The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-02-01

VOWCL oA4 8NS
il slower and the producers OF it suffer
I with hard times, such as now prevail.
It does not take q smart man to see
tnis. Rven the Democratic and part
OF the Republican parties saw it in 1896,
and the Ignorant(O Populist saw it in
1899. Why did not all parties, when
they saw the evil, at nee come out in
declaration TO give the people more
money, 90 products would keep above
cost Of production, that the people
might pay their debts and live comfor
tablyG Oh, moi for there is "a niger
in the wood pile" in the shape OF inter
est on money on bonded indebtedness,
just like it was before the war when
there was money in the negro.
The demand for more money Ger.
tainly shows a wrong in our finances,
rnd everybody felt it. 80 strongly in
1895, that the politicians aided by short
sighted economists, formed this de.
mand into a popular ''cre1s" for the
free coinage of silver" This was far
short Of true craftsmanship and still
farther short Of q knowledge Of our
monetary system which our Alliance
Order should have. Free coinage" Of
silver at the ratio of 16 to l." is all
right as a remedy so far as it goes, but
it would not 60 far. If we had it in
full force, there would still be q mighty
interest" in the "woodpile" able to
control it.
In connection with the law cutting
short the supply of money is a feature
which permits and promotes usury,
that is gain-now called interest
charged and paid for the use of money
thus practically making it a commodi
ty or product (and we have shown it
in neither one) to be bought and sold
at some price. Law has enacted that
no thing but gold, or possibly silver
shall be used upon which to stamp the
mint of money measure value, which
shall be used as legal tender money.
This limits the amount of money far
below the earnest demand of the PEG
pie for commercial business, which
would enable them to pay as they
go.". ALI this limiting in favor of
usury and not of industry.
Let US, therefore, look up this mat
ter of usury or interest which is in con.
fict with industry, for it has been in
conflict with it ever since the ''begin-
ming"
In Eden God set the conditions and
described the way in which all man
kind sould be blessed in living, viz
I'm the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread till thou return unto the
ground" The Eighth Commandment
given to Moses forbade mans getting
anything from anyone without his
consent and remuneration and the vi
olation of this command be named
"steal." The statutes given to Moses
in that exemplary government, which
is a perfect pattern in its moral prin
ciples for all civil governments to the
end of time, also, forbade usury I'm
qualiiedly, thus establishing in COM
mon law, concerning usury, the great
moral principle of Divine Law.
When the Jewish nation had fallen
from her high estate into bondage, the
prophets for hundreds of years pointed
out usury as being one Of the princi
pal crimes of which the nation and
people had been guilty, and for which
they were suffering, and God makes it
clearly apparent that He was the aven-
ger of that sin. If it had not been q
sin against his moral law he never
would have given it that prominence
by the mouth of his prophets.
The free coinage Of silver and such
things are merely local in character
and feeble in results, while the adjust
ment Of a monetary system that would
reduce all interest to the cost of main
taing it, or not, over one per cent, thus
practically abolishing interest, would
revolutioniBe the entire financial sys-
tenn of the United States and eventu,
ally that Of the whole world, just as
our Nation is now revolutionizing
monarchies with democracy. It would
ere long overturn and turn out the
present system of credit, which ia
the most grievous yoke of servitude
the people have to labor under to day.
shall not consume space here ar
gui0g nor proving the moral and other
legal attitude in which this stupen-
dous evil stands up before the church,
the State and the world. 1t destroys
nations, enslaves people and prosti-
tutes manly intelligence and energy in