Iron County register., 1898-06-02
LESSONS FROM HISTORY.
Ace the People of .+Business
InfereEtR.o

The present secretary Of the treasury,
Lyman Gage, is one of the most danger
ous men that ever doated on the surface
of doubtful and disturbed politics. He
is dangerous because he is both ig-
norant and unserupulous. His ig-
norance of the laws and history of the
country by which he is tolerated is SO
dense that he declared, in a recent
speech, that the gold standard was es-
tablished by democratic administra-
ton in 1884, when every schoolboy
knows, or ought to know, that the
famous enactment of that year was the
change of ratio from 151% to sixteen TO
one. The sole object Of this act, as ex-
planned by Benton, in his speeches and
writings, was to establish bimetallism.
1t was a Benton-democratic law, and it
accomplished its purpose, as explained
in previous papers of this series. Ii gave
US nearly 30 years of actual and practi-
cal bimetaliism, and the equal and free
circulation of both gold and silver; and
that was the only period in the whole
history of our government when the
two money metals worked side by side,
in doing the business of the country.
Neither before nor since the beginning
and ending of that era of unequaled ma
tiona! prosperity and happiness have
the people enjoyed the privileges and
benefits of the double standard. Rising
from the lower levels of the mass of
common people, by the fortuitous wind
ings Of doubtful circumstances, and the
special privileges of plutocratic legisla-
70 lnnLyS down
with undisgulsed contempt on the stem
that produced him. He never speaks of
the common people without a sneer al
their supposed ignorance and incapac-
ity for self-government. Those whu
may take the trouble to examine his
portraits will find indelibly stamped on
his face the smirk of the self-satisfied
hypocrite and the sardonic smile of the
smooth-poIicy man. Taking Hamilton
as his model, he has neither the sense
nor the education to initiate the great
founder of the mon ocratic party.
This dangerous creature of cfrcum-
stances, this soulless and cold-blooded
worshiper of the almighty dollar, is now
in a position to do his country infinite
harm, and events show that he does not
utSlId ~ use LIS Lu444A4 AC
war now in progress between the
United States and Spain ought to be a
cash war. There is no reason under the
sun, or the necessities of this govern
ment, present or prospective, for the
increase of our bonded debt. The last
treasury statement. issued the first Of
the month, shows an excess of $500, 000,-
OOO Of gold in the treasury, including
the unnecessary and dangerous $780,
900, 900 of reserve. This is idle money,
and idle money, like idle men, is al
ways dangerous Money thatis boarded
and not allowed TO 60 into circulation
is pernicjous menace to the liberties
Of the people. 1t had better not be in
existence. The most extravagant esti
mate of the expense of the war yet pub
Lished places the amount at S1,000,000
per day. We have, therefore, now in the
treasury, money enough to prosecute
the war for nearly seven months. In ad-
1ition to this, the government has an
unused and idle seigniorage in silver of
more than $42, ,0OO, 900, and the capacity
to safely and benefcially absorb 81, ,0o0,
1000 of greenba if necessary.
Yet, in spite Of these facts, the secre-
tary Of the treasury proposes to issue
S500,000,000 of terest-bearing bonds,
and the plutocratic press, obeying the
commands of its masters, approves the
traitorous proposition, on the ground
that it is necessary 10 sustain the credit
of the government. 1t is a new thing in
political economy when a government
can strengthen its credit by borrowing
-bar - hos 1lEn1aCE ETIral7S
hand. How long would an individual
pursuing a similar course, retain the
confidence of his neighbors or escape
bankruptcy? The subservient press
goes to the length of accusing such
sturdy patriots and defenders of the
peoples rights as Richard P. Bland and
those who support him, of ''copperhead-
ism and disloyalty because they dare
to raise their voice against this bond
conspiracy. The old silly and frazzled
cant of a 5O-cent dollar is also thrown
in their teeth, and they are accused of
wanting to pay the volunteers in de-
preciated money. The people who
make such stupid accusations mistake
the spirit, and cast reflections upon the
intelligence Of the splendid young men
who are volunteering to fight the bat
ties of this war. They are not enlisting
for S13 month. Every one of them has
left a good position and risked life,
health and happiness, home, love and
mbition-everythin that is dear to
humanity, to tight the grandest and
most unselfsh war that the nations of
the earth have witnessed. They have
staked all in the game of battle to make
strangers and aliens free; TO protect vir-
tuous Hvomanhood; To put bread into
the mouths of helpless and starving fell
low creatures. Little do these chival-
rous heroes of our own time and gen
Grafton care for the pitiful stipend that
the government pays them for their
services; and none but the basest and
most sordid minds could think of sug-
gesting such proposition.
And after the "ar is over, its purposes
accomplished, the boon of liberty and |
the right to live guaranteed to a people |
unaIIied to US by the ties of blood or
political associations, these unseifsh |
ch 4mpions of justice and right will be |
required to return to the plow, the |
desk and the workshop and spend the |
remainder of their lives in slavish labor !
to pay interest to greedy bondholders !
who are too cowardly 10 risk their own |
lives IN front of Spanish guns. This is |
a true picture of the situation.
The plutocratic classes cared nothing |
for the destruction of our ships, in |
suits TO our citizens, and the murder |