Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-05-13
THE ISSUE OF TODAY.
PLUTOCRATIC PLANS OF LOOT
AND RAPINE.
Let Us Give Life and Taxes Freely for
Oar Country, but Not Bond OF Any
Sort for the Bloodsuciscrs of Wall
Street and Europe"

Writing to the st. Louis Journal OF
Agriculture Congressman Benton says:
THE people and the press ought to
hold up the senate's hands while 1t
gives battle to the plutocrats. Even
If the administration takes advantage
of it's doubtful right to issue coin bonds
under the resumption act, 1t will be
pilloried by the people. Our battle cry
must be paper money issued by the
government for war purposes, free sill
yer, free Cuba, free Americans. Three
hundred million dollars will in all
probability cover the necessary eX-
penses Of war with the "toothless OLD
wolf" Spain. We have half that amount
In the treasury, which may be used;
the balance can be Immediately issued
in paper currency; then open the minis
to the coinage of silver as we'll as gold,
and the astonished monarchies OF the
old world will see this mighty and
puissant government win victory
over a foreign foe without Gripping
her wealth producers, and without issu-
ing bonds" The Journal Of Agricri-
ture editorially says: "Mr. Benton does
not speak too strongly Of the plans OF
the plutocracy. No one could speak
truly on this subject without speak
ing strongly. The times demand plain
language from men with iron in their
blood"
We have a plutocracy the power and
permanence of which depends on in
creasing indefinitely the amount of in
terest-bearing bonds of all kinds-pub
lie and private.
Plutocratic political economy is as
simple as highway robbery-as simple
as stock watering-as simple as usury.
So once more let us sum up the vital
principle of the whole system:
1--WE have plutocracy, controlling
the government at Washington, the
trade of the country and the industries
of the people. And for power and per-
manence it depends on the indefinite
imitation Of Understanding paper of
all kinds, which can be made to i'm
pose fixed charges" on the govern
ment or on general business, whether
of production or distribution"
Those who will take the small
trouble to understand what this simple
proposition means, will be ready to
understand the whole of the issue pre-
sented to this country and to the world
by the unparalleled growth of inflated
and usurious paper capital-by the I'M
paralleled insolence, the uneXampled
rapacity of the fraudulent compound
ers of interest who control it.
The beginning of this system was
war debt. 1t originated in its present
form as a result of the struggle be-
tween England and France during the
eighteenth century for the control of
India and the North American CONT
nent. These wars, which preceded our
own revolution, laid the foundation for
the plutocracy of England and of the
European continent "a pluttrracy
which controls every throne in Europe
and is now by far the most potent force
in our own politics-excepting only
one-the power of Anglo-SaXon deter
mination to be free when the Anglo
Saxon hatred of injustice and oppres-
sion is once thoroughly reused.
AS a result of the French and En-
glish wars, of the American revolution,
of the Continental wars which accom-
panied it, of the Napoleonic wars and
other periods Of storm and stress dur
ing the century, including our own
titanic Civil struggle, the usurious plu-
tocracy has frightened it's grip on the
throat of the world.
In 1890, these spectators in war debt
held against the business of the world,
paper calling for the payment of an
nual fixed charges" on twenty-seven
billion three thousand and ninety-six
million dollars of bonded debt.
These figures were compiled from
the census of 1890. They are the sum
total of the tables of national debts
given on page 1872 of the World AL
manac for 1898.
Every dollar withdrawn from bust
ness and from the earnings of the peo-
Pile, whether by taxes on tea, coffee and
beer internally, on the necessaries of
life at the ports, or on articles of
manufacture which must be stamped
before they can be sold, withdraws
money from general use and puts it
into fewer and fewer hands. Thus our
civil war still enslaves us.
Every dollar which goes into war
bond is dollar withdrawn from bust
ness, from the hiring of labor, from
legitimate production and distribution,
from every form of really productive
industry.
When 1t gets back into circulation
finally, it is loaded down with fresh in
terest charges, and controlled by de-
creasing number of people-by favored
bankers, brokers, contractors, cam
paign contributors and other ground
floor" people Of all kinds.
War-hondc tend m ma ralv1o oil form q