Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-11-04

'lIilliilatt VI permit ION
against any of its money. Under our
! flag there should be but one kind of
money, and every dollar should he as
good as every other dollar. The way,
and the only way, to secure this is to
make it all legal tender for all debts,
public and private.
The unit should be of our fore
fathers made it, the dollar, and all
our money only Il multiplication or
division of this unit. Money does
not exist by nature, but 10y law. 1t
is Il legal mo"hanis IN, the function of
which is to fix measure of values.
This function is created by the fiat of
government. The creation and issue
OF currency constitutes one of the
highest attributes of sovereignty, to
whose decree the money kings and the
| humblest citizen must alike bow.
Our Congress being invested by the
! Constitution with the power "to coin
money and regulate the value thereof"
which power has been construed that
of issuing legal tender paper money,
and authority to limit the legal ten
der quality of its issue; but no priv
ate individual, not even any other
branch OF the government, has such
right.
Any effort short of Congress itself to
create such limitation smacks of
treason, for the reason that it is an at
tempt to nu llify an act of sovereignty.
| Upon this idea the continental Con-
gress i'll Hi resolved that the money
issued by it ought to pass curreut in
all payments, and that anyone refus-
, ing so to receive it ought to be decreed
an enemy to the liberties of the coun-
try"
Only under a just and equal money
system can wealth be fairly distributed
opportunities i'll life made equal, and
the patriotic spirit kept alive. To
permit any form OF the currency to be
boycotted by private contract is to
create an unequal money system, and
to allow special privilege to the
moneyed class. No one dared to in
augurate or to ask such inequality un-
til after the rise OF the capitalstic
class following the war; The fact that
such discrimination has been author
lied in any way by Congress is unior-
tunate. That such inequality has
been extended 10y judicial or execu-
tive usurpation is alarming. 1t was
not i'll the days OF the Roman Re
public, but during the decline of til.
Empire that the civil law permitted
contracts to be paid in any specific
form of money. When this came to
pass, there was no longer money in
Rome, but gold and silver commodi-
ties: Everybody became buyer or
seller of junk" and the days OF the
Roman government were numbered.
In so far as Congress has authorized
any discrimination against any of the
currency of the country, such discrim-
ination is permissive. But Congress
can and may at any time cancel such
authority. 1t is the action of the ju-
dietary that furnishes most acute
ground for alarm, and ugainst which
public attention should he the most
strongly directed, for the reason that
the Justices of the Supreme Court are
appointed for life. That Court has
decided in Bronson vs.. Rodes & WalD
that, regardless Of the legal tender
quality attached by Congress to its
money issue, the private creditor can
nevertheless legally provide for the
payment of debts in gold coin.
Such opinion in our judgment, is in
the interest of the classes against the
masses, is derogatory of the Supreme
Authority, and usurpation by the
Judiciary Of the prerogative of the
legislative branch of the government.
In fact, the decision upholding gold
contracts is at war with the legal ten
der cases decided by the same court,
in which it is said:
Every contract for the payment of
money is necessarily subject to the
constitutional power of the govern
ment over the currency and obligation
of the parties ito II contracU is there
fore assumed with reference to that
power"
This same principle is announced
by that court, speaking through JUS
tice Gray, in U. S. Reports ITO, p. 44S,
in the following language: Congress
is authorized to establish a national
currency, either in coin or paper, and
to make that currency lawful money
for ALL PURPOSES as regards the ma
tional government or private individ-
uals. Nor is the power restricted by
the fact THAT ITS EXERCISE MAY Az
Feet THE VALUE OF PRIVATE CON
TRACTS" "SUcH NOTES." declared that
court "MUsT BE AVAILABLE TO Full
FILL all contracts soluble in money"
And again, Every contract for the
payment of money is necessarily sub
ject to the constitutional power of the
government over currency, and the OBJ
legation of the parties is therefore as
sumed with reference to that power.
The covenant is undertaken in subor-
dination to the paramount right OF
the government. No obligation of