershadowed the in
.erest Of humanity ignored and the
greatest good 70 The government sub
lrdnatea to an ienoble strife W.
appeal g Vou, let this not be the cas-.
igatn our only danger is in division
I W. are in earnest we must have har-
HenE among ourselves f there should
te those who would divide rs lat them
e summarily and eHuhatieaIte re-