Natchitoches populist., 1898-04-08
NO. 81

ing duplicate standard to place be!
side it. The whole trouble exizts In
being unable to make the single stan.
dard. The value of their standard"
and the goods it is to exchange with
are constantly fuctuating. That
value" can't be made to hold still,
but always keeps moving When
either grows scarce in proportion to
the demand it rises in value. Gold
| is growing scarce measured by the
demand for it, and is steadily rising in
value.
The ex-senator's climax Is little
too funny for anything, where he says:
That conclusion was reached with no
prejudices, with no private political
considerations, but simply from the
convictions Of those of the commission
representing the various sections OF
the country" If the senator had
added the "goldbugs" of these sections,
his claim would never be doubted.
But their convictions" such as they
are. represent only goldbugs.
What is wanted to bring prosperity
to the country is more legal tender
government money. 1t doesn't matter
what material the government uses If
congress enacts a law ordering more
"A pOOd dool roro-1ooo1 +apdcr +o ho
issued by the secretary of the treas
ury. Gold cannot be gotten. That is
out OF the question. Silver could be
used to the extent perhaps of 100000
600 per year, but that is not sufficient
to supply the growing demand for
money to exchange an ever increasing
production, and the bankers acknowl.
edge this fact by their eagerness to
have law of congress permitting
them to issue all the currency they de-
sire to circulate.
The government should not only pro-
vide means for increasing the guam
tity of legal tender money, but also
provide the necessary machinery to
control, safe-keep, and distribute the
money for the people, and take this
privilege out of the hands of bankers,
who are fast growing to be a select
class as dangerous to the government
as the Mamelukes were to their Turk
ish masters.
The government could as readily es-
tablish banks or repositories for the
safe keeping, discounting, and loaning
money as postofflces This, 1t will be
found, is the only currency reform"
that will ever reform the currency in
the interest Of the people. It would
be but few years till system OF
government banks would change the
entire business of the country by es-
tablishing paper currency stronger
and better than any gold currency can
ever be made. In, fact, gold, Of all
metals or materials that was ever
chosen for money purposes, is the very
worst.
AS between gold and silver, the latter
is far preferable. No nation can get
along without silver money if metal
money is used at all, while no nation
ever misses gold money when it dis
appears, at the first sound Of the war
trumpets or the alarm of panics.
f,,1l $o~Har
rency, with finances managed by gov
ernment banks would Danish gold from
the marts of trade. Nobody would
use it when they could get legal ten.
ders and silver. There can be little
if any doubt that United States legal
tender currency managed by the gov
ernment as the peoples banker, would
send this nation to the front of all
commercial nations of the world, and
its currency to a premium over gold
in every country in Europe, as the
credit system Of the Bank Of Venice
stood for hundreds Of years; at
premium of twenty per cent above
gold. The hundreds or millions SWat'
lowed up by bank interest under our
present system would be saved to In
dustry, and stability of prices which
would surely be maintained, would
change the whole framework of society
changing the means Of the tramp and
the Borrowings of enforced idleness to
songs of rejoicing.
We do not believe that the sophistry
and Misrepresentation of the hired
attorneys, such as Edmunds. Of the
goldbugs, can continue to deceive and
mislead the American people. They
are slow but mighty in their wrath
when stirred by conviction.
E. E. EWING.