The daily sentinel., 1899-08-07
,HEApENs COST OF PRODUCTION.
eus Docs Nos Chsapen the Prices the Pub
lio Has to Pay-They Are the Result Of
Congestion Of Idle Money = Remedy Il
Blmotalliesn and More Money.

4uo1o WAS pAousy u mOAey Al C43CuAh'
don. 1t was what the gold men call
"unsound" currency. It was depreciat-
ID - compared with gold, but there
was plenty Of it, and the people had NOT
the smallest need for gold. The "un-
sound' currency performed all the funo-
lions Of the soundest money. It held
out the strongest and most substantial
Invitations to individual energy and en-
terprise, so that those who have since
gone into the profitable business Of
forming trusts had no field for the dis
play Of their genius
But since the demonetization Of sil.
ver, and especially since Cleveland's
violation Of the law In declaring the
obligations Of the government payable
In gold, the contraction in business and
In all forms Of industrial enterprise has
driven Individuals and men with small
for the trusts wide and an ever widen.
ing field.
There is no possible way to dispose
Of the trusts 90 long as business, prices,
values and currency are tied to the gold
standard. Under the operations Of our
present currency system individual en-.
ergy and enterprise have no field what
ever. Everything is pushed to the wall
except combinations Of capital.
The attacks Of many Of the newspa-
pers Of the country-especially the New
York World-are wholly beside the
mark. They are as futile - they are
furious. In the nature Of things there
IL no cure for the trust evils until we
remedy the cause that breeds them. So
long as we have the single gold stand
ard, 10 long must all business. prices and
values continue to contract And by the
time this contraction reaches the level
10 which 1t Is tending the trusts and
monopolies will have charge Of every
enterprise and scheme which, under an
adequate currency system, was formerly
carried out by individual energy.
The trust system oheapens the cost Of
production. but it does not oheapen the
prices the public have to pay. The
oheapentng process that has been going
on is due entirely to the increasing val
ne Of gold as compared with all other
commodities and all other species Of
property. Trusts are not above human
nature, and they have taken and are
taking advantage Of their power 70
squeeze the public. They are an evil,
and they constitute one Of the greatest
dangers the people are called upon to
face, but they are the inevitable result
Of the gold standard, and they cannot
be controlled until the great trust Of
trusts-the international gold syndicate
lis rendered powerless for evil. The
remedy Is in bimetallism and the in
nvnaao ~ rms v,ro,ov ~upp1v
The newspaper that upholds the gold
standard while fighting trusts is simply
throwing sand In the eyes Of the people.
The way to upset the trusts is to give
the people more money to do business
ON and money Of kind that does not
absorb all values, but leaves q fair pro-
portion In the possession of the pro-
duoers. The way to restore competition
in business, In spite Of the trusts, is to
restore prosperity. This can be done by
placing our currency system on the
basis Of bimetallism, which means
wholesome addition Of hard money to the
volume Of circulation; which means
higher prices, higher wages, expanding
business and a restoration OF all forms
Of industrial development.
Trusts are the result Of hard times.
and hard times are the result Of a scar
city of money. or, what is worse. the
congestion of idle money in quarters
where 1t is utterly beyond the means Of
the people to command their due share
of 1t a. the result of their labor. When
there is plenty Of money in circulation,
modest Investments in business enter
prises have a chance against the trusts
and combinations, for when a plentiful
supply Of capital is available trust will
antagonize trust and the whole system
fall utterly to pieces.
Under the present system OF currency
contraction, low wages and hard times
small and independent business enter
prises have no chance against the tend
ency to consolidation among others en-
gagged in the same line Of business.
Business depression ia the lever by
which the small enterprises are crushed
out by the large ones, which are able to
take care OF themselves while the little
ones cannot
That the trust system is an evil oan-
not be doubted and that there must be q
remedy is indisputable, but the remedy
for this evil. like that Of general busi-
ness depression, IL the near cut BY
which the people will be given The ban-
eAt o6 = more flexible currency aytem
and by which the money Of the country