Natchitoches populist., 1898-09-09
JJSURERS THE ENEMY.
THAT THE PEOPLE SHOULD
MOST FEAR.
The Government Is the Only Power
That Can Furnish a Nation with
Money and 1t should Protect Us from
the Grasp of Usury.

are studying economic questions with
much greater interest than ever be-
fore, and that interest is increasing.
They are finding out that we have any
thing but a democratic or government
OF the people; that the people have
very little power in shaping the laws
by which they are governed, and are
governed to their undoing. Our gov
eminent is government of monopo-
lies, II 1t has any special feature, and
the greatest of all the monopolies is
the money monopoly. This giaat
monopoly stands behind all other mon
opolies, and exacts tribute from the
people through all of these agents
They are the devilfish's sucking tubes.
Every monopoly must depend upon
the money power for its support. II
this great International monopoly
withdraws its support from anyone that
monopoly must fall, whether in The
form of corporation, combine, trust
or partnership.
The banks are the main tool with
which the money monopoly works. De-
prive 1t Of this machinery and the
money trust becomes powerless
giant, a chained lion. Comparatively
few persons have ever seriously
thought Of the great injustice suffered
by the people On account of the spe-
ciai fayors conferred on the banks by
law. They are the great channels of
usury through which the peoples
money Is drained into the Golfers of
the money cliQues.
Money is as necessary to civilization
as land. Without money our ciyiliza-
ton could not exist. The human race
must continue to groyel in barbarism
II deprived of the medium of money to
enable them to exchange the products
Of industry and divide them into in
hnitesimal quantities with facility.
Such a power as that should never he
intrusted to the control OF a small, al
most select class.
No business of any magnitude can be
conducted without line of credits
.yfith the banks. If the banks will II,
the strongest firms can be broken
down The banks have but to with
hold their Accommodations" and that
house must fall.
Hundreds OF the best firms fell to
rise no more under the bankers pa
mic" Of 1898. The bankers of Wall
street had political object in view,
and in order to achieve that object
their conspiracy was planned, and with
an ignorant, INSCRIPTIONS man In the
presidential chair they succeeded in
robbing the people of hundreds Of mill
lions and sending such q cyclone
through the business of the country as
it has not been able to this day to re-
cover from. The business portion OF
society seems never to pause and coa-
slider the millions-aye, the hundreds
Of millions--they pay yearly to the
banks in the form Of discounts and in-
terest. There is not dollar in circu-
lation that is not taxed nearly, If not
quite, 100 per cent with interest.
Large concerns employing many hands
and which have to keep on hand a
large stock of material are constantly
In debt to the banks thousands Of dol
lars. This great drain of interest on
their resources Is not alone paid by
the borrowers. tits added to the cost
lot products and spreads over the whole
community, drawing tribute from rich
and poor. Not living soul escapes
this suction pump. 1t reaches into and
draws from every pocket. Even the
beggar must pay his share Of the uni
versal toll.
The most singular part Of this
strange business Of usury is, the banks
scarcely own a dollar Of the money
they use. It is the pubIic's money they
make use of. The owners Of the money
deposit it in bank and check against
their deposits. 1t has been ascertained
that when normal conditions In BUSH
ness prevail that rs per cent Of the
deposits Is sufficient to meet the checks
against them. The banks have Sc
cured the privilege from the lawmak-
Ing power to loan this surplus and ap-
propriase the interest. The power Of
the bank to draw usury from the pub
lie does not stop with a single losn CT
the depositors' surplus above their i'm
mediate needs. BY the system OF
transferring credits on their ledgers
the banks can hypothecate loans on
their assets, = which are the bills pay
able OF their customers. By this meth
Cd clf bookkeeping the money they owe
their tiepositors Is loaned many times
Doubtful concerns are carried by re-
newaIs and the houses or firms of this
description are hied to the utmost en-
durance Of the victims
Modern banking don't want much
money in circulation. Their intan
gible. credit money serves them a bet.
ter purpose They can the more read
IIy keep their customers In debt b
the use OF their intang ibIe, credit trans
.fers on the ledger. Under pur moderr
banking system business is done OF
debt principally, not With money 9
any great extent. Hence uur deyastat